Date
5-2014
Department
Counseling Department
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Chair
David Jenkins
Keywords
Addiction Recovery, Attachment, Emotion Focused Therapy, Relationship Satisfaction
Disciplines
Counseling | Counseling Psychology | Psychology
Recommended Citation
Bassett, Bonnie, "Emotion Focused Therapy for Couples in Addiction Treatment: The Relationship between Quality of Recovery, Attachment Style, and Relational Satisfaction" (2014). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 872.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/872
Abstract
This study investigates the efficacy of Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples in an addiction recovery program. The literature review revealed that individuals with a secure attachment style experience increased relational satisfaction and report better ability to manage life's challenges as compared with individuals with an insecure attachment style. A pretest-posttest design was used to investigate the effect of EFT on quality of recovery from addiction. The primary measure's percentile rank scores were comparatively analyzed. A single case multiple baseline design was implemented to draw inferences based on examining the participants' assessment scores across baseline and intervention phases. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the effect of EFT by showing that participants reported increased quality of recovery from addiction, movement away from an insecure attachment style and toward a secure attachment style, and increased relational satisfaction when and only when the intervention was applied. This research serves to further the understanding of the role of EFT couple therapy in addiction recovery. Increased knowledge related to how an interpersonal connection can facilitate the recovery process is helpful to practitioners serving this population.
