Introduction & Theoretical Background
Interpersonal issues and relationship problems form an important part of what clients bring to therapy. Interpersonal difficulties might present as clients’ current concerns, unintended consequences of their coping strategies, as symptoms of another problem, or they may play out directly within the therapeutic relationship.
Interpersonal issues can be conceptualized effectively using components of Beck’s generic cognitive model (Beck et al,1979). Beliefs about relationships (interpersonal beliefs) scaffold and influence how an individual perceives events involving other people. Interpersonal styles reflect safety behaviors that they use to protect themselves from perceived negative consequences in relationships. Other people react to these interpersonal styles, and the individual appraises these reactions: often in ways which confirm (or fail to disconfirm) the original beliefs. For example, a client who holds the assumption “I must entertain people or they will think I am boring” is likely to perceive social events as a threat. They habitually make jokes and