Contrasting Cases in Two Psychotherapeutic Processes Based on Integrative Behavior Couple Therapy / Contraste de casos en dos procesos psicoterapéuticos basados en la terapia de pareja conductual integradora

The present study proposes an evaluation of the therapeutic process in relation to the follow-ing aspects: the therapist adherence, the items which are more and less characteristic in the treatment and the interaction structures, along the therapeutic process of two cases of couple therapy,one with significant positive clinical change and one with significant negative clinical change, in the couple's evaluation. This work used Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy mod-el, one of the approaches of the third wave therapies.The method was a study of contrasting cases. The similarities and differences between the cases were discussed, reaching the conclu-sion that there are aspects of the couple, the therapist, the therapeutic relationship and the context that may have contributed to the different outcomes. (AU)

El presente estudio propone una evaluación del proceso terapéutico en relación con los siguientes aspectos: la adherencia del terapeuta, los ítems más y menos característicos en el tratamiento y las estructuras de interacción, a lo largo del proceso terapéutico de dos casos de terapia de pareja, uno con cambio clínico positivo significativo y otro con cambio clínico negativo significativo, en la evaluación de la pareja. En este trabajo se utilizó el modelo de Terapia de Pareja Conductual Integrativa, uno de los enfoques de las terapias de tercera ola. El método fue un estudio de casos contrastados. Se discutieron las similitudes y diferencias entre los casos, llegando a la conclusión de que hay aspectos de la pareja, del terapeuta, de la relación terapéutica y del contexto que pueden haber contribuido a los diferentes resultados. (AU)

Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT) as a third-wave therapy / La Terapia Integral Conductual de Pareja (TICP) como terapia de tercera generación

BACKGROUND: This article presents a description of the Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT), and puts forwards its contributions, its techniques and progress, the research data on its usefulness compared to traditional behavioral couple therapy, and explains basically its articulation in third-wave behavior therapies using the concepts of functionality, rule-governed/contingency-shaped behavior and acceptance. METHOD: A theoretical review of the main IBCT bibliography was carried out. RESULTS: The review shows that this intervention model includes innovative intervention strategies (to promote acceptance and tolerance) that join the already well-known behavioral couple therapy techniques (behavior exchange, communication training and couple problem solving), substantially modifying the therapy. Furthermore, it incorporates useful orientation for especially difficult problems in couples (such as infidelity and substance use, abuse and dependence situations). CONCLUSIONS: After this analysis, IBCT is revealed as a new intervention, the scope of which is still spreading among professionals. The acceptance concept, one of the core elements of third-wave therapies, has been fruitfully included in behavioral couple therapy through the IBCT

ANTECEDENTES: este artículo presenta una descripción de la Terapia Integral Conductual de Pareja (TICP); se enumeran sus aportaciones, sus técnicas y su curso; se ofrecen datos de investigación respecto a su utilidad comparada con la terapia de pareja conductual tradicional y se explica su articulación en las terapias de tercera generación a través de los conceptos de funcionalidad, aceptación y conducta gobernada por reglas/moldeada por contingencias. MÉTODO: se efectuó una revisión teórica en la bibliografía más importante de la TICP. RESULTADOS: la revisión ha revelado que este modelo de intervención incluye novedosas estrategias de intervención (para el fomento de la aceptación y la tolerancia) que se unen a las ya conocidas de la terapia de pareja conductual (intercambio de reforzadores, entrenamientos en comunicación y resolución de problemas), de forma que modifica sustantivamente la terapia; además, incorpora orientaciones útiles para problemas especialmente difíciles de las parejas (como infidelidades y situaciones de consumo de sustancias, maltrato y dependencia). CONCLUSIONES: la TICP se presenta como una intervención nueva y cuyo alcance está aún por divulgarse. El concepto de aceptación, uno de los elementos nucleares de la tercera generación, se ha incorporado fructíferamente a la terapia de pareja a través de la TICP

Topic models: a novel method for modeling couple and family text data.

Couple and family researchers often collect open-ended linguistic data-either through free-response questionnaire items, or transcripts of interviews or therapy sessions. Because participants' responses are not forced into a set number of categories, text-based data can be very rich and revealing of psychological processes. At the same time, it is highly unstructured and challenging to analyze. Within family psychology, analyzing text data typically means applying a coding system, which can quantify text data but also has several limitations, including the time needed for coding, difficulties with interrater reliability, and defining a priori what should be coded. The current article presents an alternative method for analyzing text data called topic models (Steyvers & Griffiths, 2006), which has not yet been applied within couple and family psychology. Topic models have similarities to factor analysis and cluster analysis in that they identify underlying clusters of words with semantic similarities (i.e., the "topics"). In the present article, a nontechnical introduction to topic models is provided, highlighting how these models can be used for text exploration and indexing (e.g., quickly locating text passages that share semantic meaning) and how output from topic models can be used to predict behavioral codes or other types of outcomes. Throughout the article, a collection of transcripts from a large couple-therapy trial (Christensen et al., 2004) is used as example data to highlight potential applications. Practical resources for learning more about topic models and how to apply them are discussed.

Use of standardized assessment instruments in couple therapy: the role of attitudes and professional factors.

The study examined therapeutic approach, professional affiliation, training, seniority, and work setting as predictors of attitudes toward standardized instruments and their use in couple therapy. Data were gathered from 163 certified marriage and family therapists in Israel. Results showed that 27.6% of marital therapists used standardized instruments for assessment. More positive attitudes toward standardized instruments were associated with the extent of training in their use and with a structural-strategic approach. Logistic regression analysis indicated that positive attitudes, training, and work setting best predict the application of standardized assessment instruments. Reasons for the relative lack of use of standardized assessment instruments are discussed. It is recommended that more training in assessment instruments be included in marriage and family therapy training.

Recondicionamiento afectivo individual en terapia conductual de pareja / Individual affective re-conditioning in behavioral couple therapy

Se señala que la terapia conductual de pareja tradicional (TCP), usada con relativo éxito, no obtuvo mejores resultados luego de incorporar intervenciones cognitivas y afectivas, situación que se atribuye a la influencia preeminente de los paradigmas de condicionamiento operante y de parendizaje cognitivo (procesamiento informativo) y a la escasa aplicación del conocimiento antiguo y reciente sobre el condicionamiento clásico (CC), muy relevante para explicar la escencia de disfunciones en la relación de pareja que se sitúa en el área afectiva...(AU)