Psych CASC / OSCE · Psychotherapy
Explain couples therapy and negotiate a safe dual-client plan — CASC communication station
MRCPsych/FRANZCP-style CASC: explain couples therapy, IPV private screen rationale, depression+discord dual targets, combined care with SSRI, and realistic expectations.
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Format. Communication station, approximately 7–10 minutes active time after reading. You are the psychiatry registrar in outpatient clinic. [1]
Candidate instructions. A couple presents: one partner has major depression and both report severe marital conflict. Explain what couples therapy is in plain language, why you need brief private safety checks with each person, how therapy can address both mood and the relationship when discord is high, whether the SSRI must stop, and rough structure (weekly sessions, skills/acceptance work, review). Collaborative tone; no cure promises; check understanding. [2][1]
References5ShowHide
- [1]Baucom DH, Shoham V, Mueser KT, Daiuto AD, Stickle TR Empirically supported couple and family interventions for marital distress and adult mental health problems J Consult Clin Psychol, 1998.PMID 9489262
- [2]Barbato A, D'Avanzo B, Parabiaghi A Couple therapy for depression Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2018.PMID 29882960
- [3]Christensen A, Atkins DC, Berns S, et al. Traditional versus integrative behavioral couple therapy for significantly and chronically distressed married couples J Consult Clin Psychol, 2004.PMID 15065953
- [4]Barbato A, D'Avanzo B The Findings of a Cochrane Meta-Analysis of Couple Therapy in Adult Depression: Implications for Research and Clinical Practice Fam Process, 2020.PMID 32294797
- [5]Whisman MA Marital distress and DSM-IV psychiatric disorders in a population-based national survey J Abnorm Psychol, 2007.PMID 17696721