Joni Byrd Presentation

Hope-Focused Marriage Counseling

Dr. Everett Worthington & Dr. Jennifer Ripley

Presentation by Joni Byrd

Core Components of Hope-Focused Marriage Therapy:

  • Promote hope. Hope is the willpower, waypower and waitpower to change in your relationship.
  • Have faith in God and your partner and in your relationship.
  • Work and pour energy into the relationship.
  • Love, which means valuing your partner and not devaluing your partner.
  • Form, maintain, strengthen and repair a strong emotional bond.
  • Use a variety of methods to do that, not just speaking, but acting in a different way.


You, the counselor, serve as a wellspring of that hope, not just in the initial treatment session, but throughout the entire hope-focused couple approach process.


Unlike problem-focused approaches that seek to give the message that both partners are equally to blame for problems, the hope-focused couple approach has the message: You both have strengths. You can use them to heal.


Cultural humility takes an attitude of ‘teach me about your context’ and avoids problems involved in making assumptions.


But the purpose of the faith or psychological interventions is to use personal character to repair the relationship. Virtues are the path to relationship warmth.


The key virtue is forgiveness…We think forgiveness is a key to lasting change for couples.


Seth stopped the couple. ‘That was a beautiful thing. You are loving toward each other, and you are both carrying heavy loads. I am so encouraged because you have the ability to step back when you hurt each other’s feelings and offer the gift of acceptance and grace. That is a terrific strength.’


Love means…valuing your partner and not devaluing your partner.

References

Ripley, J. S., & Worthington, E. L. (2014). Couple therapy: A new hope-focused approach. InterVarsity Press.

Worthington, E. L. (2019). Making it work: How to build and sustain a hope-filled relationship. (E. Worthington, Narr.) [Audiobook]. Learn25.