Comparing the effectiveness of emotion focused couple therapy and integrated couple therapy based on acceptance and commitment and schema therapy on couples' cognitive flexibility

The aim of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of emotion-focused couple therapy and integrated couple therapy based on acceptance and commitment and schema therapy on couples' cognitive flexibility. The research method was semi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test design with a control group and a two-month follow-up. The statistical population of the research was the couples applying for divorce in Binesh and Hekmat counseling centers in Behshahr City in 2018. 24 couples (48 people) were selected by available sampling and randomly assigned to three groups (8 couples in each group). The research tool included the cognitive flexibility inventory (CFI-I) of Dennis and Vander Wal (2010). Each experimental group received 14 intervention sessions... Repeated measurement analysis of variance was used to analyze the data. The results showed that both the test groups in the post-test and follow-up stage had significantly higher average scores compared to the control group in the subscales of cognitive flexibility (substitute, control, and substitute for human behavior) (P<0.01). Also, the results showed that integrated couple therapy based on acceptance and commitment and schema therapy is more effective than emotion-focused couple therapy on the control subscale (P<0.05). The results of the research showed the preference for using integrated couple therapy based on acceptance and commitment and schema therapy compared to emotion-focused couple therapy to improve cognitive flexibility by psychologists and couples counseling centers.