The Crowded Bed: An Effective Framework for Doing Couple Therapy - Hardcover

Bobes, Toby; Rothman, Barbara

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0393702804 ISBN 13: 9780393702804

Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc, 1998

Synopsis

The principles of couple and family therapy are synthesized in a straightforward, jargon-free guide. The crowded bed is a potent metaphor for the ghosts each partner brings to the relationship. Here are the basic principles of the many approaches to family therapy that will empower students to help couples achieve the intimacy they long for. Also included is an extensive case study and guidelines for working with various populations. While written primarily for students, this book will attract all who are experiencing the strain of a crowded bed.

About this title

About the Author

Toby Bobes, Ph.D., is a couple and couple therapist. While engaged in private practice, teaching, and writing in Los Angeles for many years, she now lives in Santa Barbara. She is on the faculty of Antioch University Los Angeles. Barbara Rothman, Ph.D., is a marriage and family therapist with a private practice in Beverly Hills. In addition to writing and supervising students, she is on the faculty of Antioch University in Los Angeles. Both authors are AAMFT-approved supervisors. They have a long association with the Southern California Counseling Center in Los Angeles.

From the Inside Flap

This book is a lifesaver for family therapy students and beginning therapists. It gives them the means to sort out the many factors, past and present, that crowd the couple's bed--family-of-origin issues, previous relationships, burdensome secrets, children, in-laws, unresolved losses, financial worries--just to name a few. The authors' framework, built from the major influential theories of family and marital therapy, will enable therapists to work effectively and briefly, though not superficially, with couples. In Part I, Bobes and Rothman articulate the concepts and assumptions that provide the theoretical foundation for their multidimensional framework. Here they draw upon systems theory, Bowen theory, object relations, and postmodern constructivism, outlining the major concepts and demonstrating their compatibility within a family life-cycle frame. This part also includes guidelines for assessment and evaluation of the couple and discussions of ethical dilemmas and countertransference. Parts II and III bridge theoretical concepts with the practical aspects of doing couple therapy, giving readers the vicarious experience of being in the therapy room with a helpful teacher and mentor. Part II is extraordinary in following a typical case from beginning to end, through tender moments, rough spots, family-of-origin work, revelation of deeply held secrets, alcohol abuse, ultimatums, and finally renewal of commitment to the relationship. Part III addresses some common and universal themes within a developmental framework, using cases to illustrate typical therapeutic dilemmas. In addition, the authors explore common and pervasive therapeutic issues: ethnicity, the impact of physical illness, domestic violence, and homophobia. They broaden the therapeutic frame by illustrating the use of a reflecting team and a variety of supervisory arrangements. With genuine warmth and deep respect, Toby Bobes and Barbara Rothman share what they have learned with the next generation, easing new therapists' way into the demanding work of couple therapy.

Edition details

• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0393702804
• ISBN 13: 9780393702804
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 203