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Psychotherapy has historically focused on symptom reduction. However, there are calls for increasing our understanding of how psychotherapy impacts clients' flourishing. In this study, licensed mental health professionals and trainees across different clinical settings with diverse therapeutic orientations were interviewed about their perspectives on the cultivation of flourishing in psychotherapy, as well as their own personal experiences with flourishing. We were interested in understanding how therapists define flourishing, how they integrate flourishing into their work with clients, and any barriers or catalysts for engaging in this process. To do so, we conducted eight focus groups, and interviews were analyzed using grounded theory to form a hierarchy of categories. The results were used to create a three-part grounded theory. Results suggested that flourishing is a distinct concept from well-being that involves active engagement, emotional connection and meaning making. Our three-part grounded theory of flourishing elucidates how flourishing can be pursued by guiding clients towards their experiences of suffering in order to engage in meaning making and to identify their values, as well how systemic barriers can be navigated. Themes emerged related to the training of psychotherapists to promote flourishing, and the associated clinical and training implications are discussed [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Couple therapy has outperformed control conditions in randomized clinical trials (RCTs). However, there have been some questions whether couple treatment in naturalistic settings is as effective as those with more rigorous controls. The current meta‐analysis examined 48 studies of couple therapy in non‐randomized clinical trials. The pre–post effect size was Hedge's g = 0.522 for relational outcomes and Hedge's g = 0.587 for individual outcomes. However, there was significant heterogeneity in the results. Several moderators explained some of the variance in these estimates. For relationship outcomes, studies who had older couples and longer length of relationship had better outcomes. Studies with a higher percentage of racial/ethnic minority (REM) couples and studies in Veteran Affairs Medical Centers (VAMC) had lower relational outcomes. For individual outcomes, studies that had more sessions, older couples, and VAMC had better outcomes. Studies with a higher percentage of REM couples also had worse individual outcomes. Trainee status was not consistently related to relational or individual outcomes. Implications for research and practice are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relationship education programs (REPs) have substantial bodies of evidence that support their efficacy as community-based relationship education interventions for many couples, including racial/ethnic minority (REM) couples and couples from low-income households. While many studies support the efficacy of REPs, less is known about the characteristics of couples who experience worse relationship functioning after these interventions. Accordingly, we examined whether pre-intervention relationship factors would be associated with couples who reported worse relational commitment post-intervention. A total of 1,710 individuals (N = 855 couples) from a large, low-income, urban center participated in REPs. The sample was predominantly African American/Black (58.1%) and Hispanic/Latinx (40.6%), including 16 same-sex couples. Across all outcome variables (dedication, constraint, and separation), the participants receiving the intervention in a group format were more likely to report worse relationship functioning after the intervention. Negative communication was found to be more predictive than positive communication, and higher baseline respect counter-intuitively predicted greater odds of deterioration, especially for female partners. This study calls attention to why couples may experience worsening of commitment after REPs, and ultimately, may help predict which low-income, REM couples may benefit from relationship education, as well as how programs can be better culturally tailored to meet their needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]