Couples Therapy Worksheet Template

What is a Couples Therapy Worksheets Template?

Homework, or asking clients to complete certain tasks outside of the session, is a fairly common component of working as a couples therapist. Couples therapy centers around strengthening relationships, which means building trust and improving communication. In order for these improvements to take effect outside of the therapy session, it is important that they are worked on at all times, which is why therapists may assign worksheets. The specific topics that are covered in these worksheets will vary depending on the reasons why the clients are seeking therapy treatment, and these reasons can range from mild to severe disagreements, lapses in communication, substance abuse issues, or psychological disorders. The worksheet that we have developed should hopefully be applicable to a range of different reasons. It aims to identify potential areas for improvement within a relationship while also focusing on positive aspects. By encouraging each person to be mindful of their behavior and how it may impact their partner, communication should hopefully begin to improve.

How to Use This Couples Therapy Worksheets Template

We have tried to make accessing and utilizing this couples therapy worksheet template as simple as possible for counselors. In order to implement it into your practice, simply follow these easy steps:

Step One: Download the PDF

The first thing you need to do is download the PDF. We’ve included a link to the document a little further down on this page, and you simply have to click on the link and you’ll be taken to the PDF. From here, you can save the document onto your computer where it can be distributed electronically or printed into hard copies.

Step Two: Give worksheet to clients

When you have a session with clients who you think will benefit from the worksheet, you need to give them a copy. You can go about this in a couple of ways: you can either send the worksheets to your clients for them to fill out online, or you can print them out and give your clients hard copies. Either of these options is fine, as the only important thing is that your clients have a copy of the worksheet that they can both fill out.

Step Three: Implement the worksheet into the next session

The next step to using the worksheet is to ask your clients to bring them in for the next session. With the information that is included in these sheets, you can ascertain areas in the couple’s relationship that may be requiring improvement, and areas where they are doing well. It will also inform you of the insight that each partner has into their relationship and whether they both recognize similar aspects that need improvement.

Step Four: Store the worksheet accessibly

Finally, after you have utilized the results of the worksheet during your counseling sessions, you need to store the document securely. It’s very important to protect your client’s privacy even when the worksheet is being stored, so you should ensure there are adequate safeguards in place. Further, you may want to retrieve the worksheet at some point in the future, either to reflect on the progress that has been made or to refresh your memory, which means accessibility is very important.

Who Can Use This Couples Therapy Worksheets Template?

As we have mentioned, couples go to therapy for a range of different reasons, including resolving mild, moderate, or severe arguments, improving communication, overcoming infidelity, or managing external stressors. Additionally, there are a number of techniques that counselors employ to manage these scenarios. Some of the most common couples therapy techniques include:

• Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
• Psychodynamic Couples Therapy
• Behavioral Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Gottman Method

Although each of these methods varies in the specific strategies they use, our template will nevertheless be useful and applicable to all. It aims to gather information regarding how each partner perceives the other, and their relationship as a whole, which is very important information when it comes to devising an effective treatment plan.

Why is This Template Useful for Couples Therapists?

This worksheet has a range of different uses for couples therapists, particularly those who have a busy schedule and treat multiple clients at the same time. Some of the uses of our worksheet template include:

• Organization: Having access to a PDF worksheet template will help to improve your organization. You can save the worksheet to your computer where it can be accessed at any time, allowing you to quickly and efficiently manage your documents and prepare yourself for your sessions with clients. ‍
• Progress: Our worksheet template is also extremely useful when it comes to assessing the progress that your clients have made. You can compare worksheets that have been completed on different dates and determine whether your patients have achieved certain goals or made significant changes in their relationships. Sometimes visually seeing improvement can be one of the best ways to indicate to clients how much they have grown and how effective the therapeutic treatment has been.

Benefits of Using the Couples Therapy Worksheets Template

There are many advantages associated with using this couples therapy worksheet template, including the following:

Keeps clients focused

Encouraging clients to keep working on their relationship outside of therapy hours is very important, but it can be a difficult thing to achieve. Our therapy worksheet can greatly assist in this area. By having a physical worksheet that they have to fill out, clients are much more likely to actively remember what has been discussed during their therapy sessions and attempt to apply these learnings to their everyday life. At the very least, the worksheet will keep them on task and encourage them to complete a goal related to their relationship.

Helps identify key issues

One of the difficult components of working as a couples therapist is determining the truth in certain situations. So rather than falling into a repetitive he-said-she-said situation, the worksheet helps to steer the session away from blame and toward a more productive conversation. Each partner can identify areas that they believe are working and areas that they don’t believe are working and conversation can grow naturally from this point.

Improves communication

Many relationships struggle with a lack of honest and open communication, and this can be a very difficult aspect to fix. You may have clients that are stubborn and opinionated, or who refuse to try until they see their partner putting in the same amount of effort. While there is no overnight cure for any of these issues, communication can be facilitated by bringing issues to light. Our worksheet aims to expose how each client feels about the other, and by highlighting these specific topics, communication can begin to flow between the couple.

Goal oriented

All therapeutic treatment is most effective when it works toward a predetermined goal. Importantly, this requires the clients to develop an informed and meaningful goal that they can consequently work towards. During the session when the client brings back the completed worksheet, you should utilize these documents to form short and long-term goals. This way, the clients can visualize exactly what they need to do to get their relationship to a better, healthier place.