Transformative Couples Therapy®

research study

invitation for referrals

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 a peer reviewed journal. 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.

Couples participating in the research study will be offered a 50% discount from Therapists on the TCT Research Team.

referral criteria

  • Couples need to be eighteen or older and must have lived together for two years or more.

  • Gay and heterosexual couples are invited to apply.

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

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

  • The couple needs to reside in Maryland, Virginia, New York, Connecticut or California.

  • For further details about criteria for referring a couple to this study, send an email to davidmarsphd@gmail.com

  • 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, we will schedule a free twenty-minute free interview with one of the therapists on the TCT Research Team.

    3. 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

research team

Couples will have the opportunity to work with a 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, Virginia and Ontario.

California:

David Mars, PhD, MFT
davidmarsphd@gmail.com

Connecticut and New York:

Lisa Gardner, MSW, LCSW
lisagardnerlcsw@gmail.com

Chris Russo, MSW, LCSW
chris@therapywithchris.com

Maryland:

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

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

Virginia:

Greg Czyszczon, PhD, LPC
gczyszczon@gmail.com

Mimi Steele, MA, LPC
mcscville@gmail.com