IBCT Case Formulation

What is case formulation?

Gets a bigger picture of concerns and strengths as well as strategies used to address concerns

When do you do case formulation?

Use it between session 3 and 4

DEEP Analysis

• Differences between partners

• Emotional sensitivities

• External stressors

• Patterns of interaction

Differences between partners

• Personality, beliefs, values

• in terms of the five factor model 

• sexual drive

•  connection to FOO

• dealing with stress

• Different interests

Emotional Sensitivities

• Genetic vulnerabilities and learning histories has led us to different sensitivities that lead us to react strongly 

• Dan include abandonment issues, thin skin, fragile sense of importance, etc

• SES, gender socialization, and culture

External Stressors

• Pressures of life that impacts relationship 

• Can exacerbate existing differences and sensitivities

Patterns of Interaction

• Efforts to solve a problem 

• Can discuss, avoid discussion, or have different interactions

• Escalates when interactions do not achieve any goals 

• Ay polarize partners 

• Begin to vilify 

• Conflictual interaction may expand to other areas

Organizing Conceptualization

• Level of distress

  • How distressed?

  • Good for it to be mild to moderate

• Commitment 

  • Are there factors such as kids, how long they’ve been together?

• Core issues and themes

  • Prioritize what the most important theme is based on content

  • Usually one or two will stick out 

  • Can discern if there is a central theme that unifies these issues

• DEEP Analysis 

  • Can be done for the theme itself or for the core issues

• Strengths

  • More powerful for couples to say the strengths themselves

Big Picture Goals

Balance acceptance and change strategies

Explaining DEEP to couples

• During our sessions, we’ll work to find a balance between acceptance and change based on a DEEP analysis to help the two of you decrease distress and strengthen your relationship. It’s often helpful to get an understanding of these issues at the beginning of therapy

• Ask if they can commit to 10-12 sessions

Weekly Questionnaire

• Can see how the relationship has een since the last session 

• Alcohol or durg use would be the first focus of therapy 

• Gives clients the ability on how they dterine the content of therapy 

• Empahsize that we will be active participants in discussion 

• Allows us to know what they want to bring into session 

• It will help us see if your relationship satisfaction is increasing (questions 1- 4). It will also address major issues of concern such as violence, alcohol use, or major life changes (question #5). It will help us identify significant positive and negative events since the last session (question #6 & #7) and any upcoming events that could be challenging (question #8). You’ll indicate which of these events you want to talk about during the session which will help us set an agenda at the beginning of the session to make sure we cover the topics you feel are most important