Marital therapists' views on the ingredients of successful marital therapy were assessed using a survey developed from empirical and theoretical literature and a clinician questionnaire. A random sample of 210 American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) members representing varying theoretical orientations responded. Therapeutic orientation was associated with tendencies to endorse broad patterns of variables but not with endorsing any particular item. Therapists agreed that providing a safe atmosphere; therapists' communication skills, interpersonal skills and flexibility; and clients' commitment to therapy and to their relationship were almost always important for successful treatment. Research, training, and practice implications are explored. This study was based on a master's thesis conducted by the first author at the University of Maryland at College Park and supervised by the second author. The authors gratefully acknowledge Robyn A. Davidson and the University of Maryland Computer Center for their aid in data analysis, Charlesj. Gelso for his assistance in design and interpretation, and Janice Jestrewbski for her assistance in coordinating data collection.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Aponte, H.J.
, & VanDeusen,J. M. (1981). Structural family therapy. In A. S. Gurman & D. P. Kniskern (Eds.), Handbook offamily therapy (pp. 310-360). New York: Brunner/Mazel.
2.
Baucom, D. H.
, & Hoffman, J. A. (1986). The effectiveness of marital therapy: Current status and application to the clinical setting. In N. S. Jacobson & A. S. Gurman (Eds.), Clinical handbook of marial therapy (pp. 597-620). New York: Guilford.
3.
Beach, R. H.
, & Bauserman, S. A. K (1990). Enhancing the effectiveness of marital therapy. In F. D. Fincham & T. N. Bradbury (Eds.), The psychology of mar7iage: Basic issues and applications (pp. 349-374). New York: Guilford.
4.
Bodin, A. M.
(1981). The interactional view: Family therapy approaches of the Mental Research Institute. In A. S. Gurman & D. P. Kniskern (Eds.), Handbook of family therapy (pp. 267-309). New York: Brunner/Mazel.
5.
Cameron, P. M.
(1987). Marital therapy: Outcome research-multiple pathways to progress. In L. F. Frelick & E. M. Waring (Eds.), Marital therapy in psychiatric practice: An overview (pp. 104-128). New York: Brunner/Mazel.
6.
Crane, D. R.
, Griffin, W., & Hill, R. D. (1986). Influence of therapist skills on client perceptions of marriage and family therapy outcome: Implications for supervision. Journal of Malrital and Family Therapy, 1, 91-96.
7.
Doherty, W.J.
, Lester, M. E., & Leigh, G. (1986). Marriage encounter weekends: Couples who win and couples who lose. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 12(1), 49-64.
8.
Figley, C. Z.
, & Nelson, T. S. (1989). Basic family therapy skills: I. Conceptualization and initial findings. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 15(4), 349-365.
9.
Framo, J. L.
(1981). The integration of marital therapy with sessions with family of origin. In A. S. Gurman & D. P. Kniskern (Eds.), Handbook of family therapy (pp. 133-158). New York: Brunner/Mazel.
10.
Framo, J. L.
(1982). Explorations in marital and family therapy: Selected papers ofJames L. Framo. New York: Springer.
11.
Glick, I. D.
, Clarkin, J. F., & Kessler, D. R. (1987). Marital and family therapy (3rd ed.). Orlando, FL: Grune & Stratton; Harcourt Brace Javanovich.
12.
Goldfried, M. R.
, & Newman, C. (1986). Psychotherapy integration: A historical perspective. In J. Norcross (Ed.), Handbook of eclectic psychotherapy (pp. 25-61). New York: Brunner/Mazel.
13.
Green, R.
, & Herget, M. (1991). Outcomes of systemic/strategic consultation: III. The importance of therapist warmth and accurate structuring. Family Process, 30, 321-336.
14.
Greenberg, L. S.
,James, P. S., & Conry, R. F. (1988). Perceived change processes in emotionally focused couples therapy. Journal of Family Psychology, 2(1), 5-23.
15.
Greenberg, L. S.
, & Pinsof, W. M. (1986). Process research: Current trends and future perspectives. In L. S. Greenberg & W. Pinsof (Eds.), The psychotherapeutic process: A research handbook (pp. 3-20). New York: Guilford.
16.
Grencavage, L. M.
, & Norcross,J. C. (1990). Where are the commonalities among the therapeutic common factors?Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 21(5), 1-14.
17.
Grunebaum, H.
(1988a). What if family therapy were a kind of psychotherapy? A reading of the "Handbook of Psychotherapy and Behavior Change."Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 14(2), 195-199.
18.
Grunebaum, H.
(1988b). The relationship of family theory to family therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 14(1), 1-14.
19.
Guerney, B.
(1985). Family therapy research: What are the most important variables?InternationalJournal of Family Therapy, 7(1), 40-49.
20.
Guerney, B.
, Brock, G., & Coufal, J. (1986). Integrating marital therapy and enrichment: The relationship enhancement approach. In N. S. Jacobson & A. S. Gurman (Eds.), Clinical handbook of marital therapy (pp. 151-172). New York: Guilford.
21.
Gurman, A. S.
(1978). Contemporary marital therapies: A critique and comparative analysis of psychoanalytic, behavioral and system theories approaches. In T. J. Paolino & B. S. McCrady (Eds.), Marriage and marital therapy: Psychoanalytic, behavioral and systems theory perspectives (pp. 445-556). New York: Brunner/Mazel.
22.
Gurman, A. S.
, & Kniskern, D. P. (1978). Research on marital and family therapy: Progress, perspective and prospect. In S. L. Garfield & A. E. Bergin (Eds.), Handbook of psychotherapy and behavior change: An empirical analysis (2nd ed.) (pp. 817-901). New York: Wiley.
23.
Gurman, A. S.
, & Kniskern, D. P. (1981). Family therapy outcome research: Knowns and unknowns. In A. S. Gurman & D. P. Kniskern (Eds.), Handbook offamily therapy (pp. 742-746). New York: Brunner/Mazel.
24.
Gurman, A. S.
, & Kniskern, D. P. (1986). Commentary: Individual marital therapy-have reports of your death been somewhat exaggerated?Family Process, 25, 51-62.
25.
Gurman, A. S.
, Kniskern, D. P., & Pinsof, W. M. (1986). Research on the process and outcome of marital and family therapy. In S. L. Garfield & A. E. Bergin (Eds.), Handbook of psychotherapy and behavior change: An empirical analysis (3rd ed.). New York: Wiley.
26.
Harris, R J.
(1985). A primer of multivariate statistics. New York: Academic Press.
27.
Hill, K. E.
, & O'Grady, K. E. (1985). List of therapist intentions illustrated in a case study and with therapists of varying theoretical orientations. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 32(1), 3-22.
28.
Jacobson, N. S.
(1984). A component analysis of behavioral marital therapy: The relative effectiveness of behavior exchange and problem solving training. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 52, 295-305.
29.
Jacobson, N. S.
(1991). Toward enhancing the efficacy of marital therapy and marital therapy research. Journal of Family Psychology, 4(4), 373-393.
30.
Johnson, S. M.
, & Greenberg, L. S. (1988). Relating process to outcome in marital therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 14(2), 175-183.
31.
Johnson, S. M.
, & Greenberg, L. S. (1989). The therapeutic alliance in marital therapy. Journal of Cognitive Psychotheraply: An International Quarterly, 3(2), 97-110.
32.
Johnson, S. M.
, & Greenberg, L. S. (1991). There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamed of in BMT: A response to Jacobson. Journal of Family Psychology, 4(4), 407-415.
33.
Kelley, H. H.
(1983). Love and commitment. In H. H. Kelley, E. Berscheld, A. Christensen, J. H. Hardy, T. Huston, E. V. McLintock, L. A. Replagle, & D. R. Peterson, Close relationships (pp. 265-314). New York: W. H. Freeman.
34.
Kuehl, B. P.
, Newfield, N. A., &Joanning, H. (1990). A client-based description of family therapy. Journal of Family Psychology, 3(3), 310-321.
35.
Margolin, G.
(1981). Behavioral exchange in happy and unhappy couples: A family cycle perspective. Behavior Therapy, 12, 329-343.
36.
Margolin, G.
(1987). Marital therapy: A cognitive-behavioral-affective approach. In N. H.Jacobson (Ed.), Psychotherapists in clinical practice (pp. 332-285). New York: Guilford.
37.
Parloff, M. B.
(1986). Placebo controls in psychotherapy research: A sine qua non or a placebo for research problems. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54(1), 79-87.
38.
Piercy, F. P.
, & Sprenkle, D. H. (1990). Marriage and family therapy: A decade review. Journal of Mariage and the Family, 52, 1116-1126.
39.
Pinsof, W. M.
(1989). A conceptual framework and methodological criteria for family therapy process research. Journal of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, 57(1), 53-59.
40.
Rohrbaugh, M.
(1986). Q-sort comparisons of the structural, strategic and systematic family therapies. American Journal of Family Therapy, 14(10), 40-48.
41.
Snyder, D. K
, Wills, R. M., & Grady-Fletcher, A. (1990, August). Long-term effectiveness of behavioral versus insight-oriented marital therapy: A four-yearfollow-up study. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Boston, MA.
42.
Stanton, M. D.
(1981). Strategic approaches to family therapy. In A. S. Gurman & D. P. Kniskern (Eds.), Handbook offamily therapy (pp. 361-402). New York: Brunner/Mazel.
43.
Stewart, D.
, & Love, W. (1968). A general canonical correlation index. Psychological Bulletin, 70(3), 160-163.
44.
Stolk, Y
, & Perlesz, A.J. (1990). Do better trainees make worse family therapists? A followup study of client families. Family Process, 29, 45-58.
45.
Thomlinson, R. J.
(1984). Something works: Evidence from practice effectiveness studies. Social Work, 29(1), 51-56.
46.
Todd, T. C.
, & Stanton, M. D. (1983). Research on marital and family therapy: Answers, issues, and recommendations for the future. In Wolman & Stricker (Eds.), Handbook offamily and marital therapy (pp. 91-115). New York: Plenum.
47.
Walker, L. G.
, & Patten, M. I. (1990). Marriage guidance counselling: II. What counsellors want to give. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 18(3), 294-307.
48.
Yalom, I.
(1970). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books.
