Skip to main content

Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy

Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy
  • 308 Accesses

Introduction

Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT) is an empirically supported treatment with wide dissemination in both in-person and online modes. IBCT was developed in the early 1990s by Andrew Christensen of the University of California, Los Angeles, and Neil Jacobson of the University of Washington in response to a growing body of research on the limitations of existing behavioral couple therapies. It emphasizes acceptance – that is, changing how partners respond to each other’s behavior – rather than behavior change alone, which provides new options for couples to improve their relationships. Two small clinical trials and one large multisite trial support the efficacy of IBCT in producing clinically significant improvement in relationship satisfaction.

It is noteworthy that IBCT was chosen by the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as one of the empirically supported treatments it is promoting for its clinicians. In the last few years, the VA has sponsored a 4-day...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Baucom, D. H., Sevier, M., Eldridge, K. A., Doss, B. D., & Christensen, A. (2011). Observed communication in couples two years after integrative and traditional behavioral couple therapy: Outcome and link with five-year follow-up. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 79, 565–576.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Benson, L. A., McGinn, M. M., & Christensen, A. (2012). Common principles of couple therapy. Behavior Therapy, 43, 25–35.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, A., Atkins, D. C., Berns, S. B., Wheeler, J., Baucom, D. H., & Simpson, L. (2004). Integrative versus traditional behavioral couple therapy for moderately and severely distressed couples. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72, 176–191.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, A., Atkins, D. C., Yi, J., Baucom, D. H., & George, W. H. (2006). Couple and individual adjustment for 2 years following a randomized clinical trial comparing traditional versus integrative behavioral couple therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74, 1180–1191.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, A., Atkins, D. C., Baucom, D. H., & Yi, J. (2010). Marital status and satisfaction five years following a randomized clinical trial comparing traditional versus integrative behavioral couple therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78, 225–235.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, A., Doss, B. D., & Jacobson, N. S. (2014). Reconcilable differences: Rebuild your relationship by rediscovering the partner you love – Without losing yourself (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, A., Dimidjian, S., & Martell, C. R. (2015). Integrative behavioral couple therapy. In A. S. Gurman, J. L. Lebow, & D. K. Snyder (Eds.), Clinical handbook of couple therapy (5th ed., pp. 61–94). New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doss, B. D., Cicila, L. N., Georgia, E. J., Roddy, M. K., Nowlan, K. M., Benson, L. A., & Christensen, A. (2016). A randomized controlled trial of the web-based OurRelationship program: Effects on relationship and individual functioning. Journal of Clinical and Consulting Psychology, 84, 285–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Funk, J. L., & Rogge, R. D. (2007). Testing the ruler with item response theory: Increasing precision of measurement for relationship satisfaction with the Couples Satisfaction Index. Journal of Family Psychology, 21, 572–583.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gattis, K. S., Simpson, L. E., & Christensen, A. (2008). What about the kids?: Parenting and child adjustment in the context of couple therapy. Journal of Family Psychology, 22, 833–842.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jacobson, N. S., & Christensen, A. (1996). Acceptance and change in couple therapy. New York: Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacobson, N. S., Follette, W. S., Revenstrorf, D., Baucom, D. H., Hahlweg, K., & Margolin, G. (1984). Variability in outcome and clinical significance of behavioral marital therapy: A reanalysis of outcome data. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 52, 497–504.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McGinn, M. M., Benson, L. A., & Christensen, A. (2010). Integrative behavioral couple therapy: An acceptance-based approach to improving relationship functioning. In J. D. Herbert & E. Forman (Eds.), Acceptance and Mindfulness in Cognitive Behavior Therapy. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lisa A. Benson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Section Editor information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this entry

Cite this entry

Benson, L.A., Nguyen, T. (2017). Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy. In: Lebow, J., Chambers, A., Breunlin, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_109-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_109-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy
    Published:
    03 November 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_109-2

  2. Original

    Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy
    Published:
    01 September 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_109-1