Other versions by this Author
This second edition presents a refreshed approach to discernment counseling, a specialized five-session treatment to help long-term, committed couples with competing agendas find the best path forward for their relationship.
New and revised case examples have been added to this edition to reflect more diverse couples. This includes a new chapter with a full case example showing the entire discernment counseling protocol in action. Guidelines for practice and training have been updated throughout based on the authors’ clinical experiences, updated scholarship, and feedback from clinicians.
This book lays out discernment counseling’s session-by-session protocol in detail with clearly laid out procedures and recommended language for communicating with couples. Unique to its approach is that the counselor works with each partner individually, helping them recognize their contributions to the relationship’s problems, identify their needs, and communicate more effectively with their partner. Rather than working to heal the relationship, the counselor then works with the couple to facilitate healthy communication so that they can agree on one of three potential paths forward: couples therapy, divorce/separation, or maintaining the status quo.
Common challenges in discernment counseling are also explored, such as when neither partner is invested in the relationship, when one partner is having an affair, and when there is lack of love or passion.
Helping Couples on the Brink of Divorce Discernment Counseling for Troubled Relationships
by Doherty, William J.; Harris, Steven M.Edition: 2nd
Format: Paperback
Pub. Date: 2026-04-17
Publisher(s): American Psychological Association
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Summary
Author Biography
William J. Doherty, PhD, is professor emeritus in the Department of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota, where he directs the Minnesota Couples on the Brink Project and the Citizen Professional Center. With his daughter Elizabeth Doherty Thomas, he directs The Doherty Relationship Institute. Dr. Doherty has authored 15 books for professionals and the lay public. He has served as president of the National Council on Family Relations and received the Significant Contribution to the Field of Marriage and Family Therapy Award from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. In addition to his clinical research and teaching, he focuses on community initiatives aimed at democratic renewal and positive social change.
Steven M. Harris, PhD, LMFT, is a professor and director of the Couple and Family Therapy Program at the University of Minnesota. He has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for 30 years. He also serves as associate director of the Minnesota Couples on the Brink Project. He is involved in a variety of research projects, including the National Divorce Decision-Making Project, and in clinical practice with couples on the brink of divorce. Dr. Harris is the author of more than 50 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and is the coauthor of Seven Letters That Will Bring You Closer to Your College Student and Should I Try to Work It Out?
Table of Contents
Introduction
Part I. Overview and Foundations of Discernment Counseling
Chapter 1. Overview of Discernment Counseling
Chapter 2. Theoretical and Research Background
Part II. Methods of Discernment Counseling
Chapter 3. Intake Procedures
Chapter 4. First Session Protocol
Chapter 5. Middle Sessions Protocol
Chapter 6. Handling the Transition to Path Three (Couple Therapy)
Chapter 7. Handling the Transition to Path Two (Separation/Divorce)
Chapter 8. Handling the Transition to Path One (Status Quo)
Chapter 9. Full Case Illustration
Part III. Common Scenarios in Discernment Counseling
Chapter 10. When Neither One Is Leaning In
Chapter 11. Affairs
Chapter 12. When the Feelings Are Gone
Chapter 13. Shifting from Couple Therapy to Discernment Counseling
Part IV. Discernment Counseling on the Ground
Chapter 14. Learning Discernment Counseling
Chapter 15. Building a Specialty Practice in Discernment Counseling
References
Index
About the Authors
Part I. Overview and Foundations of Discernment Counseling
Chapter 1. Overview of Discernment Counseling
Chapter 2. Theoretical and Research Background
Part II. Methods of Discernment Counseling
Chapter 3. Intake Procedures
Chapter 4. First Session Protocol
Chapter 5. Middle Sessions Protocol
Chapter 6. Handling the Transition to Path Three (Couple Therapy)
Chapter 7. Handling the Transition to Path Two (Separation/Divorce)
Chapter 8. Handling the Transition to Path One (Status Quo)
Chapter 9. Full Case Illustration
Part III. Common Scenarios in Discernment Counseling
Chapter 10. When Neither One Is Leaning In
Chapter 11. Affairs
Chapter 12. When the Feelings Are Gone
Chapter 13. Shifting from Couple Therapy to Discernment Counseling
Part IV. Discernment Counseling on the Ground
Chapter 14. Learning Discernment Counseling
Chapter 15. Building a Specialty Practice in Discernment Counseling
References
Index
About the Authors
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