Building Bridges: Inclusiveness Spans the Distance

Abstract

Professions are typically based on mastery of a body of knowledge and skills, adherence to ethical guidelines, and participation in a collective identity. Some professionals experience a sense of calling in which the community is served. Professional counselors must balance private interests and public service. Competition among health care professionals tends to promote exclusivity in practice. With increasing specialization in behavioral health care in general and professional counseling in particular, differences rather than commonalities contribute to professional identity. It is possible to span the distance between various specializations by emphasizing inclusiveness as a core value. The relational perspectives and systems constructs of marriage and family counseling and therapy facilitate bridge building between professionals in seemingly disparate fields. Marriage and family counselors understand that conflicts in couples and family systems contribute to physical and mental health problems. Individual health issues also affect interactions between partners and among family members. Individual health and family functioning are inextricably bound. Therefore, issues and concerns in virtually any domain have significant connections to couple, marital, and family lives. Marriage and family counseling is not limited to theory, research, and practice with couples and families. We have a stake in helping to resolve problems and enhance functioning in many aspects of life. The scope of the profession should not be fixed exclusively on relational issues. We should include in our professional perspective many levels of individual and social systems. The Family Journal should afford a means by which we build bridges to other professions and specializations within professional counseling. Specifically, we should practice inclusiveness with respect to prospective manuscripts. Although the editorial board and our association would prefer that the journal publish manuscripts concerned with counseling and therapy for couples and families, we should not exclude manuscripts written by diverse health care professionals, which describe theory, research, or practice in other specializations or settings. We are currently in the process of reviewing the existing sections of The Family Journal. Some section editors no longer have the time or interest to develop submissions in their areas. Other sections will be developed to foster inclusiveness and build bridges to new readers and authors. The current issue represents an attempt to include some articles that may have been redirected in the past to other journals. To highlight opportunities for new submissions, I have grouped the articles according to themes that could be developed into full-fledged sections: Addiction and Offender Issues, Schools and Families, and Assessment. I would like to hear from readers and association members who are interested in these themes, as well as other domains that could be addressed. We are recruiting additional section editors to build the bridges needed to connect professionals who serve couples and families.