Invitation for Referrals to the Transformative Couples Therapy® (TCT) Research Study

We invite you to consider referring a couple you feel might be interested in participating in a new study. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of TCT, with the goal of publishing the results in peer reviewed professional journals. The total length of treatment in the study is sixteen 75-minute online weekly sessions held on HIPAA compliant Zoom, with questionnaires at various points and following the therapeutic process.

Therapists from the TCT Research Team will be offering a 50% discount to couples participating in the study.

Couples will have the opportunity to work with one of eight highly skilled senior TCT practitioners. Each therapist is part of a team who consult and support each other regularly to maximize the value of every session. We have TCT Research Team Therapists in California, Connecticut, Maryland, New York and Virginia.

What are the criteria to consider with regard to referring?

  1. Couples would need to be eighteen or older and must have been living together for two years or more.

  2. Gay and heterosexual couples are invited to apply.

  3. The criteria do not allow for known physical violence in the couple dynamic or alcohol or drug abuse.

  4. Couples would be in the mid-range of relational and psychological difficulties who could respond well to a shortened course of treatment lasting sixteen sessions.

  5. The couple would need to reside in Maryland, Virginia, New York, Connecticut or California.

  6. For further details about criteria for referring a couple to this study, send an email to davidmarsphd@gmail.com or schedule a twenty minute conversation on Zoom by using this link: https://calendly.com/davidmarsphd/20min

Heading up this highly focused and collaborative team is David Mars, Ph.D., the developer of the TCT method.

See a Bio for Dr. Mars: Meet the developer of Transformative Couples Therapy®

To learn more about TCT: TransformativeCouplesTherapy.com/therapy-for-couples

How do I refer a couple to participate?

1. Send an email David Mars to start the process or suggest that the couple contact him directly with the subject the line “TCT Study” and suggest that the couple members write a few lines describing what motivates them to be part of this study.

2. If the the couple may be a match for the study, they will then schedule a free twenty-minute free interview with one of the therapists on the TCT Research Team.

4. At the end of the twenty minutes, if the couple and the therapist feel they want to work together, they would then begin the study screening process.

What is the couple screening process for this study?

1. Each couple member will respond to a one-page questionnaire. Their responses will be identified only by a code number. These results will be held in a confidential HIPAA compliant and encrypted method designed for scientific studies.

2. The therapist on the TCT Research Study Team will contact them regarding their eligibility. If they meet the criteria for this study, they will proceed to the next step.

3. They then fill out a series of questionnaires which will take about twenty to thirty minutes.

4. If this set of questionnaires also confirms that they are a match for the study, the therapist will contact them to set up a mutually workable schedule for the sixteen weekly sessions.

What if the couple does not meet the criteria for this study?

The therapist will:

1. Refer them back to you or to another TCT therapist (who is not participating in the study) and are licensed in the couple’s state of residence.

2. The study therapist may possibly accept them into their couple therapy practice separately from the study and at their normal fee.

3. If neither 1 or 2 work out, they will be offered other referrals.

Transformative Couples Therapy Clinicians on the TCT Research Team:

California:

David Mars, PhD, MFT at davidmarsphd@gmail.com

Connecticut and New York:

Lisa Gardner, MSW, LCSW at lisagardnerlcsw@gmail.com

Chris Russo, LCSW at chris@therapywithchris.com

Maryland:

Jazmin Moral, MSW, LCSW-C at jazmin@jazminmoral.com

Gail Schumann, MA, LCSW-C at gail@schumann.com

Virginia:

Greg Czyszczon, PhD, LPC at Greg Czyszczon gczyszczon@gmail.com

Mimi Steele, MA, LPC at mcscville@gmail.com