A call to action: Online learning and distance education in the training of couple and family therapists.

Abstract

Distance education in couple and family therapy (CFT) has grown in recent years; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many CFT educators find themselves delivering emergency online education out of necessity and for the first time. Despite the growth of distance learning over the last decade, there is virtually no CFT scholarship on the topic. Comparable disciplines, including social work and professional counseling, are further along in researching distance learning. Outside of the counseling disciplines, there is also ample scholarship guiding the delivery of distance education. This article builds on the small body of CFT scholarship on technology in training and supervision, reviewing extant research on distance learning in social work and counselor education. Major themes in this research reveal opportunities and challenges associated with distance learning and offer guidance about ways that CFT education can evolve in order to effectively integrate technology and online learning into our educational landscape.