Rebecca And Clayton's Marriage Case Study

Rebecca and Clayton’s marriage is unstable. If they desire to repair their relationship, they will need to address three key issues in therapy: their backgrounds, which includes their family of origin and faith; their relationship patterns of attachment; and their continued cycles of conflict and shame. As their therapist, it would be my role to help them address these issues as a couple, which would give them a chance to save their marriage.

Background: Family of Origin & Faith

Rebecca and Clayton each bring issues from their family of origin into their marriage. For Rebecca, this comes in the form of parents who were in a Quadrant 2 marriage; her father may have been a pastor and therefore the head of the house (and their church) but given his problems with alcohol, it’s probable that her mother would have been

Rebecca and Clayton may not seem like they want to stay together but their Christian faith would certainly encourage them to honor the vows they made. Therapy would also give them a place to learn ways to lean into their gifts they bring into the marriage as being uniquely male and female; strength in order for Clayton and tenderness for Rebecca. As their therapist, it would be my role to work with them together as a couple, rather than to align myself with one over the other. Given their insecure attachments with each other, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is one modality that could help Rebecca and Clayton repair their marriage. EFT utilizes attachment theory as a means to foster positive change in a relationship through the creation of secure attachment. This happens in steps: 1) de-escalation of negative cycles through naming and discussion, 2) shaping of new cycles of responsiveness and accessibility, and 3) integration of this change with the couple’s sense of who they are as a couple and individually (Johnson & Whiffen,