May 15, 2015

Professor lays out innovative approach to couples counseling in new book

In a new book, Carmen Knudson-Martin explains a new approach to couples counseling that integrates neurobiology with understanding of gender, culture, personal identities and relationship processes.

A new book from Professor Carmen Knudson-Martin, Socio-Emotional Relationship Therapy: Bridging Emotion, Societal Context, and Couple Interaction, is now available from Springer Science.

Knudson-Martin is the director of the Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy program at Lewis & Clark. She is recognized for her work regarding gender, marital equality, and relational health. 

Her newest work describes a model for clinical work with couples, Socio-Emotional Relationship Therapy (SERT). SERT integrates neurobiology with understanding of gender, culture, personal identities and relationship processes. The purpose of SERT is to help couples move towards a more balanced power dynamic and move past disparity in relationships to create equal attention and support for each other.

“Undoing gendered power is a societal work in progress,” Knudson-Martin said. “As therapists become aware that power disparities harm both women and men, inviting couples into a process that reconstructs historical gender processes becomes a fundamental part of our role. Without conscious action, therapists will inadvertently reinforce societal power inequities.”

Read more about Carmen Knudson-Martin’s work here.