Dreikurs’s Individual Therapy Phases Applied to Couples Therapy

Abstract

Rudolf Dreikurs divided Adler’s Individual Psychology psychotherapy process into four phases: establishment and maintenance of the therapeutic relationship, investigation of the client’s past and present life situations and lifestyle, interpretation or insight for enhancement of the client’s self-understanding, and reorientation. This article presents the application of Dreikurs’s phases to couples therapy as structured and developed by Zivit Abramson. The article describes how a couplehood is formed, what the psychological couple contract is, and situations in which difficulties may arise in the couple relationship. Dreikurs’s phases are paralleled and adjusted to couples therapy. This article contributes to the understanding of the therapist’s role by elaborating on the use of each phase in couples therapy.