Objectives: The purpose of this study was to develop and study the effectiveness of a cognitive behavioral
therapy program for improving the relationships of multicultural marital couples. Methods: For this study,
14 multicultural couples with relational conflicts were selected based on the level of the wife’s Korean
language and the availability of both spouses’ participation. The couples were randomly assigned to either
a control group or an experimental group. The program consisted of cognitive restructuring, communication
skills, and problem-solving skills training. The experimental group was given a 100-minute session twice a
week for a total of 10 sessions. The effectiveness of the program was assessed through a pretest, posttest,
and 3-month follow-up test. Collected data were analyzed with the SPSS 20.0 statistical program. Results:
At post-treatment, concerning the cognitive characteristics of the experimental group, scores of the
experimental group in negative automatic thoughts and traditional gender-role attitudes decreased, while
scores in marital satisfaction increased. With regard to the emotional characteristics of the experimental
group, scores in anger decreased, while scores in couple intimacy increased. For behavioral characteristics of
the experimental group, scores in dysfunctional communication decreased, while scores in conflict-resolution
skills increased. Conclusions: The program’s effectiveness was measured at the 3-month follow up, and
results indicated that the improvements were maintained.