Feasibility Study of Couple Therapy Treatment for Situational Couple Violence

Couples in the intervention group will receive couples therapy for 8 weekly sessions. Each therapy session will last approximately an hour. All therapies will be conducted by the PI, Dr. Gunnur Karakurt. Dr. Karakurt is a Licenced Marriage and Family Therapist and AAMFT (American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy) approved clinical supervisor. All therapies will be conducted as a couple. Training on stress management and safety planning will be performed as individuals. There will not be any group sessions. The goal of couple therapy is to help and improve couples' capacity to regulate emotions, solve problems, and communicate through therapy with the couple together.

Couples in the control group will be taught safety planning, given information on local resources to help victims of violence, and will be instructed in stress and anger management strategies. Following this 8 week period, they will receive 8 weeks of couple therapy unless they choose not to.