Treatment Plans and Interventions in Couple Therapy

Norman B. Epstein, PhD, until his death in 2025, was Professor Emeritus in the Department of Family Science in the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland, College Park, and a licensed clinical psychologist. He was a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, Fellow of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Professional Member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, Founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy, and Diplomate of the American Board of Assessment Psychology. Dr. Epstein was a pioneer in the development of cognitive-behavioral therapy with couples and families. His research, teaching, and training of clinicians focused on cognitive, emotional, and behavioral processes in relationship adjustment and dysfunction; couple and family coping with stress; treatments for distressed couples and families; and culturally sensitive adaptations of Western-derived models of therapy. Dr. Epstein was author or editor of several books, published over 150 journal articles and book chapters, and presented numerous research papers and training workshops nationally and internationally. He served on editorial boards of leading journals and has maintained a clinical practice throughout his career. Mariana K. Falconier, PhD, is Professor and Director of the Couple and Family Therapy Master's Program at the University of Maryland, College Park. Previously, she was Associate Professor, Director of the Center for Family Services, and Director of the Master's Program in Marriage and Family Therapy at Virginia Polytechnic and State University. Dr. Falconier is a licensed marriage and family therapist in both Maryland and Virginia, a licensed psychologist in Argentina, and an approved supervisor and clinical fellow of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Her research focuses on how couples cope with stress, primarily economic stress among low-income couples and immigration stress in Latine couples. She developed TOGETHER, an evidence-based, interdisciplinary group program designed to help couples improve their communication, coping, and financial management skills; adapted the program to serve Latine couples and LGBTQ couples; and has received federal funding to offer TOGETHER to various underserved communities, for which she received an Excellence in Professional/Clinical Practice Award from the National Council on Family Relations. Dr. Falconier has published and widely presented nationally and internationally. She has served on editorial boards of leading journals, directed mental health clinics, and maintained a clinical practice.