Helping Couples on the Brink of Divorce: Discernment Counseling for Troubled Relationships

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William J. Doherty Steven M. Harris, Ph.D

Helping Couples on the Brink of Divorce

Name: Helping Couples on the Brink of Divorce
Price: 178 AUD
Availability: PreOrder
ISBN: 9781433844546

Discernment Counseling for Troubled Relationships

William J. Doherty, Steven M. Harris, Ph.D

$178

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

American Psychological Association
21 April 2026

Family psychology; Psychotherapy; Separation & divorce

This second edition offers a session-by-session guide to discernment counseling, a specialized five-session intervention to help couples leaning different ways about divorce or separation find the best path forward for their troubled relationships.

The authors have added new case examples that reflect different kinds of couples, as well as an additional chapter demonstrating the entire discernment counseling protocol in action. Updated scholarship and insights for learning to become a discernment counselor have also been included.

Unlike traditional couples therapy, the goal of discernment counseling isn't to help the couple heal their relationship but rather to gain clarity and confidence about a direction for their relationship in terms of three potential paths: maintaining the status quo, getting divorced/separated, or entering couples therapy.

Typically, one partner or spouse is invested in saving the relationship (leaning in) while the other is not (leaning out), so this book explores how to navigate these differing agendas and offers clinicians tools for interacting with both partners. It walks through the process of working with the couple together and with each partner individually, helping them to recognize their contributions to the relationship's problems and clarify what they would work on if they embark on couples therapy.

Common challenges in discernment counseling are also explored, such as when neither partner is leaning in, when one partner is having an affair, and when there is lack of love or passion.

By: William J. Doherty, Steven M. Harris, Ph.D
Imprint: American Psychological Association
Country of Publication: United States
Edition: Second Edition
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781433844546
ISBN 10: 1433844540
Pages: 265
Publication Date: 21 April 2026
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

An Introduction to Working With Mixed-Agenda Couples Part I. Overview and Foundations of Discernment Counseling Chapter 1. Overview of Discernment Counseling Chapter 2. Theoretical and Research Background Part II. Methods of Discernment Counseling Chapter 3. Intake Procedures Chapter 4. First Session Protocol Chapter 5. Middle Sessions Protocol Chapter 6. Handling Transitions to Couples Therapy (Path 3) Chapter 7. Handling Transitions to Separation/Divorce (Path 2) Chapter 8. Handling Transitions to the Status Quo (Path 1) Chapter 9. Full Case Illustration of Discernment Counseling Part III. Common Scenarios in Discernment Counseling Chapter 10. When Neither Partner Is Leaning In Chapter 11. When One Partner Has an Affair Chapter 12. When the Feelings Are Gone Chapter 13. Shifting from Couple Therapy to Discernment Counseling Part IV. Becoming a Discernment Counselor Chapter 14. Learning Discernment Counseling Chapter 15. Building a Specialty Practice in Discernment Counseling References Index About the Authors

William J. Doherty, PhD, is a professor emeritus in the University of Minnesota’s Department of Family Social Science and cofounder of the Doherty Relationship Institute. Dr. Doherty has authored 16 books for professionals and the lay public. He has served as president of the National Council on Family Relations and received the Lifetime Career Award from the American Family Therapy Academy. He also cofounded Braver Angels, a nonprofit working on bridge building in a divided country. Steven M. Harris, PhD, LMFT, is a professor in the University of Minnesota’s Department of Family Social Science. He has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over 30 years. He was editor-in-chief of the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy and serves as the director of the Minnesota Couples on the Brink Project. He was awarded the Legacy Award by the National Council on Family Relations-Family Therapy Section in 2024. Dr. Harris is the author of over 90 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and is the coauthor of Should I Try to Work It Out?