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Therapeutic Contract in Couple and Family Therapy

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Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy

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Name of Concept

Therapeutic contract in couple and family therapy.

Introduction

A counseling contract is a mutual agreement that is negotiated between the therapist and the client. A contract highlights the rights and responsibilities that both parties intend to uphold in treatment. Contracting also ensures that the counseling process will be performed in a good and safe manner and, as a written document, provides the necessary space for legal intervention if the responsibilities outlined are not met (Beahrs and Gutheil 2001). Often times, clients may need specific contracts beyond just informed consent, addressing complex issues or ethical concerns that may affect the therapeutic process. Each practitioner should evaluate the situation and context of a contract when determining its use in treatment.

There has been much debate among psychotherapists and healthcare professionals alike around the utility of contracts. Some view contracts as being restrictive to the therapeutic process...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family and Community Medicine, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Max Zubatsky & Angela Hiefner

Authors
  1. Max Zubatsky
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  2. Angela Hiefner
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Max Zubatsky .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Center for Applied Psychological and Family Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Jay L. Lebow

  2. The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Center for Applied Psychological and Family Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Anthony L. Chambers

  3. The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Center for Applied Psychological and Family Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Douglas C. Breunlin

Section Editor information

  1. California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Sean Davis

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© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

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Zubatsky, M., Hiefner, A. (2019). Therapeutic Contract in Couple and Family Therapy. In: Lebow, J.L., Chambers, A.L., Breunlin, D.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_552

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