Couples Therapy Flashcards

When a couple presents with one partner diagnosed with ADHD, which relational dynamic is MOST commonly reported?

Answer: The non-ADHD partner develops a parental/caretaker role, leading to resentment and loss of intimacy

Couples with one ADHD partner frequently develop a parent-child dynamic as the non-ADHD partner compensates for executive functioning deficits, which erodes romantic and sexual connection.

A therapist is seeing a same-sex couple and applies heteronormative assumptions about gender roles. This is an example of:

Answer: Microaggression and affirmative therapy failure

Applying heteronormative frameworks to same-sex couples constitutes a microaggression and violates affirmative therapy principles, which require culturally responsive and non-assumptive practice.

A couple reports that one partner is consistently dismissive of the other's emotional bids. According to Gottman, what is the long-term relational consequence of 'turning away' from bids?

Answer: Emotional bank account depletion and relationship dissolution risk

Consistently turning away from bids depletes the emotional bank account, which Gottman's research links to emotional disconnection and increased divorce risk.

In the Developmental Model of couples therapy (Ellyn Bader and Peter Pearson), the healthy progression from 'symbiosis' to 'differentiation' requires:

Answer: Each partner to develop a solid individual identity while maintaining the bond

The Developmental Model holds that healthy couples evolve from early symbiosis toward differentiation, where each partner can express a separate self within an intimate connection.

Which of the following is a contraindication for conjoint couples therapy?

Answer: Active domestic violence with ongoing safety concerns

Active domestic violence is a primary contraindication for conjoint therapy because joint sessions can escalate danger, silence the victim, or reinforce the abuser's control.

A couple engages in frequent 'kitchen sinking' during arguments. This term refers to:

Answer: Bringing in multiple unrelated grievances from the past during a current conflict

Kitchen sinking describes throwing everything but the kitchen sink into a fight by mixing multiple unresolved issues, which prevents any single issue from being resolved.

A couple therapist using a feminist perspective would most likely focus on:

Answer: Examining how societal power structures and gender role expectations affect relationship dynamics

Feminist couples therapy situates relationship problems within broader social and political contexts, examining how patriarchal norms and gender roles shape couple dynamics.