Lie to Me No More: Believable Stories and Marital Affairs

Abstract

This case study illustrates the dilemmas of systemic practice when the presenting problem is relational infidelity (marital affairs). After several months of treatment with a structural therapist, the couple and therapist were at an impasse because of arguments over the husband's alleged sexual encounter 3 years previously. The introduction of a consultant and a story-based therapy allowed the couple to reconcile their marital difficulties. The article ends with a discussion of the implications of systemic paradigms and personal morality.