It has long been understood that there is a connection between long-term relationships and health. There is also a reciprocal relationship between marriage and health, where not only is marriage affected by illness, but the quality of marriage can actually influence the course of an illness.

Dr. Sher explains why it's important to include the spouse/intimate partner in both physical and mental health treatment of the ill spouse, and outlines the three primary ways that The Family Institute practices to intervene on individual issues at the couple level.