Table 4.

Key Themes Regarding Partner Level Barriers to Entry into Couples Treatment of Alcohol Problems

Theme 1: Partner Psychological Factors Feelings of being burned out or resentful towards the patient due to longstanding alcohol problems, and resulting unwillingness to help the patient in their treatment

Theme 2: Partner's perspectives and approaches to dealing with own or patient's alcohol related illness factors Partner's difficulty with identifying the patient's alcohol problem Partner feeling that the problem should be handled independently by the patient Partner's own lack of readiness to change their drinking or relationship behavior

Theme 3: Partner treatment preferences, treatment fears, and information about treatment Partner beliefs and fears about therapy Partner's beliefs that the patient should be able to stop drinking without professional help and/or beliefs that therapy is not helpful Partner concerns about privacy from the therapist