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Evaluation ViewAttendees 7

Couples / Close Relationships
Symposia

Symposium 36 - Getting better together: Couple interventions for individual psychopathology

Friday, November 15, 2024
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM EST
Location: Grand Ballroom K/L, Level 5, Downtown Marriott
CE: 1.5

Keywords: Couples / Close Relationships, Suicide, PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder)
Level of Familiarity: Basic
Recommended Readings: Runfola, C. D., Kirby, J. S., Baucom, D. H., Fischer, M. S., Baucom, B. R. W., Matherne, C. E., Pentel, K. Z., & Bulik, C. M. (2018). A pilot open trial of UNITE‐BED: A couple‐based intervention for binge‐eating disorder. The International Journal of Eating Disorders, 51(9), 1107-1112. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22919,  





Khalifian, C. E., Leifker, F. R., Knopp, K., Wilks, C. R., Depp, C., Glynn, S., Bryan, C., & Morland, L. A. (2022). Utilizing the couple relationship to prevent suicide: A preliminary examination of Treatment for Relationships and Safety Together. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 78(5), 747–757. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23251





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Fitzpatrick, S., Liebman, R. E., Varma, S., Norouzian, N., Chafe, D., Traynor, J., Goss, S., Earle, E., Di Bartolomeo, A., Latham, M., Courey, L., & Monson, C. M. (2023). Protocol Development of Sage: A Novel Conjoint Intervention for Suicidal and Self-Injuring People With Borderline Personality Disorder and Their Significant Others. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 30(4), 707–720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2022.11.002


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Psychopathology does not exist in a vacuum but is instead nested within individuals’ close communities, such that psychopathology and relationship functioning can mutually exacerbate or ameliorate each other. Such linkages are particularly robust for intimate relationships. However, despite the bidirectional linkages between psychopathology and intimate relationship functioning, most psychotherapies are delivered individually, neglecting the broader community in which individuals are embedded. A growing body of literature indicates that disorder-specific couple therapies can exert effects on psychopathology that are comparable, or superior, to individually-delivered psychotherapies and have the added benefit of enhancing relationship functioning. Couple therapies for individual psychopathology thus reflect an innovative approach to both treating a mental illness while also engaging broader community members and extending benefits to them. This symposium brings together experts who will describe innovations in the application of couple interventions for individual psychopathology, with particular attention to their application in understudied or marginalized groups. The first speaker will present data from an uncontrolled trial testing Sage, the first manualized conjoint intervention for couples wherein one member has borderline personality disorder (BPD) and suicidal or self-injurious behavior. Preliminary results indicate that Sage exerts large effect size reductions in BPD symptoms. Second, a speaker will present data from two sequential pilot studies testing a novel intervention for couples wherein one member is a veteran with elevated suicide risk (Treatment for Relationships and Safety Together; TR&ST). Veterans exhibited significant decreases in suicidal ideation, and both members of the couple reported increased relationship satisfaction from pre- to post-treatment and through a three-month follow-up. The third speaker will present findings from a subsample of Black couples who participated in a pilot study of an abbreviated, intensive, multi-couple group version of cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in active duty military or veteran couples. Patients reported large and significant decreases in PTSD and comorbid symptoms, and enhancements in relationship adjustment. The fourth speaker will present results from a randomized controlled trial comparing UNITE­ – a cognitive-behavioral couple therapy for binge-eating disorder (BED) – to an individually-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for BED. Decreases in BED symptoms were comparable across the two conditions, but UNITE resulted in greater enhancements in couple communication. Ultimately, these four presentations highlight novel pathways to treat psychopathology while simultaneously enhancing and strengthening individuals’ connections to their community with the potential for broader effects that include partner well-being. The discussant, an expert in application of relational interventions for psychopathology, will synthesize study findings and situate them in the context of this year’s convention theme.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:
  1. Describe feedback about the emotion regulation, communication, and cognitive skills couples are using in a couple-based suicide intervention
  2. Explain weekly treatment data that indicate veterans and their partners can engage in and benefit from a couple-based suicide intervention
  3. Describe the individual and relational outcomes of an RCT comparing a couple-based cognitive-behavioral treatment for BED with CBT-enhanced
  4. List the potential benefits of including a romantic partner in the treatment of binge-eating disorder.
  5. Describe improvements in Black Americans’ PTSD and comorbid symptoms and relationship adjustment following couple-based treatment for PTSD
  6. Discuss the impact of Sage- a novel couple therapy for borderline personality disorder (BPD)- on BPD severity
  7. Discuss the impact of Sage on secondary and tertiary individual and relational outcomes

Presentations:

  • 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM EST
    (SYM 36) Can You Treat Borderline Personality Disorder Through a Couple Therapy? An Uncontrolled Trial of Sage

    Author: Sonya Varma, M.A. (she/her/hers) – York University

    Co-author: Rachel Liebman, Ph.D. – University Health Network

    Co-author: Jenna Traynor, PhD – McLean Hospital

    Co-author: Elizabeth A. Earle, B.A. – York University

    Co-author: Ruth Vanstone, MA (she/her/hers) – York University

    Co-author: Lindsay Fulham, M.A. – York University

    Co-author: Lindsay wyatt, mA (she/her/hers) – Green Leaf Psychological Services

    Co-author: Michelle Blumberg, MA (she/her/hers) – York University

    Co-author: Ashley N. Siegel, B.S. – York University

    Co-author: Alyssa A. Di Bartolomeo, B.A., M.A. – York University

    Co-author: Jessica Burdo, MA (she/her/hers) – York University

    Co-author: Alison Carney, MA (she/her/hers) – Toronto Metropolitan University

    Co-author: Naomi Ennis, PhD – private Practice

    Co-author: Davey Chafe, PhD – Private practice

    Co-author: Nikoo Norouzian, MA – York University

    Co-author: Candice Monson, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Toronto Metropolitan University

    Co-Author: Skye Fitzpatrick, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – York University

  • 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM EST
    (SYM 36) An Initial Examination of Couple Therapy for PTSD Outcomes Among Black Americans: Findings from an Uncontrolled Trial of Intensive, Multi-couple Group Treatment for PTSD in Military Dyads

    Speaker: Steffany J. Fredman, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – The Pennsylvania State University

    Co-author: Alyssa Gamaldo, Ph.D. – Clemson University

    Co-author: August Jenkins, Ph.D. – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    Co-author: Brittany Hall-Clark, Ph.D. – University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

    Co-author: Yunying (Annie) Le, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Denver

    Co-author: Jacqueline Mogle, Ph.D. – Clemson University

    Co-author: Candice Monson, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Toronto Metropolitan University

    Co-author: Charlene Gamaldo, M.D. – Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

    Co-author: Roland Thorpe, Jr., Ph.D. – Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

    Co-author: Tabatha Blount, Ph.D. – University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

    Co-author: Brooke Fina, LCSW – University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

    Co-author: Orfeu Buxton, Ph.D. – The Pennsylvania State University

    Co-author: Christopher G. Engeland, Ph.D. – The Pennsylvania State University

    Co-author: Galena Rhoades, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Denver

    Co-author: Scott M. Stanley, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – University of Denver

    Co-author: Alexandra Macdonald, PhD – The Citadel

    Co-author: Katherine Dondanville, ABPP, Psy.D. (she/her/hers) – The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

    Co-author: Daniel J. Taylor, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – University of Arizona

    Co-author: Kristi Pruiskma, PhD – University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio

    Co-author: Brett Litz, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – Boston University Medical Center Psychiatry

    Co-author: Stacey Young-McCaughan, PhD – University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and South Texas Veterans Health Care System

    Co-author: Jeffrey Yarvis, Ph.D. – Tulane University

    Co-author: Terence Keane, Ph.D. – VA Boston Healthcare System

    Co-author: Alan L. Peterson, ABPP, Ph.D. – University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

  • 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM EST
    (SYM 36) Uniting Couples in the Treatment of Binge-eating Disorder (BED): Primary Outcomes from a Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing a Couple-based Cognitive-behavioral Treatment for BED with CBT-E

    Speaker: Emily A. Carrino, M.A. (she/her/hers) – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

    Co-author: Jennifer S. Kirby, PhD – UNC Chapel Hill

    Co-author: Camden E. Matherne, PhD – UNC Chapel Hill

    Co-author: Donald H. Baucom, PhD – UNC Chapel Hill

    Co-author: Brian Baucom, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – University of Utah

    Co-author: Hunna J. Watson, PhD – UNC Chapel Hill

    Co-author: Cristin D. Runfola, PhD – Stanford University School of Medicine

    Co-author: Cynthia M. Bulik, PhD – UNC Chapel Hill, Karolinska Institutet

  • 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM EST
    (SYM 36) Treatment for Relationships and Safety Together (TR&ST): Development and Pilot Examination

    Speaker: Chandra E. Khalifian, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – VA San Diego Healthcare System