In conjoint therapy for a couple with marital difficulties, the social worker would not seek to focus on which of the following?

• A. The psychological functioning of one spouse
• B. The interaction of the partners
• C. Communication patterns between partners
• D. Shared goals of the couple

Answer: (A)

Conjoint therapy treats the couple as a system and focuses on how the partners relate to and influence each other. The emphasis is on interaction patterns, communication processes, and the shared goals they negotiate as a unit. Focusing on the psychological functioning of one spouse would drift away from the relational dynamics that drive the couple’s difficulties, since it centers on an individual’s internal issues rather than how the pair operates together. In this approach, you observe and modify how they interact, improve how they communicate, and align their joint goals, all within the context of their relationship. That’s why the aspect not pursued in conjoint therapy is the isolated psychological functioning of one spouse. The other elements—the way they interact, their communication patterns, and their shared goals—are exactly what this approach targets.