A Systemically Infused Integrative Model for Conceptualizing Couples' Problems

Couple therapy is one of the most commonly practiced forms of therapy, yet clinicians receive very little systemic training on how to conceptualize couples. This problem is particularly salient given that the complexity of any case increases exponentially with the addition of each person in the therapy room. Couple therapists are faced with an inordinate amount of information that they have to organize and understand. This article describes a four-session couple evaluation, which is nested in the Integrative Problem Centered Metaframeworks (IPCM) model. That is, the four-session model uses a 21st-century integrative, common factors framework that combines clinical interview data with empirical data in conceptualizing couples' problems. After a description of the models, a clinical case study will be presented for illustrative purposes. An appendix of sample questions is also provided.