A systemically infused integrative model for conceptualizing couples' problems: The four-session evaluation.

Northwestern UniversityCouple therapy is one of the most commonly practiced forms of therapy, yet cliniciansreceive very little systemic training on how to conceptualize couples. This problem isparticularly salient given that the complexity of any case increases exponentially withthe addition of each person in the therapy room. Couple therapists are faced with aninordinate amount of information that they have to organize and understand. Thisarticle describes a four-session couple evaluation, which is nested in the IntegrativeProblem Centered Metaframeworks (IPCM) model. That is, the four-session modeluses a 21st-century integrative, common factors framework that combines clinicalinterview data with empirical data in conceptualizing couples’ problems. After adescription of the models, a clinical case study will be presented for illustrativepurposes. An appendix of sample questions is also provided.Keywords: