COMPASS AS A MEASURE OF THE EFFICACY OF COUPLES THERAPY

This study examined the extent to which a brief, structured couples th erapy program based on Imago Relationship Therapy was associated with improvements on the COMPASS scales of individual psychological functio ning as well as on a measure of relationship satisfaction, the Marital Satisfaction Inventory. An examination of pre- to post-treatment diff erences revealed statistically significant differences on three of the four COMPASS scales and all three MSI scales. The rate of improvement in individual distress per couples therapy session was approximately equal to the improvement, found in previous studies, yielded by indivi dual therapy. The results support previous findings that couples thera py may be an effective modality for the treatment of intrapersonal dif ficulties, and suggest that both relationship and individual distress indices should be utilized in the evaluation of the efficacy of marita l therapies.