Essay on Emotionally Focused Couples

Emotionally Focused Couples

Christine Garrison

BSHS/385

June 29, 2015

University of Phoenix

Emotionally Focused Couples

  Emotionally focused couples therapy in this program we learn about the couple Patty and Josh and what difficulties they face in their marriage with the past emotional issues with Patty. Patty has had past trauma to her sexual, physical, and mental abuse in her past relationships. You can tell that Josh is placing the blame on himself and thinks that he should be able to fix the issues with Patty. Patty can also empathize with Josh on what he has to work around her problems. Josh wishes to help Patty with her problems at the same time knows that these issues are something that Patty has to work through in her own time. Susan makes good points to see how each feels about the situation. The couple can empathize with each other for the items going on in their marriage.

During the conversation, Susan keeps good eye contact as well as facing the individual who is speaking. She is also sitting in a passive manner that helps the couple be more at ease with her. She maintains the same demeanor throughout the entire session with leaving her emotions hidden. Susan uses many open-ended questions to help the conversation keep flowing as well as watching very carefully the ways that she phrases her words. There was one question that I think had the conversation flowing and opened up more conversation than the others in my person prerogative. “Well, it's hard to be empathic when this huge fear comes for you, yeah? And your whole body goes into what can I do here, you know, to survive. It's very hard to look out over that fear and see your partner and see that your partner is hurting, right. (Johnson, 2009). This question I think opened up the conversation that made the biggest difference and helped the couple the most. The closed end question that only had one or two answers that I think made the biggest effect was one to Patty it showed how she felt about the situation. “I hardly know how to trust it and I can't believe that you would want to come and be with me in all my hurt and all my fear. That's what you are telling him.” (Johnson, 2009) The question is so direct that it makes her face that her fears are eating her and messing up her relationship.  The session was a very successful for the couple as well as for Susan. You could see how comfortable the couple was with Susan just in their personal body language.