The Seven Cs: A Behavioral Systems Framework for Evaluating Marital Distress

The authors have developed a basic, easily learned behavioral systems framework from which to conceptualize, evaluate, and plan treatment for distressed couples. This article describes the seven Cs of marriage primarily from conceptual and evaluation perspectives and is written for beginning therapists who work with couples. The seven Cs is a clear and heuristic model for understanding couple functioning, as well as an effective framework for presenting treatment-planning feedback to the couple. A brief overview of behavioral systems marital therapy and an outline of seven Cs based interventions are included.