One of the cheapest Valentine’s Day gifts available this year is a chair — that is, a free hour in the therapy chair at the University of Oregon Center for Family Therapy as part of its third annual Valentine’s
Relationship Checkup.
CFT interns will volunteer from noon to 8 p.m. on Feb. 12 and 13 giving free therapeutic consultations. The interns are graduate students in the University’s nationally accredited Marriage and Family Therapy program.
CFT Director John Miller said CFT chose Valentine’s Day as the time for its relationship checkup service because it’s a “national day when people come to recognize their relationships in a happy way.”
For the relationship checkup, clients can make an appointment or just show up. After clients fill out a few brief forms and decide what they would like to talk to a therapist about, a therapist will take them to a therapy room. Miller emphasized that the one-hour session does not focus on personality tests.
“Just having a conversation … directed by (the couple) is most
useful,” Miller said.
At the end of the session, therapists will discuss the couple’s strengths and offer follow-up questions and suggestions for improvement, if desired. Miller said last year 85 percent of clients at the Valentine’s Day event said they were satisfied or highly satisfied with their experience, and half of the clients found their needs were met with one visit. Therapists gave clients referrals and advice on other resources in about 10 to 20 percent of cases, Miller said.
“There’s no great expectation that it’ll be an earth-moving event. It’s not meant for that. It’s a checkup with a therapist to see what the next steps might be,” Miller said.
The event is not confined to
traditional heterosexual couples. Parent-child pairs, individuals and gay and lesbian couples are also welcome.
“We want to open it up to the LGBT population to come in. That’s something we want to emphasize this year,” Miller said, adding that even couples who already have great relationships can– and do– often come to this event.
“We often get couples in a very proactive state doing things for
the relationship, and it’s encouraging for the interns,” Miller said.
The main objective of the event is to reach out to people who haven’t been to therapy before, but would profit from the services of an objective listener.
“Half of the people who would benefit from counseling services never come in. It would never cross their mind to see a therapist. There’s this great service out there, and
few people take advantage of it. If they do come, about two-thirds
of the time they will improve,” Miller said.