If Only I Had Known...: Avoiding Common Mistakes in Couples Therapy

Psychotherapy literature is often "how-to" in nature: A problem is presented and various approaches are offered to help therapists effect change in their clients, giving the impression that assessment, diagnosis, and intervention are simple and formulaic. But as any practitioner knows, therapy is anything but formulaic. Unanticipated situations often arise and inadvertent errors are often made. If Only I Had Known . . . offers help, exploring the most common philosophical, theoretical, and timing-related errors couples therapists make, and what to do to resolve them. Chapters focus on a specific mistake'ncluding confidentiality breaches, side-taking, inadequate listening, faulty interpretations and interventions, the imposition of spirituality, and the promotion of unrealistic expectations'xplaining why it happens, and offering concrete strategies for avoiding it. Case vignettes and sample dialogues demonstrate how mistakes can arise in a clinical setting and how to effectively prevent them, or, once they have been made, how to recover. No therapist can hope to completely avoid therapeutic blunders, but If Only I Had Known . . . will help beginner and seasoned couples therapists, as well as students of couples therapy, become more aware of the potential pitfalls and learn from them as they strive to be productive, if not perfect, therapists.