The Anatomy of a Couples Therapy Session ― The 50 Minute Hour in Eight Stages

How does a couples’ therapist actually run a 50-minute session? What needs to happen? What must happen? Managing this time and knowing how to guide a couple through what can be a rocky roller coaster ride is a critical skill. This volume breaks down the entire 50 minutes of a couples’ therapy session from beginning to end. It divides the 50 minutes into eight time period stages that may overlap. The distinctive characteristics and challenges of each time period are examined. Numerous case examples are given throughout the book. The couples’ therapist is addressed directly with many suggestions given for handling the situations that can arise in each period. In addition, the couples’ therapist’s own experiences during the session are explored.

Dr. Judith P. Leavitt is a senior clinician, licensed psychologist, and Diplomate Certified Sex Therapist with over 35 years of clinical experience. She has a private practice in Wayland, Mass. where she works with individuals, couples, and families. At the William James College, a graduate college in psychology in Newton, Mass., she is an adjunct faculty teaching Couples Therapy, and Human Sexuality.