What treatments are helpful for relationship problems?
Several different types of psychotherapy are effective for treating marital problems. According to the American Psychological Associations, Division 12, Society of Clinical Psychology,6 behavioral marital therapy is a well established treatment for marital discorder.7, 8 This treatment involves teaching communication and problem-solving skills, and helping couples use more positive behaviors with each other.2 Several other treatments also appear effective for treating marital problems: • Emotionally focused couples therapy for moderately distressed couples works on helping partners understand their own and each other’s negative emotional and behavioral responses and helps develop more constructive behavior toward each other that can fulfill their needs.9, 10 • Insight-oriented marital therapy tries to facilitate insight for each partner into his or her own personality and behavior, as well as into the dynamics of the relationship. It also aims to develop new interactions that more dire
