Understanding barriers to couples therapy.

What prevents couples from entering therapy? Given that the rate of couple help-seeking is low, we need a better understanding of barriers to couple help-seeking. To expand our understanding of these barriers, we asked almost 300 people who expressed an interest in couples therapy, to clarify what kept them from seeking help. A content analysis of participant's responses found six distinctive categories: cost of treatment, logistics, the modality of treatment, trustworthiness, relational factors, and a clear therapeutic process. Additionally, some responses suggested that stigma and concerns around the emotional work involved deterred couples from seeking help. This expanded understanding of barriers to couples therapy can assist both researchers and clinicians address them in more intentional ways.

How long do people wait before seeking couples therapy? A research note.

A widely cited but poorly supported idea in the couples therapy field is that the average couple waits six years before starting therapy for serious relationship problems. This figure is often accompanied by the notion that many couples come "too late" and have poor prospects for recovery. This is the first large-sample study on the delay between the onset of serious marital problems and entry into couples therapy (N = 270) and individual therapy (N = 101) for relationship problems. We found an average interval of 2.68 years from onset of problems and entering couples therapy, with the great majority of couples entering therapy within two years. Findings were similar for seeking individual therapy for relationship problems. The main clinical implication is that therapists have little reason to be pessimistic about the majority of couples waiting so long before starting therapy that their problems are not resolvable.