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Evaluation ViewAttendees 4

Clinical Intervention Training

Couples / Close Relationships

Including Partners in the Treatment of Depression and Anxiety/Fear-based Disorders: A Couple-based Approach

Clinical Intervention Training 1 - Including Partners in the Treatment of Depression and Anxiety/fear-based Disorders: A Couple-based Approach

Thursday, November 20, 2025
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM CST
Location: Strand 11A, Level 2
Earn 7 Credit
Ticketed Session
Keywords: Couples / Close Relationships, Depression, Anxiety
Level of Familiarity: All
Recommended Readings: Baucom, D. H., Fischer, M. S., Worrell, M., Corrie, S., Belus, J. M., Molyva, E., & Boeding, S. E. (2018). Couple-based intervention for depression: An effectiveness study in the National Health Service in England. Family Process, 57 (2), 275-292. doi: 10.1111/famp.12332,   Fischer, M. S., Baucom, D. H., & Cohen, M. J. (2016). Cognitive-behavioral couple therapy: Review of the evidence for the treatment of relationship distress, psychopathology, and chronic health conditions. Family Process, 55(3), 423-442. doi:10.1111/famp.12227,   Fischer, M. S., Baucom, D. H., Weber, D. M., Bauer, D. J., Munion, A. K., Porter, L. S., Christensen, A., Bulik, C. M., Whisman, M. A., Abramowitz, J. S., Kirby, J. S., Runfola, C. D., Ditzen, B., & Baucom, B. R. W. (2024). Interpersonal dynamics of vocal fundamental frequency: Depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and relationship distress. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 180, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2024.104571,   Fredman, S. J., Macdonald, A., Monson, C. M., Dondanville, K. A., Blount, T. H., Hall-Clark, B. N., Fina, B. A., Mintz, J., Litz, B. T., Young-McCaughan, S., Hancock, A. K., Rhoades, G. K., Yarvis, J. S., Resick, P. A., Roache, J. D., Le, Y., Wachen, J. S., Niles, B. L., McGeary, C. A., Keane, T. M., & Peterson, A. L., for the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD (2020). Intensive multi-couple group therapy for PTSD: A non-randomized pilot study with military and veteran dyads. Behavior Therapy, 51(5), 700-714. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2019.10.003,   Kane L., Baucom D.H., Daughters S.B. (2024). Dual-substance use disorder couples: An integrative review and proposed theoretical model. Clinical Psychology Review. 2024 Jul;111:102447. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2024.102447. May 18. PMID: 38781717.
Psychopathology such as depression and anxiety/fear-based disorders occur in an interpersonal context such as committed relationship, and the two exert a reciprocal influence on each other. That is, the couple’s relationship can impact the disorder, and the disorder can impact the couple’s relationship. Thus, understanding how to integrate principles from couple therapy and individual therapy can provide an enhanced approach to intervention. Cognitive-behavioral couple therapy (CBCT) is a highly efficacious approach for assisting couples experiencing relationship distress. In addition, research to date indicates that CBT-oriented, couple-based interventions are effective in treating depression and anxiety. This workshop provides the essentials of how to integrate the partner into the treatment of depression and anxiety/fear-based disorders in two ways. The primary focus emphasizes how to use a couple-based approach with both partners present for all sessions, addressing both the disorder and relationship dynamics. Second, the workshop includes ways that individual treatment for these disorders can be enhanced by including the partner for select sessions. Thus, the workshop is intended both for (a) couple therapists who want to learn how to address psychopathology while working with a couple and (b) individual therapists who want to learn how to harness the strengths of a couple’s relationship by including partners for select sessions during individual therapy.
This workshop demonstrates how to integrate (a) efficacious intervention principles from individual therapy into a couple treatment format, along with (b) well established CBCT couple interventions. Participants will be taught three different approaches to treating psychopathology in a couple context and how to combine these three approaches for optimal intervention for these complex cases. The workshop will include videotapes and live role plays demonstrating these techniques, using depression and anxiety/fear-based disorders as examples. Clear principles for developing treatment plans for specific couples will be presented, so that the therapist can develop couple-based interventions for numerous types of psychopathology, in addition to depression and anxiety.

Outline:
I. Understanding adult psychopathology within an interpersonal context: a conceptual model with treatment implications
II. Common couple-based interventions to employ across disorders
III. Treating depression with couple-based interventions
IV. Treating anxiety/fear-based disorders with couple-based interventions
V. Sequencing interventions when psychopathology and relationship distress are both present
VI. Employing couple-based interventions selectively during individual therapy

Long Term Goals:
1. Understanding psychopathology in an interpersonal context, both how couples’ relationships can impact the disorder and how the disorder can impact the couple’s relationship.
2. Employing an empirically-supported intervention framework, learn the general principles and specific interventions for including partners in a couple-based interventions for a variety of adult disorders

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:
  1. Describe the differences between couple therapy and couple-based interventions for psychopathology and when to use each or both in combination.
  2. Explain an individual’s depression and fear-based disorders within a cognitive-behavioral ecological model, including each partner, their relationship, and their broader environment.
  3. Apply and integrate empirically-supported therapy principles for depression and anxiety into a couple treatment.
  4. Compare how and when to apply couple-based interventions to cases where (a) couple-based interventions with both partners is needed and feasible for all sessions and (b) individual therapy is supplemented with select sessions including the partner.
  5. Identify how to sequence interventions focusing on relationship distress versus individual psychopathology if both conditions are present.