Couple-Focused Group Intervention for Women with Early Breast Cancer and Their Partners

The diagnosis and treatment of early stage breast cancer is a difficult life experience for both the patient and her partner. In this chapter, we describe the development, goals, basic content and efficacy data of a couple-focused group (CFG) intervention whose goal is to improve the psychological adaptation of both patient and partner. Our research has suggested that CFG results in lower levels of distress among patients, particularly among those patients reporting that their partners were unsupportive prior to the group. However, we have not implemented CFG in a clinical setting, and there may be unique challenges in terms of facilitating uptake and interest, maintaining treatment fidelity and effectiveness in a clinical oncology setting.