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Treating Depression in Men: The Role of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy

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Abstract

While initial treatment recommendations for depression in the context of relationship problems have been outlined, attention typically has been focused on females experiencing depression. Less is known about the assessment and treatment of men with depression and relationship distress. This article presents the current literature on depression and relationship problems, including what is currently known about the occurrence, expression, assessment, and treatment of depression in men. Theoretical and empirically based assessment and treatment recommendations are then provided for Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy with depressed men in distressed relationships.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Fahs-Beck Fund for Research and Experimentation and the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech (A. K. Wittenborn, P.I.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development, College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, Virginia Tech, 7054 Haycock Rd, Falls Church, VA, 22043, USA

    Andrea K. Wittenborn & Bonnie Culpepper

  2. Department of Psychology, Kean University, Union, NJ, USA

    Ting Liu

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  1. Andrea K. Wittenborn
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  2. Bonnie Culpepper
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  3. Ting Liu
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Correspondence to Andrea K. Wittenborn.

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Wittenborn, A.K., Culpepper, B. & Liu, T. Treating Depression in Men: The Role of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy. Contemp Fam Ther 34, 89–103 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-012-9176-8

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