Textbooks in Accredited Marriage and Family Therapy Programs

Although choices of required textbooks are important decisions in developing a course curriculum, faculty in marriage and family therapy training programs have few convenient resources to guide curriculum development. This article presents results of a survey of textbook selections of accredited marriage and family therapy programs within a regional affiliate of AAMFT. The five programs surveyed listed 108 different titles used in their curriculum. Only 12 texts were used by two programs, and only one text was used by more than two programs. This article presents the textbook selections by the six curricular areas of COAMFTE accreditation standards. The wide variety of textbooks used by programs leads us to conclude that no consensus exists about what textbooks best represent the core knowledge of marriage and family therapy. The body of knowledge taught in accredited marriage and family training programs reflects a distinct and autonomous body of knowledge.     

“Nowhere does it say that in the Bible”

For lesbian women who marry in South Africa, religion is both a source of great opposition to their relationships and a tool that they can use to negotiate their belonging with family and friends, after deciding to exercise their citizenship through marriage. This article draws from qualitative research conducted in South Africa to explore the relationship between sexuality and religion in the context of legal same-sex marriage. Though religion has been previously implicated in the maintenance of oppressive regimes, such as colonialism and apartheid, it has also been one of the primary voices against such injustices. The article concludes by suggesting that lesbian women use their own understandings of religion and sexuality to actively participate in the formation of new opportunities for social, legal, and spiritual citizenship.     

Long-Term successful Marriages in Israel

Long-Term Marriages (LTM) in Israel is part of a larger on-going international research. Our study focuses on two related questions: Are all long term marriages successful and satisfying? Similar studies have been undertaken in the United States, Sweden, Germany, and Chile. This paper focuses on the Israeli results with a few cross-cultural comparisons. Israel adds several unique features to the research: the people to whom LTM applies have emigrated to Israel from 112 different countries, with different cultures and nationalities; how Holocaust survivors are distributed in comparison to the rest of the population; Israel has the lowest divorce rate in the west; family life being a highly valued norm among Jewish people, it will be interesting to determine what keeps couples together and whether the motives and ingredients for satisfying marriages are similar or different from other countries.     

Religion and Family Relational Health: An Overview and Conceptual Model

This paper presents a review of research addressing religion and family relational health. Strengths of the extant data include the correlation of three dimensions of religious experience (religious practices, religious beliefs, and religious community) with certain aspects of mother–child, father–child, and marital relationships and specific connections between the three dimensions of religious experience and family relationships are identified. Key weaknesses in the research at present include a paucity of research examining the hows, whys, and processes involved behind identified religion–family correlations and a lack of data on non-nuclear families, families of color, interfaith families, and non-Christian religions including Judaism and Islam. Implications for clinical practice and recommendations for future research are offered. Loren Marks is an Assistant Professor of Family, Child, and Consumer Sciences in the School of Human Ecology at Louisiana State University. He and his research collaborator, David Dollahite of BYU, have conducted extensive qualitative research with over 125 Christian, Jewish, Mormon, and Muslim families to examine the interfaces between religion, individual development, and family relationships.     

Beyond the Frying Pan: Addressing Work Issues with Women in Therapy

In recent years, mental health practitioners have been exploring how women are balancing work and family. Given how this issue affects womens experiences in the corporate world and at home, marriage and family therapists are attempting to consider this concern as they treat female clients individually and within relational systems. Few articles and studies have examined the issues female employees face in the workplace and how the issues influence the therapeutic process. In this article, the authors examine the organizational, sociological, and cultural challenges women deal with at work and apply these areas to the therapeutic context. The authors present a case study of a female client enduring a difficult work situation, discussing how to view and approach this case from a feminist family therapy perspective.     

Fostering Client Creativity in Family Therapy: A Process Research Study

Creativity has been shown to enhance problem solving, and to increase flexibility and adaptability—qualities associated with positive therapeutic outcomes. Literature related to therapist and/or client creativity is primarily anecdotal. Empirical literature addressing how therapists can facilitate the creativity of their clients in family therapy is scarce. In this study, the researchers used process methodology to code the behavior of therapists and clients in 31 videotaped family therapy sessions. Results show a significant positive correlation between interventions that induce positive affect and the creative client behaviors of optimism and playfulness.     

Spirituality in MFT Training: Development of the Spiritual Issues in Supervision Scale

As spirituality moves increasingly to the forefront of the body of marriage and family therapy (MFT) literature, many clinicians still find it uncomfortable or difficult to address spirituality in therapy. This study presents a new measure—the Spiritual Issues in Supervision Scale (SISS)—that examines supervisees' perceptions of the degree to which spirituality is addressed in supervision. Researchers distributed the SISS to mental health professionals around the United States who either were receiving supervision currently or had received supervision recently from professionals in their fields or programs. Results indicated that the new instrument has evidence of reliability and validity.     

Contextual Influences on Marriage

Abstract— Current proposals to promote and strengthen marriage among low-income populations focus on values and behavioral skills as primary targets of intervention. Marital research that examines contextual influences on marriage calls these emphases into question. Ethnographic and survey research reveal no evidence that populations experiencing higher rates of divorce value healthy marriages any less than other populations do. Longitudinal and observational research reveals two mechanisms through which the environment of a marriage may enhance or constrain effective relationship maintenance. First, some environments contain fewer sources of support and pose more severe challenges than others, presenting marriages in those environments with greater burdens than marriages in more supportive environments are faced with. Second, when demands external to the marriage are relatively high, even couples with adequate coping skills may have difficulty exercising those skills effectively. Together, such findings suggest that successful policies and interventions to strengthen marriages need to acknowledge the environments within which marriages take place.     

Ethical Issues and At-Risk Behaviors in Marriage and Family Therapy: A Qualitative Study of Awareness

This exploratory study investigated perceptions of and relationship with professional ethics of therapists-in-training. A focus group of marriage and family therapy doctoral students explored self-awareness and at-risk behaviors regarding ethical competence and compliance. A grounded theory analysis of data is presented as a conditional matrix, which offers a theory of development between therapists and their perception of ethics. The Practitioner-Relationship Ethics Model represents findings of interaction between confidence in ethical principles, field experience, use of justification, and at-risk behaviors. Implications and limitations of these findings are presented, as are suggestions for research.     

A Comparison of AAMFT Approved Supervisors with Master’s and Doctoral Degrees

Given the importance of American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) Approved Supervisors to education, training, and regulation of marital and family therapists (MFTs), this study used 2001 national survey data to compare masters prepared AAMFT Approved Supervisors with those who possessed a doctorate. There has been a consistent increase from 1976 when 33% of Approved Supervisors were masters practitioners until today where they comprise approximately half of the Approved Supervisors respondents. We found modest differences with some overlap between masters and doctoral supervisors. More doctoral AAMFT Approved Supervisors provided supervision in private practice settings, were involved in professional organizations, had a pluralistic theoretical orientation, and were involved in ongoing MFT scholarship.     

Clinical Implications for Multi-Racial Individuals

Abstract

Multi- racial individuals experience distinctive struggles and challenges that can impact their mental health. However, despite the growing population and unique presenting issues there remains a scarcity of literature to effectively support them. In addition, there is a lack of research exploring the unique experience of the multiple heritage population. The article offers implications for effectively working with individuals of multi-racial decent as well as a call to action for MFTs to develop multicultural competencies for the profession.     

Issues of Language and Culture in Family Therapy Training

Recent census data indicate continued growth in immigration trends as American society becomes increasingly diversified. Marriage and family therapy (MFT) training programs are also experiencing a growth in the number of immigrant students. As such, issues of language and culture play a progressively significant role in the MFT training process. The purpose of this study was to examine client, trainee, and supervisor feedback concerning the experience of therapy with non-native English-speaking trainees. Several themes emerged from the written and oral responses of participants. Implications for training and future directions for research are discussed.     

Cross-Cultural Supervision in Marriage and Family Therapy

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the various cultural factors that influence the supervisor-trainee relationship when at least one of these individuals is a member of an ethnic minority group in the United States. Marriage and Family Therapy supervisors and students were asked to compare and contrast their experiences working with ethnic minority and white persons. Findings indicate that both supervisors and students express great value in cross-cultural supervisory experiences, but report that these opportunities are very limited.     

A Developmental Perspective of Marriage and Family Therapist's Ethical Principles: Support for the Practitioner–Ethics Relationship Model

This study explored therapists' professional ethics by assessing therapist at-risk behaviors as they relate to ethical proficiency in the field of Marriage and Family Therapy. A survey assessing practice behaviors was distributed among marriage and family therapists (MFTs) of varying levels of experience. Data gathered were analyzed using factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and multiple regression. Results indicate a positive relationship between the latent variables of risk and justification, as well as a significant relationship between these variables and years of clinical experience. Findings provide evidence to support the practitioner–ethics relationship model proposed by the authors. Implications of these findings, as well as future directions for research and policy are suggested.     

The Practice of Marriage and Family Therapists with Managed Care Clients

This study examined the practice patterns of Nebraska marriage and family therapists (MFTs) working with managed care cases. The participants' two most recently closed managed care cases were examined to determine the types of cases seen, the process of treatment, and treatment outcome. Results indicated that the therapists saw cases for a median number of six sessions. MFTs worked with a variety of presenting problems and diagnoses. Depression was the most common presenting problem, and the most common DSM-IV diagnosis was adjustment disorder. A comparison of pre- and post-treatment GAF scores indicated that clients' level of functioning improved significantly during the course of treatment.     

Alliance Ratings as a Part of Trainee Evaluations Within Family Therapy Training

Client-reported therapeutic alliance scores were examined as a measure of improvement in therapeutic skills across master's-level marriage and family therapy (MFT) training. The results indicate significant correlations between alliance ratings and training variables, with the number of cumulative clinical hours identified as a significant predictor of alliance ratings according to a regression analysis. Trainees lacking the expected number of clinical contact hours in each level of training were found to be more likely to receive consistently marginal alliance ratings. Additionally, alliance ratings were especially useful in identifying trainees who were functioning at minimal levels of competency.     

Marriage in India: Clinical Issues

This article considers some of the common issues with which marital couples in India struggle. These issues arise from the way that Indian families are typically structured and the rules that govern family relationships. Ideas from the social constructionist and contextual approaches are suggested as helpful interventions.