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An Integrated Approach to Relationship Educa CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE Attachment Informed Relationship Education: An Integrated Approach to Relationship Education A graduate project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Master of Science in Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy By Jessica A. Perez December 2014 Copyright by Jessica A. Perez 2014 ii The graduate project of Jessica A. Perez is approved: _________________________________________ ______________ Stan Charnofsky, Ed.D. Date _________________________________________ ______________ Bruce C. Burnam, Ph.D. Date _________________________________________ ______________ Pete G. Goldschmidt, Ph.D., Chair Date California State University, Northridge iii Dedication I would like to dedicate this project to all of the people who have helped make it a possibility. Thank you to my advisor and chair Pete Goldschmidt as well as my readers Stan Charnofsky and Bruce Burnam. A special thanks also to Dana Stone who took time out of her busy schedule to provide guidance. I would also like to thank my colleagues who have been such an inspiration and driving force throughout this entire process: Andrea Larco, Denise Torres, Jacqueline Kademian, Adrian Rodriguez, Karla Barba, Juan Mendoza, Amanda Berkowitz, Solange Pollack, and Elizabeth Kekahuna. Finally, I would especially like to thank my husband, Victor Hugo Perez, who has supported me in so many ways during the development of this project and who provided inspiration for its creation. iv Table of Contents COPYWRIGHT……………………………………………………………………………………………………….ii SIGNATURE PAGE………………………………………………………………………………………………….iii DEDICATION………………………………………………………………………………………………………...iv ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………………………………………...….v CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ................................................................................ 4 FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO RELATIONSHIP DISSATISFACTION AND DISSOLUTION ............................................. 4 OVERVIEW AND EFFICACY OF EXTANT RELATIONSHIP EDUCATION ........................................................................... 8 ADULT ATTACHMENT AND ITS EFFECTS ON MARITAL SATISFACTION ...................................................................... 14 EMOTIONALLY FOCUSED THERAPY: OVERVIEW AND EFFICACY .............................................................................. 18 OVERVIEW OF GOTTMAN’S THEORY AS A RELATIONSHIP INTERVENTION ................................................................ 22 GROUP THERAPY: BENEFITS AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES ........................................................................... 24 INTEGRATION INTO THE CURRENT PROJECT ............................................................................................................. 29 CHAPTER III: PROJECT AUDIENCE AND IMPLEMETATION FACTORS ....................................... 36 DEVELOPMENT OF PROJECT ...................................................................................................................................... 36 INTENDED AUDIENCE ................................................................................................................................................ 37 PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS ..................................................................................................................................... 38 ENVIRONMENT AND EQUIPMENT .............................................................................................................................. 39 PROJECT OUTLINE ..................................................................................................................................................... 40 CHAPTER IV: CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................. 43 SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................................. 43 DISCUSSION .............................................................................................................................................................. 44 FUTURE WORK/RESEARCH ....................................................................................................................................... 45 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................ 47 APPENDIX-PRODUCT ............................................................................................................................. 53 ABSTRACT ATTACHMENT INFORMED RELATIONSHIP EDUCATION: AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO RELATIONSHIP EDUCATION By Jessica A. Perez Master of Science in Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy This project aims to create an integrated approach to relationship education by designing a group curriculum that draws upon existing relationship interventions and integrates them with attunement towards partner’s needs, awareness of attachment issues via Emotionally Focused Therapy, and John Gottman’s Sound Relationship House/divorce indicators. The existing literature surrounding marital satisfaction and the factors that lead to marital dissolution and divorce are examined. Also reviewed is the efficacy of existing relationship education programs, the potential impact of attachment upon marital satisfaction, and key ideas from John Gottman’s marital research. Keywords: relationship education, Sound Relationship House, Gottman, adult attachment, marital satisfaction, group therapy v Chapter I Introduction In 2011,The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP, 2011) reported that there were 2,118,000 marriages in the United States, the marriage rate was 6.8 per 1000 total population and the divorce rate was 3.6 per 1000. Additionally, “divorce begets divorce” as evidenced by Copen, Daniels, Vespa, and Mosher (2012), as women with previously married first husbands had 38% probability of their marriage lasting 20 years compared to 54% probability for women whose first husband had not been married previously; for men the probability of first marriage lasting 15 years was 64% if their first wife had never been married before and 50% if she had. With the divorce rate a little over half the marriage rate, and the fact that having one divorce decreases the odds of subsequent successful marriages, the importance of understanding the factors that contribute to successful marriages is crucial. It is imperative that this information not only be used to fuel additional research, but also that it reach couples in the early stages of marriage. Many couples tend to undertake marital therapy only as a last resort, at which point might be too late, as it would be impossible to undo years of criticism, contempt, abuse or other irreparable damage. The best approach to combat marital dissolution would be prevention. A relationship educational curriculum, designed for newlywed couples and based on an integration of relationship research, would help disseminate the crucial knowledge regarding relationship functioning before it is too late. Statement of Purpose The purpose of this project is to develop a relationship education group curriculum that would provide newlywed couples with an opportunity not only to learn 1 and practice essential communication skills, but also to learn about the issues that most often affect marriages, the factors that could contribute to the dissolution of a marriage, and what distinguishes a successful and lasting marriage from those that end in divorce. Statement of Significance This curriculum educates couples regarding some of the most pertinent relationship literature. They also become aware of some practices and actions that have been proved through research to improve relationship satisfaction and enhance the foundation and strength of the marriage. The curriculum would be adaptable and available to be used by other counselors or programs to help couples prepare for a lasting marriage. In contrast to extant relationship education programs/curriculums, this project does not focus solely on communication skills, but rather incorporates knowledge from various theories such as: attachment theory, Emotionally Focused Therapy, and Gottman’s relationship theory/divorce indicators, as well as foster more positive communication styles. Definition of Terms Emotionally Focused Therapy: Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) focuses on underlying meaning of partner’s present emotional experiences (Johnson & Greenberg, 1985). Each partner’s inner experiences are explored as well as the meanings attributed to them. By clarifying needs and modifying perception of self and partner, couples are able to interact in new ways that satisfy newly uncovered emotional needs (1985) Intimacy: Soltani, Molazadehb, Mahmoodic, and Hosseini (2013) describe intimacy as a feeling of closeness and support within couple relationships; it is characteristic of successful and happy couples. Conflict and decreases in intimacy may occur when the 2 partners have different expectations of autonomy and collaboration, having differing levels of independence and solidarity (2013). Group Therapy: Therapy with 3 or more members receiving therapy simultaneously. Group therapy has been seen to be as effective as individual therapy and it can be seen as consisting of emotional
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