Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy With Gay Men

Like heterosexual couples, gay male couples experience issues that may test their relationships. However, gay couples must also deal with additional challenges that are unique to their culture in the context of a heterosexual-majority society, such as discrimination within their communities and work places as well as ostracism from friends or family members. It is essential that the therapist who counsels gay male couples be cognizant of these unique challenges without focusing exclusively on their clients' sexual orientation.

In this video, Dr. Christopher Martell uses integrative behavioral couple therapy to work with an African American gay male couple who are deeply concerned about the current state of their relationship and their overall safety in a community that can be hostile to and may discriminate against gay men.

Dr. Christopher Martell's approach to treating couples is to use the empirically based integrative behavioral couples therapy developed and researched by Neil Jacobson and Andrew Christensen. This therapy integrates behavioral change principles with strategies to promote acceptance and understanding in couples.

While the research on this therapy has been conducted with heterosexual couples, the flexibility of the treatment and use of individualized formulation of relationship themes applies well to same-sex couples.

Christopher R. Martell, PhD, ABPP, is a clinical professor in the department of psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and is the owner of Martell Behavioral Activation Research Consulting. He is board certified in both clinical psychology and cognitive and behavioral psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) and is a founding fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy.

The co-author of seven books, he has published widely on behavioral treatments for depression and other areas of application of cognitive behavioral therapy. He is first author of Depression in Context: Strategies for Guided Action with Michael Addis and Neil Jacobson, Behavioral Activation for Depression: A Clinician's Guide with Sona Dimidjian and Ruth Herman-Dunn and, Overcoming Depression One Step at a Time: The New Behavioral Activation Approach to Getting Your Life Back with Michael Addis — with the latter two titles translated into several languages. Dr. Martell has co-authored four other books.

He was the recipient of the Washington State Psychological Association's Distinguished Psychologist Award in 2004. He is a past President of the American Board of Cognitive-Behavioral Psychology, a specialty board of ABPP.

Dr. Martell received his PhD in clinical and school psychology from Hofstra University in 1988.

• Christensen, A., Dimidjian, S., and Martell, C. R. (In Press). Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy in Gurman, A., and Snyder, D. (Eds.) Clinical Handbook of Couple Therapy (4th Ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
• Martell, C. R, Safren S. A., and Prince, S. E. (2004). Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies With Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

APA Videos

• Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) With a Male Client
  Diana Fosha
• Affirmative Psychotherapy With Gay Clients
  Kathleen J. Bieschke
• Cognitive–Behavioral Family Therapy
  Frank M. Datillio
• Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Clients
  Ruperto M. Perez
• Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy
  Andrew Christensen
• Working With Gay Male Clients
  Douglas C. Haldeman

APA Books

• APA Handbook of Multicultural Psychology
  Editor-in-Chief Frederick T. L. Leong
• Couple and Family Therapy: An Integrative Map of the Territory
  Jay Lebow
• Handbook of Counseling and Psychotherapy With Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Clients (2nd Ed.)
  Edited by Kathleen J. Bieschke, Ruperto M. Perez, and Kurt A. DeBord
• The Lives of LGBT Older Adults: Understanding Challenges and Resilience
  Edited by Nancy A. Orel and Christine A. Fruhauf
• The Marriage Checkup Practitioner's Guide: Promoting Lifelong Relationship Health
  James V. Cordova