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Rhonda Goldman (2017). Applying Emotion-Focused Couple Therapy to Address Marital Conflict (APA, Session 2 of 2). In this second session of two, Dr. Rhonda N. Goldman applies an emotion-focused therapy approach to marriage counseling for an African American married couple who present with relational conflict due to different communication styles and preferences. The central areas of conflict are finances, communication, and family issues. The couple shares that they have been married for about nine years and have a blended-family--six children in total ranging from one- to eleven-years-old. The couple share that there has been a lot of positive change since the previous session. The wife says that she realized that she needed to take more responsibility in her relationship with her husband, whereas the husband discusses his own areas for improvement, like being more open. They explain that their faith and prayers have been foundational in the positive changes in their relationship. While honoring that the couple has made improvements since their first session, Goldman continues to help the two identify barriers that prevent them from engaging in positive interactions. While doing so, Goldman incorporates here-and-now techniques, having the two directly say to each other their thoughts and feelings. At the end, Goldman consolidates the learning from two sessions and shares her hopes for the couple.
