COLLABORATIVE COUPLE THERAPY (CCT)

CCT assumes that in a relationship every moment provides opportunity for intimacy, but problem arises when partners do not confide with each other their thoughts and feelings and engage in compensatory fall-back measures.

CCT also assumes that relationships undergo shifts of cycles. When partners are confiding, they are in ‘empathetic cycle’, when not confiding they are in the ‘withdrawal cycle’ and when they are not confiding and are also blaming they are in the ‘adversial cycle.’

CCT thus differentiates between distressed couples and healthy couples on the basis of time spent in the last two cycles and their ability to return to the collaborative phase.

The role of a therapist is unique in this therapy. The therapist let him/ her get affected by the negative interaction pattern of the couple and undergoes negative cycles. He again and again pulls himself/ herself out from the negative cycles. During this process the therapist is able to find out the inner struggle of the clients that has resulted in the symptomatic behavior.

In CCT, the therapist sometimes serves as the spokesperson of each partner. The therapist encourages the partners to express their inner thoughts and feelings, but when they are not able to do this, he does on their behalf. This helps the partners to understand each other.

CCT Points that when the partners’ are able to express their thoughts and feelings; positive and negative, of the moment on a day-to-day basis their relationship strengthens.

The goal of CCT is to increase the expression of thoughts and feelings between partners. CCT defines intimacy as letting you partner know who you are at the moment. Expression of thoughts and feelings creates a joint platform for the partners to deal with their issues collaboratively. So the partners become part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

Sometimes when partners are difficult to engage in collaborative talk, the CCT helps them to do so after sometime i.e. by holding the recovery conversation.

CCT can also be used as a preventive measure for the well functioning couples. Teaching then to engage in their inner struggle or self- conversation will help them to understand themselves and their feelings and will also help in realizing their partner’s perspective.