The importance of highlighting culturally relevant factors in the DEEP analysis when using IBCT with African American couples.

Abstract

Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT) posits that couple distress can, in part, be attributed to four factors labeled with the acronym DEEP: natural Uifferences between partners in their perspectives, beliefs, interests, and personalities, partner's Emotional sensitivities related to these differences, the External, contextual stressors that often exacerbate their differences and sensitivities, and the resultant Patterns of distressed interaction. Although an extensive assessment process captures these four components and thus tailors targets for intervention based on the unique characteristics of each couple, it does not explicitly consider the uniqueness of African American couples. Given the historical and contemporary realities that African American couples face (e.g., anti-Black racism), the purpose of this article is to help clinicians use IBCT with African American couples in a culturally responsive way. We begin this article by highlighting the unique needs of African American couples. We then provide a broad overview of the benefits of adopting a multicultural lens of awareness, knowledge, and skills in clinical work, present an atheoretical overview of IBCT, and offer specific recommendations to attend to the unique cultural experiences of African American couples. Finally, we present a case study to exemplify our suggestions and highlight implications of using IBCT with African American couples in a culturally responsible way.