An international research on couple therapy is looking for volunteers in Argentina (Province of Buenos Aires and Autonomous City of Buenos Aires), as well as in Guatemala. This is the most important study of its kind in the Spanish-speaking world and is led by the project E (f)FECTS of the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) of the University of Navarra, at partnership with Brigham Young University (USA). 

Specifically, we are looking for couples aged between 25 and 70, who have been living together at the same address for at least one year and who wish to make their relationship work better. They are required to have Spanish as one of their native languages, and to have access to the internet. Details on how to participate can be found on the project website, www.effects.es.

The goalis to validate Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT) for the first time in Spanish-speaking countries. Martiño Rodriguez, researcher, the main projectE(f)FECTS of the ICS, highlights the strong empirical support of model. "Clinical trials in the US and Canada have reported feessignificant improvement in 75% of cases," he says. He points out that EBT is based on adult attachment theory and financial aidhelps partners feel secure in the relationship and strengthen bonds. 

20 free sessions of couple therapy or psychoeducational course "Hold me tight".

Martiño Rodríguez explains that the couples will be randomly divided into two groups. One of them will be able to attendto 20 free therapy sessions, on a weekly basis. The other groupwill participate in a one-and-a-half day training, with lectures and activities to improve their relationship. 

It is called "Hold me tight" and consists of a course given by psychologists, psychotherapists and relationship experts. It will be completely free of charge for volunteers. In both groups, volunteers will be required to complete questionnaires at different points in the process, for which they will be remunerated.

The project E(f)FECTS is being developed in five countries: Spain, Mexico, Guatemala, Argentina and Costa Rica. Twenty therapists and 10 supervisors from 11 different countries are participating, with the support of a team from research made up of professors and researchers from five universities located in Spain, Canada and the USA.