Cognitive-Behavioral Marriage & Family Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral marriage and family therapy (CBFT) is a therapeutic approach intended to help couples and families experiencing difficulties with their relationships. CBFT looks at individual behaviors, thought patterns, emotions, beliefs and perceptions and the effect that these have on the functioning of the couple or family as a whole. CBFT is concerned with current interactions between the members of the couple or family system, and the meaning that is derived from these interactions.
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Background
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According to psychologists Goldberg and Goldberg, authors of "Family Therapy: An Overview," CBFT is a relatively new treatment approach in marriage and family therapy. It stems from work with individuals using cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which focuses on the way that cognitive factors such as beliefs, attitudes and expectations affect behaviors. Pioneers in the field include Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck, who looked at the way individuals interpreted an event in their lives negatively because of an irrational belief that they held.
The Family as a System
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CBFT looks at the family in terms of being a system. Each member has his own ideas about life based on his unique life experience. In a couple, these ideas can be very different based on the family in which each person was raised. In the March 2001 issue of "Contemporary Family Therapy," Dr. Frank Dattilio states that the behaviors of one member of the couple or family affects the emotions, perceptions and behaviors of another member of the couple or family. They are intertwined as something larger than themselves.
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Treatment Approach
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A cognitive-behavioral marriage and family therapist will work with the couple or family to understand the thinking processes that are causing negative interactions within the couple or family. This is done through structured activities such as journaling, learning new communication skills and processing automatic thoughts and beliefs that each individual has. According to Goldberg and Goldberg, members of the couple or family may be met with for individual sessions before beginning group sessions.
Assessment
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Questionnaires and personality tests are often used in CBFT. Assessment is a continuous and integral part of CBFT. In CBFT, assessment refers to measuring the problems that the couple or family are encountering and continuing to measure the progress as the therapy moves forward. CBFT utilizes questionnaires, personality tests and behavior journals to learn more about the couple or family. In the assessment process, important information is discovered, such as what is happening to activate a behavioral problem and what the consequences of the behavior includes.
Time Line
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Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a brief treatment format. CBFT follows many of the same ideas as CBT, but can be more complicated because of the larger number of people receiving treatment at the same time. According to Goldberg and Goldberg, CBFT can range anywhere from eight to 20 sessions. Sessions are usually held for one hour, once a week. As therapy progresses, more work in the home may be assigned, and sessions could occur less often.
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References
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