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Publications
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Assessment Session
Brief Couples Therapy: Group and Individual Couple Treatment for Addiction and Related Mental Health Concerns
For this session:
- Session Guidelines
- Session Resources
- Assessment Questionnaires: Description
- Client Information Background Form
- Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) (not available online)
- Alcohol and Drug Use Information Form
- Client Handouts
- Facts About Couples Treatment
Checklist
Guidelines for the counsellor with tips on what to do with or say to the client.
- Describing the Purpose of Brief Couples Therapy (BCT)
“People have different ideas about what treatment is about. Let me tell you something about this program. This program is
for couples who are willing to look at how alcohol and/or drug use affect their lives. It helps couples improve their relationship
by working on communication, problem solving, conflict reduction and other identified issues. It helps couples work on their
drug use goals and ways to deal with relapse. It is based on the belief that your partner can help in your effort to change
your alcohol/drug use.”
- Describing How BCT Works
“This program is really to help you look at the impact of your substance use on your relationship and how your partner can
help support you in your effort to change your drug use. To help with that, the program will involve eight sessions, which
will begin following an assessment appointment with a therapist. Topics covered in these sessions will include family history,
communication, trust, goal setting, problem solving and relapse prevention. Please attend the sessions with your partner and
arrive alcohol- and drug-free.”
- Describing Who Comes to BCT
(This is especially important when providing BCT in a group format.)
“You might also be wondering what the people who come into this program are like. While everybody has their own unique situation,
here are some of the things we know about the people who come here…” (Give a general description of the clients seeking treatment
at your agency.)
- Completing the Client Background Information Form
This form can be completed as the couple is interviewed for assessment information.
- Administering Standard Questionnaires
Ask both clients to complete 2 forms: the Alcohol and Drug Use Information Form and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (optional).
If the DAS is used, we recommend that you administer it before the Alcohol and Drug Use Information Form, so that you can
score it while the clients are completing the latter form.
- Feedback
Summarize and interpret scores from the forms that are used. Based on the overall assessment interview, go over main issues
for the couple and tie this feedback to the treatment plan.
- Preparation for the Next Appointment
If group: do a general orientation for the group and give them the start date.
If individual: set the next appointment and hand out homework for Assignment 1 (Genogram/Family Tree).
Discuss any barriers to attending treatment.
Assessment Questionnaires: Description
- Client Background Information Form
This form records the background information of both partners. The therapist can fill this in as the couple are interviewed.
This provides a structure for obtaining pertinent information that will be useful for assessing the eligibility of the couple
for BCT and for the formulation of a treatment plan.
- Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS)
The DAS is a 32-item self-administered measure of the quality of marriage and similar dyads. It can be completed in about
10 minutes and has been widely used in research on the marital or dyadic relationship. Content, criterion-related and construct
validity were reported; and the scale was found to have an overall reliability of .96 using Cronbach’s coefficient alpha (Spanier,
1976; Spanier & Thompson, 1982).
The DAS score is computed by adding up the scores of all items. Total score ranges from 0 to 151. There is no norm for determining
the cut-off for happy or unhappy relationship. However, in a previous study, the mean score of a divorced sample is 71, and
the mean score of a married sample is 115. A score below 71 may be indicative of a “distressed” relationship, and a score
above 115 may be indicative of a “non-distressed” relationship.
It is not necessary for therapists to use this scale in their assessments for BCT. The authors used it in conjunction with
the associated research study. However, we also found it helpful as a clinical tool. Clinically, the scale can be used in
three ways:
- as a very general indicator, to help formulate an overall impression of the quality of the relationship
- to compare partners’ responses, and then use the similarities and differences as a starting point for discussion
- to identify specific problem areas by examining responses to individual items, and to use these responses as a basis for discussion
and the development of a treatment plan.
The DAS can be purchased from Multi-Health Systems. It is not included in the PDF available online.
- Alcohol and Drug Use Information Form
This is a simplified version of the Drug Use History Questionnaire and Adverse Consequences of Drug Use Scale contained in
the standardized assessment package for assessing substance use at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. This provides
an evaluation of the substance use problem in terms of frequency of drug use, as well as its adverse consequences.
Brief Couples Therapy
Acknowledgments
Introduction
References
Appendix A: The Background of the Integrative Model
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Centre for Addiction
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