Sections
Couples Therapy: Introduction | History of Couples Therapy | Couple Processes | Assessment of Marital Distress | Treatment Approaches | Special Problems | Ethical Issues | Research Assessing Effectiveness of Couples Therapy | Conclusion | Key Points | References | Suggested Readings
Excerpt
Perhaps the foremost of these sources is the epidemic of marital
difficulties in the Western world. Epidemiological studies typically
find 20% of the population to be experiencing marital distress
at any particular moment in time (Gurman and Fraenkel 2002).
Moreover, the divorce rate has stabilized, with approximately half
of all marriages ending in divorce. A total of 10%–15% of couples
separate in the first 4 years of marriage, and 70% of
marriages last a decade (Emery 1999).