Periodically, I write summaries of the latest research articles that I’ve read (mainly from the AAMFT). This article is a roundup of my recent summaries.

The references listed are from the most current issues of the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, and I also include a quick summary of a recent book I read in the book club. While MFTs are referenced throughout the summaries, the information is relevant to all psychotherapists, regardless of discipline.

Integrating Spirituality Into MFT Training

The authors conducted a study with students who had participated in a reflexive spirituality course. The course was designed to help MFT graduate students, at a religious institution, become more aware of their spirituality and its possible influence on their work with clients. The researchers sought to understand the influence of this type of training on the self-of-the-therapist and therapists’ clinical work, as well as the usefulness of the course.

The course is offered as a three credit practicum course, with 6-8 students, and is approached as a discussion-based, diversity-themed class, in keeping with the AAMFT’s/COAMFTE’s core competencies. The researchers noted the following positive themes through their data analysis of participants’ experience in the course: Safety, personal growth, and professional growth. The authors call for further research on “how students’ increased ability to conceptualize and communicate about spirituality is translated into their continued therapeutic process and effectiveness” (p. 229).

Surprisingly, the article includes an outline of the spirituality course offered at the institution, making it a helpful resource for faculty and adjunct instructors.

Williams-Reade, J. M., Lobo, E., & Gutierrez, G. (2019). Integrating spirituality into MFT training: A reflexive curriculum and qualitative evaluation. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 45(2), pp. 219-231.

In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts

Gabor Maté takes on conventional wisdom on addiction in this book, by questioning the individualistic and simplistic ideas that modern society promotes about emotional pain, addiction, and healing. He presents an argument, backed by research, that the foundation of addiction is created by unmet needs, particularly in childhood, as well as a lack of self-knowledge. Maté explains how addiction can be conceptualized as misplaced attachment used as a soothing mechanism for anger and resentment. This book presents a systemic—biological, neurological, environmental, familial, and societal—view on addiction, as well as its treatment and healing.

Maté, G. (2010). In the realm of hungry ghosts: Close encounters with addiction. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.

Technology In MFT Service Delivery

Many MFTs face the dilemma of whether, when, and how to incorporate technology into their practice. In this article, the authors present ways in which technology changes and/or disrupts the treatment setting, the flow of information, confidentiality, and consent. They also note, however, that technology can compliment MFT practice, through being a useful partner in treatment delivery. Options such as apps and video sessions, as well as ease of use may all benefit the treatment process in the short and long-term. The authors emphasize that the relational benefits of incorporating technology in treatment are not well-researched, or understood, and consequently, they call MFTs to carefully consider the disruptive factors of technology before adopting it in treatment.

For more tech-related considerations in therapy, see this article.

Hertlein, K. M., & Cohn, A. S. (2019). Technology in MFT service delivery: Should therapists swipe right on disruptive tech? Family Therapy Magazine, Nov/Dec 2018, 17-19.

Nurturing Nature In Therapy

Two key assumptions guide the authors’ exploration into nature, and its role in family therapy: 1) family therapists must consider nature, or “the ecological context” in their therapy work, and 2) “ecological self-of-the-therapist issues” must be addressed, before ecology/nature as a systemic context can be effectively addressed clinically.

Through posing a variety of questions, the authors invite personal reflection on the role of nature in the therapist’s life. Some questions offered, include:

What kind of interactions did you have with nature as a child?
What, if any, value does nature have to you?
How much time do you currently spend outdoors each week?

In addition, the authors offer suggestions for how therapists can integrate nature into their clinical work, teaching, supervision, and research.

Laszloffy, T. A., & Davis, S. D. (2019). Nurturing nature: Exploring ecological self-of-the-therapist issues. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 45(1), pp. 176-185.

Parental Infidelity and the Relational Ethics of Adult Children

Using the Relational Ethics Scale with participants who had knowledge of their parents’ marital infidelity, the authors tested two hypotheses: a) knowledge of parental infidelity is related to lower levels of vertical trust and justice, loyalty and entitlement, and b) knowledge of parental infidelity is related to lower levels of horizontal trust and justice, loyalty and entitlement.

The researchers found statistically significant support for both hypotheses. Having knowledge of infidelity in the parental relationship resulted in lower levels of relational ethics, or “the development of poorer relationships with parents and partners” (p. 260). The authors conclude that infidelity, or lack of trust, is transmitted intergenerationally, and they invite MFTs to explore intergenerational patterns when working with couples presenting with relational issues.

Kawar, C., Coppola, J., & Gangamma, R. (2019). A Contextual perspective on associations between reported parental infidelity and relational ethics of the adult children. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 45(2), 354-363.

Notes: Relational ethics is a core concept in Contextual Therapy. The Relational Ethics Scale was developed by Hargrave, Jennings, and Anderson.

White Privilege: What’s a Family Therapist To Do?

In this article, the author, Gene Combs, answers questions, such as What does White privilege have to do with my work as a family therapist? What can “white moderate” therapists do to be worthy allies to those with less privilege in our society? What is, or should be, our role as MFTs in mobilizing societal change? He makes the following recommendations, among others, based on the reality that the field is mainly made up of white males:

Become aware of the ways in which we as MFTs have benefited from privilege in our lives and careers.
Expose discriminatory and racist practices in our training programs and profession at large.
Join the advocacy and resistance efforts of those who have not benefited from White privilege,

Combs, G. (2018). White privilege: What’s a family therapist to do? Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 45(1): 61–75, doi: 10.1111/jmft.12330

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How To Address Therapy Clients' "Undercurrents" and Stress In Therapy

Feeling confident when offering therapy to families is a goal for many therapists and counselors. When we face the limitations of an individual perspective on treatment, we are left to wonder, “What theory, or techniques, can help this client comprehensively?”

Dr. Scott Sells explains two techniques from the Family Systems Trauma Model (FST) that will reframe family problems and help lead to second-order change. FST is applicable to your work whether you see individuals, couples, or families.

Treating Traumatized Families: An Introduction to the Family Systems Trauma Model (FST), with Dr. Scott Sells

Dr. Scott Sells, PhD, LCSW, LMFT is my interview guest for this post. He is the founder of the Family Systems Trauma Model, and the Family Trauma Institute, as well as the author of three books on methods for treating families and children, within the context of family therapy.

By watching this video, or reading the transcript, you will learn:

A working definition of the term traumatized family
Three essential steps you may be missing in your clinical work with families.
One thing you can do right now to improve engagement and outcomes with your family clients.
How to learn more techniques that will reinvent your family therapy work.

The Importance of Using Metaphors and Metaphoric Tales as a Therapeutic Intervention

Metaphor is a figure of speech that consists of naming, describing, or qualifying something through its similarity or analogy to something else. It’s not just about songwriting or poetry-- we use metaphors all the time. After all, we all “fall in love” or “get stuck” at some point in our lives.

In the psychoanalytic approach, metaphors have always been very important, since the unconscious mind is

Are Gottman Method and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Compatible?

Couples counseling today is so much more effective than in decades past. There is almost too much information out there to guide therapists. It can be overwhelming.

I have seen many discussions about two of the main therapeutic models for couple therapy: Sue Johnson’s Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy, and John and Julie Gottman’s Gottman Method. The discussion can be, like so many discussions, very polarized at times. But there is such a richness and joy to learning from both (not to exclude all of the other contributors to the field right now) that the idea of folding together some of what these models offer seems inevitable.

Family Therapy Basics Research RoundUp: Summer 2019

Periodically, I write summaries of the latest research articles that I’ve read (mainly from the AAMFT). This article is a roundup of my recent summaries.

Linear vs. Circular Causality: Systemic Therapy Series

Lately, I’ve been reviewing the history of the marriage and family therapy (MFT) field. Including the stories of MFT pioneers, the shift represented in the field from treating the individual to treating the system, and the core concepts that mark systemic thinking and systemic therapy.

It’s been fun!

I’ve decided to begin a systemic therapy series to review the major concepts of systems theory, as well as how to begin and maintain the systemic perspective.

Steps for Assessing and Fostering Family Resilience in Therapy

Resilience is defined as “The ability to rebound from crisis and overcome life challenges” (Walsh, 2006). It includes a person's sense of hope, support systems, relational encouragement, and emotional endurance.

When families face a crisis, the members' willingness and ability to communicate honestly, tolerate uncertainty, and respect one another's differing needs both define and develop the family unit's resilience during and after the crisis.

In this post, I offer a relational definition of resilience, as well as frameworks for assessing and fostering resilience.

Mindfulness-Infused Therapy: 4 Approaches

You (the readers) have been asking for mindfulness-based interventions to use in your work with groups, networks, or individuals. Today, I am providing a summary of four popular mindfulness-infused approaches, backed by research, that can assist you in enhancing your change-based interventions with clients. These four approaches are: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy.

The Therapist's Battle for Structure and Initiative: A Review

In their now classic family therapy text, The Family Crucible (1978), Napier and Whitaker outline two main “battles” between therapists and clients: The battle for structure and the battle for initiative.

At the time of their writing, concepts of resistance and unconscious processes were accepted within the family therapy field; this may have been due, partly, to the fact that many family therapy pioneers were trained as psychiatrists. While family therapy has moved beyond these views of the therapist-client relationship, there are still ways in which family therapists can use Napier and Whitaker's "battles" to inform and enhance their work.

Appreciative Inquiry: How to Facilitate "Powerfully Positive" Change in Therapy

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an approach to change that invites "what gives life" to people and systems to be noticed, discussed, and owned. This specific style of inquiry involves, "the art and practice of asking questions that strengthen a system’s capacity to apprehend, anticipate, and heighten positive potential” (Cooperrider & Whitney, 2005). The goal of AI is to build an appreciation--a positive core--within groups .

Solution Focused Brief Couples Therapy Tips, with Elliott Connie

Elliott Connie is a Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) practitioner, author, and speaker. He developed an approach to couples work that distills the essence of SFBT into guiding principles for working with couples.

As a therapist who loves working with couples, I am always interested in ways to enhance my couples therapy skills. For this reason, I invited Elliott to explain the reasons why SFBT is his choice for working with clients, as well as how it creates a contrasting experience for couples that have a history in therapy.

Four Systemic Steps for Addressing Anxiety with Therapy Clients

From a systems theory perspective, we, as individuals, exist within a network of relationships and relational interactions. It is within these relationships that problems occur and reside; it is also within these relationships that solutions are generated and maintained (Becvar, 1998).

A systemic approach for guiding clients through addressing, managing, and living well with anxiety takes into consideration not only clients’ relationships with themselves and significant others, but also their relationships with anxiety.

10 Therapist (and Child)-Approved Activities to Support Kids with Anxiety

If you’re a mental health professional working with children, you will probably agree that many of the calls you receive from parents have something to do with anxiety or stress. Child therapists have the amazingly important yet challenging task of educating and supporting kids in a therapeutic setting that is both productive and fun. When working with children as young as preschool age, it can be a very daunting task to keep things fresh and exciting week after week! So, how do we help children develop the coping skills they need while keeping them engaged (and not glancing at their watch)? Here are ten therapist (and child!)-approved, fun activities that address anxiety-based disorders and promote relaxation and stress reduction in children:

The Art and Science of Therapy as Craft, Part 2: Crafting Questions

For this week's video chat, Dr. AnnaLynn Schooley returns to discuss therapy questions as an intentional craft, and she covers four basic question types: single answer, open, closed, relational, and circular.

Therapist Self-Disclosure Simplified

Self-disclosure is a touchy subject among therapists. Some therapists never self-disclose, while others feel stifled by having a rigid boundary around self-disclosure. As I consider self-disclosure in therapy, I ask myself, “When is self-disclosure appropriate?” “How does self-disclosure deepen the therapist-client connection?"

Family of Origin Exploration for the Therapist: How to Create Your Genogram

In article three of the Family of Origin for the Therapist series, you learned 3 simple steps for how to begin family of origin (FOO) exploration: 1) read Bowen’s chapter, 2) observe your FOO experience, and 3) reflect on what you learned. Hopefully, your curiosity has led to significant understanding.

Understanding is the foundation of Bowen Family Systems Theory (BFST). Bowen (1985) believed that if clients could understand themselves as members of their FOOs and as created by their histories, they could begin and continue significant change.

In today’s post, I offer the next step in developing understanding: Creating your genogram. I explain how to create a basic genogram that you can expand as you continue your exploration.

5 Tips for Keeping Up with Therapy Paperwork

In my interaction with therapists as a mentor and supervisor, I’ve learned that one of the main struggles therapists face is having too much work and not enough time. Many therapists find themselves overwhelmed by documentation responsibilities, in particular; this includes completing client notes, referrals, billing, treatment plans, etc.

In today’s post, I offer several strategies for keeping up with paperwork, so that you can stay on track and avoid the stress of falling behind.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Client Types, and Their Relevance To Every Session

In her 1989 article, Of Visitors, Complainants, and Customers, Insoo Kim Berg details three types of “client-therapist relationships” (p. 21). Her wording is significant, because she is not labeling clients; she is describing them in terms of their relationship to the therapist, the process of therapy, and the problem. These three relationships have undergirded Solution-Focused Brief Therapy theory and interventions over the years, although they are not consistently discussed in newer works. The client relationship types are widely applicable to therapy, regardless of theoretical orientation, making them one of the most useful concepts in marriage and family therapy.

In this post, I present a review of these client types, and I explain their relevance to and usefulness for all therapeutic sessions.

How to Ethically Offer Coaching as a Licensed Therapist: A Step-By-Step Guide

One of the most common professional goals for my clients is expanding their private practice to include life coaching services. As professionals with a depth of knowledge in personal development and goal achievement strategies, therapists are ideal candidates for the coaching profession. Despite this near perfect fit, there are some important ethical consideration for therapists when offering coaching services alongside therapy, or when choosing to become professional coaches. In this post, I focus on offering solutions for these complications, in an effort to help you ethically practice coaching.

5 Step Plan for De-escalating an In-Session couple Argument

Most of us, therapists, have been there: A simple disagreement turns into an all-out screaming match in the middle of a therapy session. This is, thankfully, not a common scenario for most therapists, but it’s also not rare--especially for therapists who specialize in couple therapy.

In this post, I cover steps for disrupting an argument occurring in a couple therapy session. Intervention on the part of the therapist is necessary during some conflicts, because the arguments can cause further damage in the couple relationship. And, if therapists allow arguments to continue for too long, they can affect the couple’s sense of safety when in therapy.

The main goals of intervention in this case are to: