Integrative Behavior Therapy For Couples – Everything You Need To Know

According to Riva (2012), integrative behavioral therapy for couples is one of the so-called third-generation therapies. This form of therapy has a strong focus on private and personal experiences (feelings and thoughts), aspects and attention. It also places particular emphasis on functional analysis of behavior as a way of evaluating problems. The analysis includes the context in which they occur, the background, the consequences of maladaptive behavior and the personal history of both parties.

Cordova (2002) explains that it is called integrative behavior therapy because it combines techniques for acceptance with the traditional techniques we find in classical behavior therapy.

That said, integrative behavioral therapy for couples is considered a step forward in traditional behavioral therapy (Jacobson and Margolin, 1979). The reason for this is that this form of therapy includes a component of emotional acceptance. At the same time, it does not really focus on behavior change.

Some studies indicate that this treatment is very different from traditional behavioral therapy. In addition, they mention that the underlying mechanisms of change make it a better tool for solving couple-related problems.

Integrative behavioral therapy for couples as a third-generation therapy

Acceptance

Acceptance techniques are useful for getting couples to meet in the middle. But in other words, it allows them to work through their disagreements so that they do not become sources of chronic conflict. According to Dimidjian, Martell and Christensen (2008), the main strategies that contribute to this are:

Empathic union : The goal is to reduce the couple’s negative behavior. To do this, the therapist asks the couple to express the pain that the specified behavior is causing them without making any accusations or placements of guilt. Getting one of the parties to understand how their actions affect their better half is the main goal of this strategy.

Unified separation : The main goal is for the couple to identify the interactions that give rise to their individual frustrations. The goal is to help the couple see their problems from a different perspective. In this strategy, the therapist analyzes what reinforces the behavior that creates problems. To do this, the therapist encourages the couple to talk about these issues as if they were spectators.

Tolerance : This is the technique the therapist will resort to if the ones mentioned above do not work. The therapist helps the couple to expand their tolerance levels. It is not about going back to the “idealization stage” where the couple first falls in love with each other. Instead, it encourages the couple to be fair to each other and to recognize the other’s qualities.

Mindfulness (mindful presence)

Mindfulness is a relatively new technique based on very old approaches. It is rooted in different religions as well as Eastern and Western philosophies. Buddhism, however, is the religion that exerts the greatest influence over this technique. It refers to being observant and aware of the here and now without making any kind of judgment.

O’Kelley and Collard (2012) describe how relationships are subjected to different tests over time. With this type of therapy, people will be better able to handle these situations by reducing the effect that the above tests provoke in the relationship. In addition, it helps each person to be aware of how they usually relate to the other in specific emotional states. It also improves a person’s ability to self-control. This model is based on natural reinforcement (a smile, a nice comment, etc.).

Studies on Integrative Behavior Therapy for Couples

Jacobson, Christensen, Prince, Cordova, and Eldridge (2000) compared traditional behavioral therapy with integrative behavioral therapy. The data collected through their study indicate that the participants who were treated with integrative behavior therapy showed greater satisfaction in their relationship than those who were treated with traditional behavior therapy.

Perissutti and Barraca (2013) found similar results in a later study. They analyzed 12 different studies and found a slight improvement in patients who received treatment with integrative behavior therapy, both at the end of treatment and up to a year later. However, the same authors also found that after 5 years of follow-up, integrative behavior therapy and traditional behavior therapy yield very similar results.

Conclusion

This type of therapy combines cognitive therapy techniques with new strategies to encourage acceptance. It allows both parties to get to know themselves and each other better. Integrative behavior therapy takes into account that people are emotionally reactive to their partner’s different types of behavior. This is why the goal is to improve trust, intimacy and compassion in the relationship.

One thing is for sure: when there is greater acceptance, people are more willing to make changes for the better, to adapt to others, to communicate better and to resolve conflicts.