Pilot Evaluation of The “Partners as Friends” Couples Counseling Model

Authors: Floyd F. Robison

Pages: 42-44

Abstract:

Robison (2016) described a brief procedure (Partners as Friends) for counseling couples that could be easily understood and used by mental health, medical, and social service professionals who did not typically perform couples counseling in their work settings. The model was evaluated with a small sample of couples to determine if the outcomes of this type of counseling were sufficiently promising to warrant further, more comprehensive evaluation. Twenty-four couples participated in the study. Twelve couples participated in counseling using the Partners as Friends model and 12 couples participated in a “check-in” control. Results revealed that couples in the treatment condition reported lower scores on a relationship problem scale and higher scores on a partner evaluation scale and the Life Satisfaction index of the Mental Health Inventory-38. The major conclusion was the Partners as Friends counseling model merits further evaluation with a diverse sample of couples.