How long do people wait before seeking couples therapy? A research note

William J. Doherty, Steven M. Harris, Eugene L. Hall, Aimee K. Hubbard

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

A widely cited but poorly supported idea in the couples therapy field is that the average couple waits six years before starting therapy for serious relationship problems. This figure is often accompanied by the notion that many couples come “too late” and have poor prospects for recovery. This is the first large-sample study on the delay between the onset of serious marital problems and entry into couples therapy (N = 270) and individual therapy (N = 101) for relationship problems. We found an average interval of 2.68 years from onset of problems and entering couples therapy, with the great majority of couples entering therapy within two years. Findings were similar for seeking individual therapy for relationship problems. The main clinical implication is that therapists have little reason to be pessimistic about the majority of couples waiting so long before starting therapy that their problems are not resolvable.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)882-890
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of marital and family therapy
Volume47
Issue number4
Early online dateJan 7 2021
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy

PubMed: MeSH publication types

  • Journal Article

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'How long do people wait before seeking couples therapy? A research note'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this