Introduction - Development of the Manual

Brief Couples Therapy: Group and Individual Couple Treatment for Addiction and Related Mental Health Concerns

An early draft of the manual was piloted in a research project at CAMH. Following further refinement, the manual was distributed to clinicians at CAMH, as well as to therapists and counsellors from external agencies, to test its usefulness with individual couples and multiple couple groups. A more complete draft of the manual was reviewed by 19 different consultants, clinicians and researchers practising in the areas of mental health, addictions, general family services and private practice. As a result of these reviews, the manual was further refined and adapted to become a useful tool for clinicians working with couples with addictions and mental health concerns. Currently, the manual is being utilized within a multi-site research project comparing group versus individual couple therapy with a diverse sample of couple clients.

The treatment model has been field tested at CAMH, North York General Hospital and Addiction Services For York Region (ASYR). A six-month outcome evaluation of the model is under way. Preliminary results show that the program (in both group and individual formats) has been well received by the clients. From the field test, we have also obtained qualitative data from the clinicians in the form of comments about the usefulness of the manual, its readability and flow. As well, over 30 post-session problem-solving debriefing meetings have been conducted with clinicians who are administering the treatment. Feedback from these sessions has been incorporated into the development of this manual.

Brief Couples Therapy

Acknowledgments

Introduction

• Assessment Session
• Session 1: Introduction
• Session 2: Genogram/Family Tree
• Session 3: Miracle Question
• Session 4: Goal Setting
• Session 5: Communication
• Session 6: Trust/Intimacy
• Session 7: Relapse Prevention
• Session 8: Conclusion

References

Appendix A: The Background of the Integrative Model

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