September/October 2017
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The Future of Couplehood
Esther Perel Is Expanding the Conversation
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Editor's Note
This issue doesn’t try to resolve all the myriad challenges of couples work. Instead, it opens up a conversation about the things couples therapists rarely talk about with clients or with each other, a conversation that we need to encourage if our profession is to keep its cultural relevance.
Everywhere at Once
Esther Perel Is Becoming Therapy's Most Visible Presence
By questioning some of the fundamental premises of traditional marriage, couples therapist Esther Perel has become, at least for the moment, psychotherapy’s public face and most quotable voice. But what is she saying that’s so intriguing and makes her stand out from all the other relationship experts our field produces? Read More
The Long Shadow of Patriarchy
Couples Therapy in the Age of Trump
The election of Donald Trump and the resurgence of populism throughout the West were fueled by a renewed pull toward certain notions of traditional masculinity. Although therapists have remained largely silent about this revival of patriarchy in the culture, is neutrality really in the best interests of our clients? Read More
The Science of Togetherness
Making Couples Therapy More Effective
Despite all the intellectual excitement it generated, the hard truth is that, so far, the systems revolution hasn’t led to very effective ways of doing therapy. Fortunately, a second revolution is quietly taking shape—a new wave of systems theory and therapy—that marries the wisdom of clinical intuition with the rigors of scientific inquiry. Read More
Extra Feature
Daring to Play
The Challenge of Embracing Our Youngest Clients
Although they make up nearly a quarter of the population, children are rarely a central part of therapists’ practices. Why? The most effective interventions are based in play, an approach that seems less sophisticated than purportedly deep and transformative adult-centered talk therapies. It’s time to give play therapy the fuller attention and expanded application that it deserves. Read More
