The three theoretical orientations used in marriage counseling are Rational

The three theoretical orientations used in marriage counseling are Rational Emotional Behavior Theory, Emotionally Focused Therapy, and Structural Strategic Theory.

Emotionally Focused Therapy is a usually short-term (8-20 session) structured psychotherapy approach to working with individuals, couples, or families. Susan Johnson was the originator of this theory. Emotionally Focused Therapy focuses on intrapsychic processes (i.e.,  how partners process their emotional experiences) and interpersonal processes.(i.e., how partners organize their interactions into patterns and cycles. The roots of the approach are based on attachment theory.

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy is a comprehensive active directive, philosophically, and empirically bases psychotherapy which focused on resoling emotional and behavioral problems, and disturbances, and enabling people to lead happier and more. The premise behind rational emotive behavior theory is that couples, like individuals, often become disturbed, because of what they think rather than what has occurred in the relationship.

Structural Strategic Theory is based on the belief that when dysfunctional symptoms occur in a marriage, they are an attempt to help couples adapt. This approach combines the best techniques of the structural and strategic schools of marriage and family therapy and sees problems as occurring within  a developmental framework of the family life cycles.

Structural-Strategic Theory appealed the most to me, because it focuses on marital difficulties and are generated by the system the couple is in. This theory get couples to try new behaviors, because the old behaviors aren’t working. I love the objective of this theory. It allows the couple to bring about new functional behavioral behaviors that helps the couples achieve a specific goal.

Reference:

Clinical Mental Health Counseling in Community and Agency Setting 4th Edition Deborah W. Newsome and Samuel T. Gladding