"The relationship past can't be the future": couple counsellors' experiences of working with infidelity

Infidelity is both common and difficult to work with therapeutically, but little research to date has examined the experiences of those who work with this presenting problem. This study explores couple counsellors' experiences of working with couples affected by infidelity. Semi-structured inte...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sexual and relationship therapy 2014-10, Vol.29 (4), p.424-435
Main Authors: Vossler, Andreas, Moller, Naomi P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Counseling
Counselors
couple counselling
couple therapy
experiences
extramarital affair
Implicit theories
Infidelity
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Summary:Infidelity is both common and difficult to work with therapeutically, but little research to date has examined the experiences of those who work with this presenting problem. This study explores couple counsellors' experiences of working with couples affected by infidelity. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven experienced couple counsellors working for a nation-wide relationship counselling organisation in the United Kingdom. A thematic analysis of the interview transcripts revealed a shared pattern of experiences and challenges, providing greater insight into the specific constellations and difficulties practitioners face when working with issues around infidelity. Practical implications for working with this presenting problem are discussed as well as the potential impact of counsellors' own implicit theories on their practice with infidelity.
ISSN:1468-1994
1468-1749
DOI:10.1080/14681994.2014.924619