How Do Master's Level Marriage and Family Therapy Students View Their Basic Therapy Skills? An Examination of Generic and Theory Specific Clinical Approaches to Family Therapy

This study examined the similarities and differences between marital and family therapy (MFT) students' beliefs about the importance of specific MFT skills, and the perceptions of experienced therapists in practice about the same skills. The data suggest overlap but not complete agreement between the perceptions of novice and experienced therapists regarding both generic and theory specific skills. Similarities and differences between these findings and earlier research about common factors in family therapy are addressed. Recommendations about clinical training that is not organized around traditional family therapy theories, but rather based on two trans-theoretical approaches to therapy labeled expert and collaborative are explored.     

Theory of Change Projects in MFT Programs

Taibbi (1996) suggests that therapists who have clear ideas of their personal models of therapy will be better therapists. This study attempted to learn more about how marriage and family therapy (MFT) programs use theory of change projects to assist students' development of their personal models. Questionnaires were sent to MFT master's, doctoral, and post-degree programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy. Nearly 60% of responding programs indicated that they do include theory of change projects in their programs. Data were analyzed for similarities and differences in both the contents and processes of the projects.     

Counselling students' views and concerns about weeping with clients: A pilot study

This study examines counselling students' concerns and views about a phenomenon that has received little attention in the counselling literature: the counsellor weeping during a session with a client. Over 20 per cent of the counselling students who were surveyed reported being concerned about weeping in session with clients. However, the majority of students believed, to varying degrees, that weeping with clients could facilitate the therapeutic process. This paper sheds light on this unexplored dimension of countertransference, and has implications for those involved in providing counsellor training.     

Fostering the educational value of candidate evaluation

Approaches to fostering the educational value of candidate evaluation are presented, in view of the plethora of intra‐psychic challenges that combine with many other complexities of learning to work as an analyst. Four integrally interrelated practices have been found to address sensitivities inherent in candidates’ experience of training in general, and being evaluated in particular. When applied in concert, the institute's evaluative process not only becomes more considered, but also better promotes a psychoanalytic attitude and minimizes the intrusion of evaluators’ personal responses. The first is defining and employing in synergy criteria for clinical immersion based on demonstration of the development and deepening of an analytic process, as well as the development of psychoanalytic competencies. The second is mandating institute‐wide application of guidelines for assessment of progression/graduation that are clearly explicated to all candidates and faculty. The third is transparent and timely communication between candidates and their supervisors and progression advisors regarding progress essential to a sense of collaboration. Fourth the progression review process must be systematic and in‐depth, with built‐in consultative relationships serving as checks and balances on personal elements. The implementation and educational impact of these practices are considered in the case of one candidate.     

Active tuberculosis detection by pouched rats in 2014: More than 2,000 new patients found in two countries

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major problem in poor countries because sensitive diagnostic tools are unavailable. In 2014, our pouched rats evaluated sputum from 21,600 Tanzanians and 9,048 Mozambicans whose sputum had previously been evaluated by microscopy, the standard diagnostic for TB. Evaluation by the rats revealed 1,412 new patients with active TB in Tanzania and 645 new patients in Mozambique, increases of 39% and 53%, respectively, when compared to detections by microscopy alone. These results provide further support for the applied use of scent‐detecting rats.     

Teaching metaphorical extensions of private events through rival‐model observation to children with autism

The study evaluated the efficacy of observational learning using the rival‐model technique in teaching three children with autism to state metaphorical statements about emotions when provided a picture, as well as to intraverbally state an appropriate emotion when provided a scenario and corresponding metaphorical emotion. The results provide a preliminary evaluation of how an observational teaching strategy may be effective in teaching children with autism to correctly tact emotions when given metaphors.     

Teaching complex verbal operants to children with autism and establishing generalization using the peak curriculum

The present study evaluated the feasibility of the PEAK Relational Training System's Generalization Module (Dixon, 2014b) to teach and establish generalization of autoclitic mands, distorted tacts, and creative path finding in three children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Using a multiple‐baseline design across behaviors, each participant was provided with differential reinforcement and a least‐to‐most prompting hierarchy for correct responses to a subset of stimuli, and responses to other similar stimulus sets were probed for emergent generalization. Following training, each participant successfully acquired the directly trained behaviors and demonstrated generalization to the nonreinforced test exemplars. These data support the utility of Skinner's (1957) analysis to teach complex forms of verbal operants, and suggest that a manualized curriculum such as PEAK may have utility for promoting skill development and generalization for front line staff and caregivers of children with autism.