emotionally focused couple therapy

Objective: The increase in divorce rates has led to many studies on divorce prevention. The present study was conducted with the objective of comparing the effectiveness of emotionally focused couple therapy and self-regulation couple therapy in the ego strength of couples on the verge of divorce.   Methods:  The design of this quasi-experimental study was pretest-posttest with a control group and a three-month follow-up. The statistical population included all the couples on the verge of divorce in martyr Motahari family court complex in Mashhad in 2019. Sixty couples who referred to Bahar Divorce Counseling Center in Mashhad were selected. They were randomly assigned to two experimental groups (i.e., emotionally focused couple therapy and self-regulation couple therapy) and a control group. There were 20 couples in each group. The instrument included Ego Strength Questionnaire (Markstrom & Marshall, 2007). In addition, one-way analysis of variance and Bonferroni post hoc test were used to analyze the data using SPSS software (version 25). Results: Both intervention methods were effective in strenthing the ego of the couples on the verge of divorce (P<0.0001). Furthermore, the effectiveness of both methods sustained over time. Moreover, there was no significant difference between the two methods in terms of the effectiveness. Conclusion: According to the results of the study, it is suggested that counselors and psychologists in the field of couple and family therapy use the two methods of emotionally focused couple therapy and self-regulation couple therapy in order to strengthen the ego of the couples with challenges.

Objective: The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT) on experiential avoidance, cognitive emotion regulation, and rejection sensitivity in couples. Methods:  This research employed a quantitative, applied design using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group model. The statistical population included all distressed couples who sought counseling services in Ardabil between 2024 and 2025. From this population, 30 couples whose scores exceeded the cut-off point of 135 were randomly selected and assigned to either an experimental or a control group. Research instruments included the Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire (RSQ), the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire–II (AAQ-II), and the short form of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-SF). The intervention was based on Sue Johnson’s EFCT protocol, implemented in nine 90-minute sessions for the experimental group. Results: Covariance analysis showed that EFCT significantly reduced experiential avoidance, improved cognitive emotion regulation, and decreased rejection sensitivity in distressed couples ( p < .001). The effect size ranged from 65% to 68%, indicating a substantial impact on improving couple relationships. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that EFCT has a significant and positive effect on experiential avoidance, cognitive emotion regulation, and rejection sensitivity in couples.

The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy on alexithymia and marital disaffection in working women experiencing marital conflicts. This research was applied in terms of purpose and used a semi-experimental method with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design, including a control group. The statistical population consisted of all working women with marital conflicts who were referred to counseling centers in Tehran in 2024. The sample included 30 participants who were randomly selected and homogenized by age into two groups: intervention and control. Participants completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale by Bagby et al. (1994) and the Marital Disaffection Scale by Kayser (1996) during the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up phases. Couple Emotion-Focused Therapy was conducted according to Johnson's protocol (2019) over 12 weekly sessions, each lasting 90 minutes. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA with significance levels set at 0.05 and 0.01, employing SPSS-22 software. The results showed that Couple Emotion-Focused Therapy significantly reduced alexithymia (P=0.001). The interaction effect of time and group also resulted in a significant decrease in alexithymia (P = 0.001) compared to the control group. Additionally, the therapy significantly reduced marital disaffection (P=0.001), with the time*group interaction showing a significant decrease in marital dissatisfaction (P=0.001) relative to controls. Overall, the findings indicate that Couple Emotion-Focused Therapy targeting emotional alexithymia and marital disaffection is effective for working women with marital conflicts.