Conflict Control-Cple - RonaldMah

Ronald Mah, M.A., Ph.D.
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist,
Consultant/Trainer/Author
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Conflict Control-Cple

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Conflict, Control, and Out of Control in Couples and Couple Therapy addresses the continuum of assertion, aggression, and abuse between partners. The therapist is guided how to promote appropriate assertiveness and aggression while avoiding crossing the boundary of abuse. Conflict is intrinsic to most couples, but relative control vs. getting out of control varies greatly resulting in relationship health or dysfunction. The therapist is directed how to guide partners how to deal w/ anger and frustration- learning how to fight fairly and productively to prevent emotional abuse.

The book discusses conceptual vs. practical distinctions between normal couple therapy and domestic violence therapy. Therapist boundaries and choices to engage or not in domestic violence therapy become functionally problematic when intimate partner violence is unanticipated but uncovered in sessions. The therapist will learn how to assess for, manage, and treat partners when emotional reactivity becomes emotional abuse- a focus of normal couple therapy; when verbal abuse predicts physical abuse; and when domestic violence is revealed.

The book discusses attachment, bullying dynamics, cultural models, social information processing, verbal fluency, empathy, peer, cultural, and gender models, same sex relationships, disinhibition, stressors, dialogical processing, hypersensitivity and hypervigilance, and characterological issues including paranoid and antisocial personality disorder affecting partners' conflict, control, and out of control issues. The therapist will learn to shift couple therapy strategies and goals when noting distinctions between reactive aggression, abuse, and instrumental aggression more characteristic of sociopathic partners. Beyond fundamentally altering treatment to avoid perpetuating abuse, the therapist must identify counter-indications for conducting couple therapy.




Conflict, Control, and Out of Control in Couples and Couple Therapy
by Ronald Mah

Table of Contents (link to chapters and sections)
ANGER VS. HOSTILITY
SAFETY AND RISK REDUCTION
STATIC AND DYNAMIC RISK FACTORS
DIFFERENTIATION
BULLY CHARACTERISTICS
VICTIM CHARACTERISTICS
ASSORTATIVE MATING
LOVE AND NOT LOVE
EMPATHIC ACCURACY
FAMILY, CULTURAL, AND GENDER MODELS
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND HOMOSEXUAL COUPLES
DISINHIBITION
STRESSORS
OTHER DEMOGRAPHIC CLUES
PARANOID PERSONALITY DISORDER SUBTYPES
INJUSTICE
NEGATIVE ASSUMPTIONS
FANTASY AND REALITY
THERAPIST ISSUES
COUPLE THERAPY WITH PARANOID PERSONALITY DISORDER
THROWN OFF THE MOUNTAINTOP
SELF-DISCLOSURE AS MODEL
ALTERING THE GOAL
UNDEVELOPED VULNERABILITY
BOUNDARY AND CONSEQUENCE
MANAGING SEPARATION
IDENTIFICATION OF ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER
FEATURES AND CRITERIA OF ASPDO
ORIGINS OF ASPDO
KUNLANGETA AND ARANKAN
GAMES- NOT PERSONAL GROWTH
COURT MANDATED
CONTRA-INDICATIONS FOR COUPLE THERAPY
THE DANCING DOGS

ADDRESS:
3056 Castro Valley Blvd., #82
Castro Valley, CA 94546
Ronald Mah, M.A., Ph.D.
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, MFT32136
CONTACT INFORMATION:
office: (510) 582-5788
fax: (510) 889-6553
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