Viale Publishing Couples Counseling: A Step by Step Guide for Therapists

A lot to learn and it’s easily adaptable to practice

Even though this book is nearly 10 years old, it still delivers a very robust approach to Couples/Relationship counselling. This interesting approach is taken from the three giants of therapy; Ellis, Gottman, and Hendrix. This saves a lot of time in research and comparative studies, keeping the practitioner clear of 'reinventing the wheel'. Why do that when Marina Williams has clearly done a lot of work in the systematic approach of a step by step guide to Couple counselling? It's prudent to read the text from cover to cover to get the lay of the land, and then re-read whilst taking notes. As a Relationship Counsellor/Coach {PhD in Pastoral Counselling USA, and a L8 Diploma in Counselling (Marriage and Relationship) UK} it is refreshing to take another therapists' approach, especially one who utilises REBT, in my opinion, far more methodical and results-oriented than CBT. I use it for both individual and couples counselling with extremely good results; it's logical and clients come to an 'aha' moment quickly. This text will only be of benefit if you're prepared to put in the hard work into studying, and then putting it into practice. Obvious! The only annoyance I have with this text is the poor editing; spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and in some cases the sentence appears incomplete, making it difficult with flow in reading. That's OK, because as the reader is already assumed of above average intelligence, they're able to discern the structure of what is being said... separate of semantics. If you are a Couples counsellor, or contemplating entering into this specialisation, this is the text to devour. A++++++++

A brilliant book from a brilliant and wise author. One of the best books I have read on the subjet. I have bought the rest of his book collection.

This was an outstanding book for my needs. Well structured, easy to read and highly practical. I also appreciate the references for additional reading on the topic.

I am a MSW in private practice, and like most graduate level counseling programs, my schooling did not cover the essentials of couples counseling very thoroughly. I felt ill prepared to see couples upon graduation, and was terrified at the thought of treating couples when I entered the world of private practice. This book does exactly as the cover states ... it is literally a step by step guide - covering the initial phone contact, session by session outlines, all the way through termination. Within each chapter, the author includes sample session dialogue with a vignette couple that she uses to illustrate her concepts throughout the book. She offers various approaches and problem solving techniques when the therapist may encounter a resistant or argumentative spouse, an array of presenting problems, a significant other who attempts to "fire" the therapist, and more. I learned more about couples from this book than I did in 6 years of higher education and two internships. Not to mention, the couples I treat also love the activities and content that we cover in session, which are all derived from this book. I have seen amazing outcomes in the couples I've worked with following this guide. This is a must have!!