Psychoeducation: A First Step to Understanding Infidelity-Related Systemic Trauma and Grieving

Abstract

Marriage and family counselors often encounter couples whose chief complaint is infidelity. Different models and interventions for couples working through the discovery of infidelity have been presented in the literature, which includes a vast array of articles addressing the interpersonal trauma associated with affairs; however, much of the literature presents a victim/offender model, which may not highlight systemic implications. Infidelity within relationships may also lead to grieving the idea of what the relationship was and what it represented. The systemic impact of the trauma-like and related grieving processes associated with infidelity is presented along with a case study to depict the application of a psychoeducational first step in the recovery process.