**Author details**

Tolerance strategies have also been developed in order to stop partners from trying to change the other, for instance, by pointing out the benefits that can result from certain behaviors that are considered negative by partners (e.g., a partner's constant worries and attempts to predict everything that can go wrong in a situation, typical in anxious people, can negatively impact a couple's interactions but can also be very useful when planning a vacation or when taking financial decisions). Change strategies aim at reinforcing and prompting positive behaviors that partners already portray towards each other and include the improvement of communication and problem-solving skills by recreating a conflict they have already experienced and integrating the acceptance and tolerance strategies they have learned [137]. Finally, mindfulness-based interventions can also be used to enhance acceptance of differences. These strategies have been proven to increase relationship satisfaction, sense of relatedness and closeness, acceptance of the partner and to alleviate relationship distress [138]. They include meditation and touch exercises, aim at enhancing partners' acceptance of their experiences without judgment as well as their moment-to-moment awareness of how they feel and behave while interacting with one another, which could

The current chapter has provided a comprehensive literature review and description of the theoretical underpinnings, possible therapeutic mandates and main assessment and intervention methods used in CBCT. This chapter has also highlighted the empirically demonstrated effectiveness of CBCT for the treatment of a significant number of couple struggles ranging from communication difficulties and dissatisfaction with expressed affection to the management of explosive conflicts. This chapter also demonstrated that CBCT can be very effective in

The scientific literature suggests that CBCT is a highly effective treatment approach to improve relational well-being as well as a way to address many difficulties and concerns couples may face. This is especially true for difficulties in communication, problem-solving and conflict resolution as they arise spontaneously between partners or as a result of comorbid psychological difficulties in one or both partners, for which specific techniques have been developed and are regularly used by couple therapists. Interestingly, CBCT also offers a good foundation on which therapy can be customized to various needs partners may hold. For instance, recent developments in CBCT have started to incorporate more complex and specific variables in the understanding and treatment of couple functioning by considering the roles of attachment [139], relational schemas [140] and mindfulness [141] as possibly underlying certain couple

Results from psychotherapeutic outcome studies presented in this chapter must be examined by considering certain drawbacks. Indeed, evidence-based studies have become the gold standard to evaluate the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic interventions yet, not all studies

treating individual problems by using the intimate relationship as a therapeutic tool.

eventually help them develop new ways to connect with one another.

**7. Conclusion**

136 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Clinical Applications

dynamics.

Caroline Dugal, Gaëlle Bakhos, Claude Bélanger\* and Natacha Godbout

\*Address all correspondence to: belanger.claude@uqam.ca

Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
