Imago Therapy and Relationship Counseling

Personally, I prefer treating couples with a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy rather than use Imago techniques.  However, Imago does have some interesting concepts worth understanding, and it was a breakthrough at the time it was invented.  If after reading the description of Imago below, you agree with me that Cognitive Therapy and Schema-Focused Therapy is right for you, give us a call 212-258-2577.

Imago founders, Harville Hendrix, PhD and Helen LaKelly Hunt, PhD were pioneers in the field of couples therapy and blended some elements of talk therapy with existing therapeutic techniques.  Harville Hendrix published “Getting The Love You Want” in 1988, and made a huge impact on the field of marriage counseling.

Imago describes itself as so:

1. Happiness is relational

People are happiest in relationships.

2. Imago is a pioneer in the field of couples therapy

Imago has been around for over 25 years.

3. Imago is opening a new chapter in the story of marriage and relationships

“Today the future of marriage seems more uncertain than ever.”  Apparently Imago plans to apply their couples therapy techniques to all forms of romantic relationship, including same sex marriage.

4. Imago turns conflict into an opportunity for growth

Imago uses conflict as a catalyst for change and understanding: “how the couple manages conflict is the key to everlasting love.”

5. Imago teaches couples the root cause of conflict

Conflict doesn’t happen in a vacuum.  Emotional baggage from our childhood and unrealistic expectations about love can trigger conflict.

6. Imago proposes a new purpose for marriage in society

“Hendrix points out that just as I have chosen a partner who has emotional needs that I can’t quite meet, so it will be that I won’t quite be able to meet their emotional needs.  It’s because when both of us developed emotionally as a child, the process was somehow incomplete.”