The couple therapist is obliged with ensuring that their clients get the services that are essential in ensuring that they can deal with problems affecting their marriages. As a Couples therapist, I will use both formal and informal assessment tools and techniques to understand the cause of the problem for the clients. In addition to this, I will also use evidence-based approaches and an Adlerian approach method to assess the client's problems. As such, thus will help me in dealing with issues related to the couple as motivated by my earlier interview.
Formal Assessment Tool
Trust in close relationship scale
As a Couples therapists, one of the formal assessment tools that would be effective in dealing with the individual is the relationship trust scale. This scale was developed by Rempel, Holmes as well as Zanna in the year 1985 (Rempel, Holmes, & Zanna, 1985) . Subsequently, the purpose of this scale is to gauge the level of trust an individual has with someone who is close to them, for example, a spouse. To achieve this, the scale differentiates between the three dimensions of trust which include predictability, faith, and dependability. Predictability mainly concentrates on the consistency of specific behaviours if a partner with regards to past experiences. On the other hand, faith refers to feelings of confidence that a partner has in the specific relation and feeling that they are receiving the responsiveness and caring which they require and expect from their partners. Dependability emphasizes on the dispositional qualities of that spouse which make them be willing to risk being hurt by the spouse.
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According to research, this assessment tool has proven to be effective in dealing with couples problems. As a matter of fact, it is used in the step towards forgiveness and reconciliation of couples model applied in therapies. As such, this justifies its effectiveness and appropriateness in dealing with couples. The variability of this scale was determined by evidenced by results taken from a heterogeneous group which put under research. Using a seven-point scale, an individual is subjected to a series of questions and their response to them is placed on the scale. As such, the therapist is able to identify genuinely how the individual feels in regards to the other spouse and accurately measure their level of trust in them. As such, this shows this has been the basis of the viability as well as the reliability of this assessment tool. It has also been used to measure other close relations such as those of patients and their caregivers.
Consequently, this tool has been considered as an evidence-approach tool in family and couple therapy. This is basically because the feelings of one partner in regards to his/her spouse are projected in the series if question that they are engaged in to answer (Rempel, Holmes, & Zanna, 1985) . Therefore, seven-point scale then shows exactly the level of trust that one has in regard to the partner in question.
According to my perspective, the tool is vital in couple therapy and thus I would use it during the therapy session. In regards to the prospects of this scale, they believed that love as well as happiness was interconnected to feelings of trust as well as the intrinsic motives an individual had towards themselves and their spouse (Rempel, Holmes, & Zanna, 1985) . Hence, to a large extent, trust is a key issue that impacts either positively to a couple or becomes a source of the problem to them. In relation to this, I would apply this scale assessment on the onset of the therapy session after ensuring that my clients are comfortable with me and knowing what their objectives and expectations are. This is because; it will lay a good foundation upon which we can begin assessing the cause of the couple’s problem. None the less, in a case whereby I find out that my clients are not comfortable going through the series of questions, I will look for another alternative.
Informal Assessment tool
Couple’s Creativity Assessment Task (C-CAT)
One informal assessment tool that I would use would be the Couple’s Creativity Assessment task commonly abbreviated as the C-CAT (Johnson, 2004) . This tool is specifically used to make assessments regarding the ability of the couple to create a positive experience of their experience. According to this test, it first focuses on the memory of the couple to reconstruct some of the experience that they have had together. The second part entails finding out which future visions do the couples have in regards to their relationship. Thirdly, it deals with how the couple perceives their ability to solve their problems critically and creatively. Lastly, it measures the divergent thinking of each of the partner.
During a therapy session, I would use this tool by asking questions orally to the clients. This would involve asking them to describe to me some of the best memory they hold of each other. In this way, I would be able to assess their thinking divergence and devise ways to help them to level up (Johnson, 2004) . The most appropriate time to use this tool will be after assessing their level of trust in each other. This is because, by helping them to create a positive memory of each other, they will be able to identify places where they each exaggerated negative feelings towards each other. Moreover, it will help them to construct a positive image of each other which will be effective in solving some of their problems. None the less, in a case where making them remember their past, does more damage than good to the clients, I will avoid using this tool.
Evidence Approach Method
Self –report Method
The self- report method is an evidence-based approach which is used in gathering massive information regarding a partner (Johnson, & Whiffen, 2003) . It is also easy to administer, and it can be relied upon to provide quality personal information of the client. To begin with, this method can be used in measuring the behaviour of a partner. This includes measuring their communicational, Physical as well as verbal aggressions that they may hold towards each other as well as the level of sexual intimacy between the two. To achieve this, the approach uses SOC which entails 400 discrete behaviours which have been separated prior and placed into 12 categories. These categories include the affection, communication, companionship, parenting, physical intimacy, finances and division of responsibilities of the house.
Each partner is given a checklist to filling over a specified period of time, and they are required to indicate if the behaviours their spouse had portrayed were either admirable or displeasing (Johnson, & Whiffen, 2003) . In addition, SOC can develop blueprints if individual rein forcers and the ability to delineate the actual strengths and weaknesses in the client's relationship. It also seeks to get the clients feedback regarding the satisfaction of the ratings for the different categories in the SOC. According to Johnson, (2004) this method has proved efficient in assessing the cause of distress among couples as well as un-behavioural counselling in general.
Adlerian-Based Approach and Technique
Recollections
In couple’s therapy, early recollections are a good way through which a therapist can understand the cause for the couple’s problems (Hecker and Wetchler, 2003) . Most importantly, recollections of early memories are crucial in giving hints regarding the direction through which a partner is striving. For example, a particularly traumatic event in a partners childhood may dictate a particular behaviour in they portray in the relationship. As such, this recollection helps to reveal what a therapist should aim for in the session and what they should avoid. As a couple therapists, it is crucial at some point to deal with the couple separately by asking each to go back in time and explain what comes to their mild. This information is crucial because it is a collaborating evidence of the kind of lifestyle they live.
Special Issues in area of Practice and Professional Growth
As a couple therapists, there are unique issues which are common to almost all couples who come for a therapy session. Some of the challenges revolve around extra marital affairs. I this case you find either one of the partners is having another affair with someone who is not their spouse. To some extent, some of this extra-marital affairs end up with a child being born in the other affair. Hence it becomes s a challenge for one of the partner to cope with the fact that their partner has another with another person (Hecker and Wetchler, 2003) . None the less, in a case whereby there is no child involved, the emotional damage in the current relationship is also relatively similar.
Subsequently another challenge which is common in with the couple involves couple violence which in some case may take the form of physical and or verbal abuse. In this case, one of the partners usually has experienced several cases of both physical and verbal abuse for the partner and feels that it needs to be addressed. For others, it is usually immediately after their spouse portrays signs of violence that they seek counselling to address it early enough (Hecker and Wetchler, 2003) .
Others it is always because they are unable to communicate effectively about their problems. In this case, the couples cannot communicate about challenges that they face which end up affecting their relationships (Hecker and Wetchler, 2003) . Hey can also not plan anything together which makes the relationship not grow. As such, they seek a couple’s therapy in order to effectively communicate with each other.
There are also other couples who have a problem in regards to their sexual life. In some cases, there are partners who are bisexual or simply attracted to the same sex. For the latter case, they may engage in relationships with the opposite sex due to societal pressure. Others simply have not yet established their sexuality. Hence it becomes a challenge to the couple.
There are those who in some cases are addicted to substance abuse which ends up hurting their relationship. They may use all their finances in buying drugs which were supposed to be used in the homes for domestic purposes (Hecker and Wetchler, 2003) . Moreover, they are always emotionally absent when their partners need them, and it is also difficult for them to build a family together. As such, these people come for a couple’s therapy to be able to deal with these issues.
In addition, there are others who form unrealistic goals in the relationship which is influenced by some fantasies. This is whereby a partner may enter into the relationship expecting that their spouse will fulfil some of the things they need, and they find that they have to work for them. In other times they may expect that in the relationship there will never be incidents of arguments and when they occur they get frustrated. In this case, therefore, the relationship is bound to have problems when the partner realizes that their expectations are not met.
Professional Growth
As a couple therapists dealing with cases regarding couple’s violence is challenging as one may unconsciously find that they have engaged year emotions in the matter. This feeling may include anger and dislike to the partner subjecting the other to verbal or physical violence. In this case, as a Couple therapists, I would engage in some additional training to ensure that there is a professional improvement in this field (Hecker and Wetchler, 2003) . This would entail engaging in self-care practices and seeking help from some of the colleagues to ensure that one can deal with such cases.
Impacts of Interview on the practice
Consequently, in regards to the interview, it made me realize that the area regarding couple’s problems is broad and which requires more attention. This is also because some of the issues that couples come within therapies are common to almost all relationships. However, a majority of people do not consider them as serious. In this case, many couples which would have been saved end up failing due to ignorance. As such, the interview gave me the insight to look into issues that affect couples and ways which they could be solved (Hecker and Wetchler, 2003) .
Conclusion
In conclusion, couple therapist is important in solving problems which relate to couples in their relationship, As such, better a defective assessment tools should be used both formal and informal in order to establish the cause of their problems. This is because the more effective an assessment tool is, the better the chances of finding out what the problem is about. It is also important to consider better evidence-based approaches and combining them with one of the Adlerian approaches in solving the problems. Some of this issues which are specific to couples in the therapy session include couple violence, sexual problems, to name just but a few. However, in dealing with some of these issues, couples therapists face a risk of getting emotionally involved. Hence it is better to seek some further training to deliver the quality result.
References
Hecker, L & Wetchler, J. (2003). An introduction to marriage and family therapy New York: Haworth Clinical Practice Press.
Rempel, J.K., Holmes, J.G. & Zanna, M.P. (1985). Trust in close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49 , 95-112.
Johnson, S. M., & Whiffen, V. E. (Eds.). (2003). Attachment processes in couple and family therapy. New York: Guilford Press.
Johnson, S. M. (2004). The practice of emotionally focused marital therapy: Creating connections (2nd ed.). New York: Brunner/Mazel
