Multi-Level Couple Therapy: Applying a Metacommunicational Framework of Couple Interactions†
A version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Toronto, Canada, August, 1978. The senior author wishes to express his gratitude to Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy, M.D., for the clinical supervision on the case presented. Additionally, we are indebted to Frank A. Johnson, M.D., for his helpful comments and careful review of the manuscript.
Abstract
Excerpts from a couple therapy case are cited to illustrate the practical significance of a multi-level framework in understanding couple interactions. The clinical implications of the metacommunicational framework, as a metaphor for examining and understanding relational processes, are discussed. Also, the pragmatics of following “process” at a variety of levels when working with punctuational differences, developing therapy strategies and goals, and measuring the progress of couple therapy are discussed.
