Family Therapy Students Research Articles

Understanding families impacted by opioid use: Outcomes of a therapist training program.

Increasing the substance use workforce is vital in addressing the many complexities of opioid use among families. The purpose of the present research was to examine 6-month outcomes of a training program focusing on opioid use among families, for master-level family therapy (MFT) and community mental health counseling (CMHC) students. In total, 58 students participated in self-reported survey assessments at baseline and 6-month follow-up across the following domains: attitudes about substance use, interpersonal professional collaboration, trainee confidence, professional quality of life, and cross-cultural counseling competence. The study results indicated a significant improvement between scores on attitudes of working with families impacted by substance use disorders from baseline to follow-up. There was a significant positive change in cross-cultural competency, interprofessional competency, and trainee confidence from baseline to follow-up. The findings contribute to extant literature by examining the potential role of participating in substance use training for graduate-level MFT and CMHC trainees and considerations for implementing specific substance use training components among graduate-level trainees. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The power to help or harm: student perceptions of transgender health education using a qualitative approach

BackgroundLack of transgender health education among health professional education programs is a limitation to providing gender-affirming care. Educational interventions have advanced in the past decade using a variety of pedagogical approaches. Although evidence supports that educational interventions can significantly improve student knowledge, comfort levels, preparedness, and clinical skills, few studies have addressed student perceptions of or receptiveness towards transgender health education. The study purpose was to explore student perceptions of transgender health education using a qualitative approach.MethodsWe utilized a basic qualitative design to explore student perceptions of transgender health education at a Catholic, Jesuit institution. Participants were medical students (n = 182), medical family therapy students (n = 8), speech, language and hearing sciences students (n = 44), and dietetic interns (n = 30) who participated in an Interprofessional Transgender Health Education Day (ITHED) in partnership with transgender educators and activists. Participants completed an online discussion assignment using eight discussion prompts specific to the ITHED sessions. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method and triangulated across four medical and allied health programs.ResultsA total of 263 participants provided 362 responses across eight discussion prompts. Three major themes resulted: (1) The Power to Help or Harm, (2) The Responsibility to Provide Health Care, and (3) A Posture of Humility: Listen and Learn. Each theme was supported by three to four subthemes.ConclusionsHealth professional students were highly receptive towards transgender health education delivered by transgender community members. First-person accounts from session facilitators of both positive and negative experiences in healthcare were particularly effective at illustrating the power of providers to help or harm transgender patients. Reflection and constructive dialogue offers students an opportunity to better understand the lived experiences of transgender patients and explore their identities as healthcare providers at the intersection of their religious and cultural beliefs.

“Is There a Course Where we Learn How to Interact with Kids?”: Readying Couple and Family Therapy Students for Practice with Youth

Family relationships are protective against poor behavioral health for youth. Couple and Family Therapy (CFT) graduate programs are critical for readying the behavioral workforce to work systemically with youth and their families. This study identified the elements of a CFT masters training process that readied students to work with youth. Qualitative description with focus group interviews of three cohorts of master’s students (n = 14) was used. Thematic analysis identified five themes demonstrating the primacy of early experiences for fostering safety, reflective and active training approaches, multicultural and sexuality topics, and pragmatics of talking to physicians and children.

Couple and Family Therapy Students’ Experience of Transitioning to Teletherapy and Telesupervision in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of students enrolled in COAMFTE-accredited Couple and Family Therapy programs who transitioned to telehealth and telesupervision during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using Likert scales and free response prompts, 77 graduate students provided insight into how their academic programs and external internships prepared them for the transition. Results indicated webinars, articles, and additional supervision were the most frequently used training methods. Many participants reported feeling supported by their academic program and external internship supervisors, particularly through well-being check-ins, candid and open discussion, and increased availability of supervisors. A smaller proportion of participants experienced a lack of communication from leadership, leading to feelings of disorganization and isolation. These results highlight specific ways supervisors and instructors can support students in times of transition and crisis. Recommendations regarding communication with students and engagement of interns for academic programs and external internship sites are provided.

A Chinese family: teaching and learning in a clinical case conference

The authors show the interrelated processes of teaching and learning both for the Chinese student and the Western teacher. This article focuses on a clinical case conference as a co-constructed teaching and learning opportunity for Chinese therapists and Western teachers of family therapy. We present an account of a clinical case conference for family therapy students which occurred as part of a week-long training event, during the two-year continuous training programme in psychoanalytic couple and family therapy organised by Professor Fang Xin in Beijing. The first author, a Chinese family therapy student, made the family case presentation to her classmates and to the second author, a Western psychoanalyst as the discussant. The student introduced the referral to her of an index patient, a teenage boy who was refusing school, staying home to play videogames, and threatening suicide. She reported vividly on her consultation with the concerned mother, stern father, and rebellious adolescent son in a family group setting. Without process notes, the Western discussant could not comment on the presenter's analytic family therapy technique or move more deeply into the family unconscious. Yet, the material presented enabled the class to see how the boy had become the symptom bearer for his family, and at the same to learn about the strain of absence and the threat of death on a Chinese family. The article closes with a template for how to get the most out of a clinical case conference.

Lockdown Learnings: No Longer the Mirrored Room.

During the COVID‐19 lockdown in Aotearoa/New Zealand, a discussion panel was convened comprising of family therapy students and experienced family therapists to investigate the effects of the use of online digital mediums for family therapy. This article discusses the learnings from that panel. It seems that the use of a screen can change the power dynamic between therapist and client family, perhaps levelling the field slightly and resulting in implications for the therapeutic relationship. Suggestions for practice are given and the situation is likened to that of the ‘mirrored room’ proposed by Hare‐Mustin (1994).

A Need of Further Training for Marriage and Family Therapy Students’ on Food Addiction and Related Eating Disorders

The purpose of this study was to explore Marriage and Family Therapy students’ perspectives regarding food addiction and associated eating disorders, as a clinical treatment issue. In a standard addictions course housed in a Marriage and Family Therapy program approved by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE), 20 students completed a qualitative survey where they reflected on the topic of food addiction, Binge Eating Disorder, and Bulimia Nervosa, within the context of individual, couple, and family relationships. In the study four major themes emerged, which included (1) Defining Food Addiction, (2) Perceptions of Eating Disorders, (3) Conceptualizing Systemic Treatment, and (4) Experiences in clinical training. Clinical implications, recommendations for MFT education, clinical practice, and future research are discussed. Findings suggest that while MFT students in the study were well versed in conceptualized systemic treatment, it was of a general treatment and understanding using MFT theory, and not in relation to or specifically concerning food addictions and their connection or distinction from Binge Eating Disorder and/or other eating disorders found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, potentially impacting the level of skillfully and appropriately working with clients.

Teaching systemic concepts through reality television

Learning specific systems theory concepts can be challenging for marriage and family therapy students and trainees due to the abstract nature of these concepts. Experiential teaching strategies, such as using reality television programmes in the classroom, can help students to learn and apply these concepts. Because of the familiarity many students have with reality television, this medium can lessen the barriers to engagement that can arise from other forms of media. In this article, we discuss how to incorporate reality television shows into the classroom as one way to increase engagement and learning of systemic concepts, specifically those related to structural family therapy. We discuss a way to teach systems theory based on reality television either through an in‐class activity or assessment of learning. We also consider the ethical concerns about using such media in family therapy training. We conclude with tips for facilitators and student feedback.Practitioner points Systemic concepts can be abstract and difficult for MFT trainees to understand Experiential learning can provide opportunities for deeper learning through application Integrating reality television into MFT training can be an accessible and enjoyable way for trainees to deepen their learning of systems concepts Using reality television in teaching, both to demonstrate concepts and assess learning, can improve students’ understanding and application of systems concepts

Training Through Naming: A Process of Psychotherapist Skill Development Utilizing Recursive Frame Analysis

Recursive frame analysis (RFA) is both an advanced qualitative research method and a therapeutic tool that is used to map psychotherapy discourse. RFA tracks the therapeutic conversation to show how the therapy talk moves from one act to another. This paper describes the implementation of a training process for family therapy students in a family therapy clinic and the student therapists’ experiences of learning through this process, called Naming the Session. We present the organic development of the training process, its roots in RFA, and the student therapists’ perceptions of how Naming the Session impacted them as trainees. We further present how Naming the Session was useful in the growth of supervisors-in-training who were also a part of this training process.

Not professional enough to be a therapist: international therapists’ experience of language discrimination

International therapists’ languages have been viewed as a barrier in conducting therapy. Our study utilized language subordination process as a framework to examine the experiences of eight international Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) students facing language and cultural bias from clients. Our findings suggest that language proficiency affects the communication process, and other factors (e.g., ethnicity) are also important. Therapists who speak English as a second language (ESL) experience language discrimination through judgements of their professionalism, competence, and credibility. When facing language discrimination, ESL therapists often experience self-doubt, which affects their counseling efficacy. ESL therapists use their language and culture as strengths and supervision to cope.

Bringing in the Community: A University-Community Endeavor to Teach Marital and Family Therapy Students About Community-Based Violence and Trauma

This article reports the results from a course module, based on the model developed in the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Framework for Educating Health Professionals to Address the Social Determinants of Health, for students enrolled in a marriage and family therapy program at a large university in upstate New York. Students were taken on bus tours through high-crime areas to gain a greater understanding of how various determinants, including trauma and crime, affect community mental health. The authors review the community-level social determinants of mental health and cultural competence, elements of the Framework, and describe how violence and trauma affect the community residents the students will work with in their practicums. The authors present the module, students’ feedback, and reflections from faculty as well as community members, who all report learning a great deal about the trauma their clients face.

Examining the Beliefs and Attitudes of Current Students and Recent Graduates on the Inclusion of Children in Family Therapy

The founders of the field of marriage and family therapy (MFT) have often spoken of the importance of having children present during therapy. However, children provide new challenges to any therapy session and therapists are often reluctant to invite them into session (Johnson and Thomas in J Marital Family Ther 25(1):117–123, 1999; Korner and Brown in J Family Psychol 3(4):420, 1990). Our littlest clients may be the most likely to trigger self of the therapist (SOT) reactions due to their emotional and reactive nature. Research has explored how licensed therapists view children in therapy and children’s opinion about being included, (Miller and McLeod in Family J 9(4):375–383, 2001; Ruble in Contemp Family Ther 21(4):485, 1999; Sori et al. in Sori (ed) Engaging children in family therapy, Routledge, New York, 2006; Sori et al. in Family J 23(4):427–434, 2015) but less research has been devoted to how student and recent graduates respond to families and children. Further, there is almost no research addressing how a therapist’s own family of origin may impact his or her clinical judgment. This study examines how current and recent marriage and family therapy students think about including children in therapy. Seventy-three participants completed the Family Therapy Questionnaire as well as questions related to their family of origin. Participants’ responses were compared to prior studies on therapists’ attitudes and the inclusion of children. Regression analysis showed that students’ beliefs about including children in session were related to year in school as well as communication in one’s family of origin. Clinical decisions regarding family-focused vignettes were also impacted by family of origin characteristics. These results, as well as future directions for research and MFT education, will be discussed.

Marriage and Family Therapy Students’ Experience with Common Factors Training

With the increased empirical and theoretical support for common factors in the psychotherapy literature, marriage and family therapy (MFT) scholars have begun discussing the inclusion of common factors in MFT training. However, there is very little empirical research on common factors training or how to include common factors in MFT curricula. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate MFT students' experience with common factors training. Seventeen master's degree students who received training in common factors participated in the study. Data was comprised of participants' journal reflections and focus group interviews on their experience learning about common factors and how this influenced their work with clients. Participants' responses to the training were overwhelmingly positive and highlighted the ways in which studying common factors enhanced their confidence, understanding of MFT models, conceptual abilities, and clinical practice. Additional results and discussion about incorporating common factors in MFT training are presented.

MFT Students’ Recount Experiences of Attending Phone and Online Overeaters Anonymous Meetings

The purpose of this study was to explore Marriage and Family Therapy students’ experiences attending Overeaters Anonymous (OA). Utilizing a qualitative survey administered in an addictions course at an institution located in a rural area of the United States, 18 marriage and family therapy (MFT) graduate students reflected on their participation in both online and telephone meetings. In this study, MFT students provided their perspectives regarding the feasible utilization of Overeaters Anonymous in clinical treatment, with an emphasis on the consideration of social support for clients who may reside in rural areas. Three major themes emerged which included (1) enlightenment through exposure; (2) OA as a viable adjunct to therapy; and (3) convenience and comfort. The study addressed recommendations for MFT education, clinical implications, and future research.

Marriage and Family Therapy Trainees’ Experiences of Learning and Applying Common Factors in Therapy: A Qualitative Participatory Study With Thematic Analysis

ABSTRACTIn recent marriage and family therapy literature, there has been increased discussion about the role of common factors in marriage and family therapy training, specifically in advocating for a more prominent role (Karam et al., 2014; Sprenkle, Lebow & Davis, 2009). This article describes a study exploring the marriage and family therapy master’s students’ experiences of learning and applying the common factors approach to their clinical practice. The sample consists of four current marriage and family therapy master’s level students in a Commission on Accreditation in Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE)-accredited training program. Qualitative data were collected and analyzed using thematic analysis. The themes that emerged from our analysis demonstrate that marriage and family therapy students found the common factors approach to positively inform their clinical training.

Talking About Versus Talking With: an experiential self of the therapist exercise for family therapy training

This article describes an experiential self of the therapist exercise for use in family therapy training. It provides guidelines for instructors to integrate the activity into their courses including step‐by‐step directions, examples of processing questions, and potential readings to accompany the activity. The Talking About Versus Talking With exercise was designed to help family therapy students have a felt sense of some of the differences between individual and relational therapy. It provides trainers with a way to teach therapists in training about clients’ experiences in relational therapy where they talk about relational difficulties directly with someone, as opposed to talking about those same difficulties in individual therapy. The exercise also offers an opportunity for students to do self of the therapist work with a strained relationship in their personal lives, and students report that it is both rewarding and emotionally intense.Practitioner points Differences between individual and relational therapy may not be easily understood by family therapy students Self of the therapist work, including working with difficult personal relationships, is a vital component of family therapy training The experiential nature of the exercise provides students with a felt sense of some differences between individual and relational therapy

Marriage and Family Therapy Students’ Views on Including Weight Bias Training into Their Clinical Programs

Discussions about diversity rarely focus on overweight, obesity, and bias about body size (i.e., weight bias). These discussions allow students to develop self-awareness about how their biases can affect their clinical work, as well as the challenges and subsequent bias clients may face in their everyday lives and from clinical providers. One consequence of the rising prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States is the increase in the level of weight bias and discrimination towards individuals who are overweight, which has been documented among mental and healthcare professionals. Thus, it is imperative that training programs integrate weight bias as a part of diversity training. The authors will review weight bias in mental and healthcare professions, and describe several trainings focused on self-awareness about weight bias. The purpose of this study was to pilot and evaluate a training program for marriage and family therapy (MFT) students about developing self-awareness around weight bias and working with clients who are overweight. Following the program, focus groups were conducted to explore participants’ experiences, learning, and feedback on the content and delivery method. Focus Group methodology was used to guide the analysis process. Four themes emerged: training program feedback, challenges for the MFT field, self-of-therapist, and etiology of weight loss/gain. Implications for MFT training programs are discussed.

Transnational Family Therapy Training: A Collaborative Learning Experience in Cultural Equity and Humility

Transnational training experiences offer future family therapists unique possibilities to challenge habitual ways of learning, test their knowledge in new contexts, and develop meaningful tasks that foster critical thinking and timely application of knowledge and skills. This training incorporated global and local issues of equity, history, and social positioning from a collaborative learning perspective to develop family therapy competency in cultural equity, reflexivity, and collaborative responsiveness. This article describes the development and implementation of a transnational immersion training in Cali, Colombia using a dialogical framework involving U.S. family therapy students and Afro-Colombian women.

Marriage & Family Therapy Students Learning Qualitative Research: Frameworks Identified Through Participatory-Observation

In this study, we used participant-observation to achieve grounded theory as we constructed a model outlining how marriage and family therapy graduate students learn qualitative research methods. We identified three major learning frameworks: Pragmatism, Ethics/Morality, and Identity of the Researcher. We also found that certain learning modalities are most congruent for students holding these major frameworks. “Critical learning incidences” appeared to cause a shift or r e -balancing of students ’ frameworks as they learn qualitative research. Application of these findings may help guide instructors who are teaching students with little previous exposure qualitative methodology. Recommendations for future research are also included.

Training Marriage and Family Therapists in Formal Assessment: Contributions to Students’ Familiarity, Attitude, and Confidence

Studies suggest that few practicing marriage and family therapists use formal assessments and even fewer use systemic assessments. Given the potential value of formal assessment to both clinicians and clients, we surveyed current marriage and family therapy students (N = 91) about their familiarity, attitude, and confidence in training with assessment. Experience using assessments predicted familiarity. Having a supervisor that valued assessments predicted familiarity and confidence in training. The number of courses taken in assessment was not predictive of familiarity, attitude, or confidence. Implications for training and future research are discussed.