An Affair to Remember: A Mixed-Methods Survey Examining Therapists’ Experiences Treating Infidelity

• Published in: The Family journal (Alexandria, Va.) Vol. 30; no. 3; pp. 324 - 333
• Main Authors: Irvine, Taylor J., Peluso, Paul R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-07-2022; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Affairs; Infidelity; Mixed methods research; Polls & surveys; Professional attitudes; Recovery; Therapists; mixed-methods survey; infidelity; therapist competency; affair recovery
• ISSN: 1066-4807; 1552-3950
• DOI: 10.1177/10664807211061826

In this mixed-methods study, we analyzed data from 351 couple therapists who completed our Therapists' Experiences Treating Infidelity (TETI) survey. The present survey is a follow-up of previous iterations that examined therapists' attitudes toward infidelity and affair recovery treatment. Our TETI survey provided additional questions pertaining to therapists' personal history with affairs and perceptions on current research and training standards. Results showed that various therapist and couple factors serve to impede affair recovery treatment. Additionally, this survey revealed several similarities in therapists' attitudes from prior surveys, despite decades having passed between when the present survey and previous versions. In this article, we (a) outline findings from this mixed-methods survey, (b) discuss implications for the field, and (c) offer directions for future research.