Various types of consensual nonmonogamy, such as polyamory and swinging, have been gaining in popular practice and academic interest. At the same time, monogamy has become an increasingly fluid and self-defined state. As a result, a complex and unfamiliar range of relationship agreements can present in relationship therapy. For such work, transactional analysis has offered a limited theoretical framework, which leaves it with an unexamined normative bias toward monogamy and ignorance about consensual nonmonogamy. This leads to the risk of unconscious prejudice, unethical practice, and ineffective treatment. To address these potential problems, the forms of consensual nonmonogamy are described along with some implications for clinical practice, illustrated by a case vignette, and reflections on the impact of these issues for transactional analysis relationship therapists.

58
Views
0
CrossRef citations
Altmetric
Articles
I Love You, and You, and You Too
Challenges of Consensual Nonmonogamy in Relationship Therapy
Pages 276-293
Published online: 28 Dec 2017
Articles
I Love You, and You, and You Too
Challenges of Consensual Nonmonogamy in Relationship Therapy
People also read
Article
Games Abstainers PlayDmitri I. Shustov et al.
Transactional Analysis Journal
Volume 48, 2018 - Issue 1
Published online: 20 Nov 2017
Transactional Analysis Journal
Volume 48, 2018 - Issue 1
Published online: 17 Nov 2017
Article
The Trouble With Gender