bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
BOOK REVIEWS
Authors: Peircy Fred P.
Published: June 2007

Book reviewed in this article:

PROFESSIONAL BOOKS: Doherty, W. J. (1995). Soul searching: Why psychotherapy must promote moral responsibility.

PROFESSIONAL BOOKS: McGoldrick, M. (1995). You can go home again Reconnecting with your family.

PROFESSIONAL BOOKS: Chamberlain, P. (1994). Family connections: A treatment foster care model for adolescents with delinquency.

PROFESSIONAL BOOKS: Emery, R. E. (1994). Renegotiating family relationships: Divorce, child custody, and mediation.

PROFESSIONAL BOOKS: Worden, M. (1994). Family therapy basics.

PROFESSIONAL BOOKS: Stahl, P. M. (1994). Conducting child custody evaluations: A comprehensive guide.

PROFESSIONAL BOOKS: Karpel, M. A. (1994). Evaluating couples: A handbook for practitioners.

PROFESSIONAL BOOKS: Johnson, S. M., & Greenberg, L. S. (1994). The heart of the matter: Perspectives on emotion in marital therapy.

GENERAL INTEREST BOOKS: Wallerstein, J. S., & Blakeslee, S. (1995). The good marriage: How and why love lasts.

GENERAL INTEREST BOOKS: Straus, M. (1994). Beating the devil out of them: Corporal punishment in American families.

SELF‐HELP BOOKS: Kelley, P. (1995). Developing healthy stepfamilies.

SELF‐HELP BOOKS: Mueser, K., & Gingerich, S. (1994). Coping with schizophrenia: A guide for families.

SELF‐HELP BOOKS: Grant, G. G. (1995). The best kind of loving: A black woman's guide to finding intimacy.

VIDEOTAPE REVIEW: Couples Skills: Making Your Relationship Work. (1995). (Videotape based on the book of the same name.)
THE “ALIENATED” PARTNER: RESPONSES TO TRADITIONAL THERAPIES FOR ADULT SEX ABUSE SURVIVORS
Authors: Reid Kary S. , Wampler Richard S. , Taylor Dana K.
Published: June 2007

Childhood sexual abuse affects both survivors and partners; however, the common therapy modalities for survivors (individual and individual group therapy exclude their partners. In‐depth interviews with the husbands of survivors were used to examine partner issues around the survivor's therapy. Several thems, both positive and negative, emerged from the qualitative analysis of the in‐depth interviews. The authors suggest that therapists should consider integration conjoint couple therapy as an adjunct to, not a replacement for the traditional modalities of individual and individual group therapy for adult survivors.
A SYSTEMIC APPROACH TO IN‐LAW DILEMMAS
Authors: Meyerstein Israela
Published: June 2007

This paper explores the origin of in‐law problems through the lens of their cultural, developmental, and intergenerational contexts. In‐law problems are viewed as attempted solutions to incompleted developmental tasks. The systemic approach described tackles the embedded realtional and developmental issues through restructuring, coaching, intergenerational inquiry, loyalty probes, solution focus, and anticipating the consequences of change. Therapeutic steps in stages are identified: (a) entry: (b) contextualizing the problem: (c) mobilizing the system; (d) consolidating change, monitoring the consequences, and soft ending. Case vignettes are used to illustrate treatment possibilities in a variety of in‐law situations.
THE QUESTION CUBE: A MODEL FOR DEVELOPING QUESTION REPERTOIRE IN TRAINING COUPLE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS
Authors: Brown Jacob Edward
Published: June 2007

This paper presents a three‐dimensional model for teaching questioning to those wishing to develop skills in couple and family therapy. The model breaks questions into their component parts of format (the style of the question: open, closed, forced choice, rating, or ranking); orientation (the person who is being inquired about: self or other), and subject (the content of the question: behavior, feelings, beliefs, meaning, or relationship). The model is presented in the context of our post‐Milan version of couple and family therapy training. The model is useful in that it allows students gradually to increase their repertoire of questions in a way that offers step‐wise learning and integrates with their existing skills.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FORGIVENESS SCALE
Authors: Hargrave Terry D. , Sells James N.
Published: June 2007

This paper reports on the development, validity, and reliability of a self‐report instrument designed to assess a respondent's perspective of pain resulting from relational violations and work toward relational forgiveness based on framework proposed by Hargrave (1994a). Presented here is the five‐stage procedure used in the development of the Interpersonal Relationship Resolution Scale. Construct validity and reliability were determined from an initial sample of 164 subjects. Concurrent validity of the scal was supported by another sample of 35 respondents who took the Interpersonal Relationship Resolution Scal, the Personal Authority in the Family System Questonnaire, the Relational Ethics Scale, the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation‐Behavior scale, and the Burns Depression Checklist. Finally, a predictive validity study of the scale was performed with a clinical and nonclinical sample of 98 volunteers. Data are presented that support the validity and reliability of the instrument, as will as the final version of the scale.
USE OF THE DSM IN MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY PROGRAMS: CURRENT PRACTICES AND ATTITUDES
Authors: Denton Wayne H. , Patterson Jo Ellen , Van Meir Erika Stille
Published: June 2007

The DSM has largely become the common language of behavioral health which its authors intended. Although family systems theory resulted in part from the study of major mental illness, it later became distanced from considerations of individual psychopathology. No studies have assessed current practices and views within the field of family therapy on teaching students the use of the DSM. Member training programs of the Education and Training Council of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy were surveyed regarding their practices in teaching the DSM. Seventy‐nine of 177 surveys (45%) were returned. Ninety‐one percent of these programs offered training in the DSM, and in 93% of those such training was mandatory. Written comments indicated that pragmatic concerns about students being able to speak a common language with other behavioral health providers were among the primary reasons for teaching the DSM.
ALWAYS SINGLE AND SINGLE AGAIN WOMEN: A QUALITATIVE STUDY
Authors: Lewis Karen Gail , Moon Sidney
Published: June 2007

What is it like to be a single woman today? Are the experiences of women who have always been single different from those who find themselves single again after having been married? How can family therapists promote the development of single women both individually and relationally? The purpose of this phenomenological, multiple‐case study was to investigate perceptions of being single among heterosexual single women between the ages of 30 and 65. Nine focus group interviews and a semistructured, mailed questionnaire were used to collect the data. Constant comparative analyses were used to develop the findings. The findings were organized around the most salient theme that emerged from the analyses: single women have unresolved or unrecognized ambivalences about being single. This overaching theme was supported by three subassertions: (a) single women are aware of both the advantages and the drawbacks of being single; (b) single women are ambivalent about the reasons for their singleness; (c) although content with being single, many women simultaneously experience feelings of loss and grief. Implications for the clinical practice of family therapy and future research on single women are discussed.
REVIEWS
Authors: Thomas Volker
Published: June 2007

Schwartzberg, N., Berliner, K., & Jacob, D. (1994). Single in a married world.

Krasner, B.R., & Joyce, A.J.(1995). Truth, trust relationships: Healing interven‐tions in contextual therapy.

Glandding, S.T. (1995). Family therapy: History, theory, and Practice.

Caplan, S., & Lang. G.(1995). Grief's Courageous joueney: A workbook.

Araoz, D. L., & Carrese, M.A. (1996). Solution‐oriented brief therapy for adjustment disorder.

Murphy, M.J., illustrated by S. H. Kravitz. (1996). Popsicle fish.

Atkins, D., & Powell, M. (Eds.). (1994). From the heart:Men and women write their private thoughts about their married lives.

Levant, R.F., with Kopecky, G. (1995). Masculinity reconstructed:Changing the rules of manhood‐at work, in relationships, and in family life.

Lewis, J.M. (1996). The monkey‐rope: A Psychotherapist's refections on relationships.

Van‐si, L., & Powers, L. (1994). Helping children heal from loss‐A keepsake book of special memories.

Levin, L., & Bellotti, L. (1992). You can't hurry love:An institute look at first marriages after 40.

Who's in the Kitchen: Helping Men Move Towards the Center of Family Life.

Good Mother? Bad Mother?: A Dissolving Dilemma. (1994).
EXAMINING THE MULTIFACETED NOTION OF ISOMORPHISM IN MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY SUPERVISION: A QUEST FOR CONCEPTUAL CLARITY
Authors: White Mark B. , Russell Candyce S.
Published: June 2007

The notion of isomorphism has been recommended as a comceptual framework to guide the practice of marrige and family therapy (MFT) supervision. The term is frequently cited in the MFT training literature but is often used in different ways. A panel of MFT supervirors rated the impotance and relevance to both therapy and supervision of a large pool of variables. The majority of variables were found to be a equally relevant or isomorphic to the domains of MFT and MFT supervisoin. A qualitative interview with a small subset of the panelists suggested that the concept, to varying degrees, has influenced their work as supervisors. The implications of the results for theory development, research, and supervisory practices are discussed.
BOOK REVIEWS
Authors: Thomas Volker
Published: June 2007

Book reviewed in this article:

Laird, J., & Green, R. (Eds.). (1996). Lesbians and gays in couples and families: A handbook for therapists.

Levant, R., & Pollack, W. (Eds.). (1995). A new psychology of men.

Combrinkc‐Graham, L. (Ed.) (1995). Children in Families at risk: Maintaining the connections.

Dishion, T. J., & Ptterson, S. G. (1996). Preventive Parenting with love, Encouragement, and limits: The preschool years.

Quick, E. E. (1996). Doing what works in brief therapy: A strategic solution focused approach.

Chevalier, A. J. (1995). On the client's path: A manual for the practice o solution‐focused therapy.

Carlson, J., Sperry, L., & Lewis, J. A. (1997). family Therapy: Ensuring treatment eficacy.

Rosen, R., & Leiblum, S. (Eds.) (1995). Case studies in sex therapy.

Fenell, D., & Weinhold, B. (1997). Counseling families; An introduction to marriage and family therapy

Hofman, S., Gafni, S., & Laub, B. (Eds.). (1995). Cotherapy with individuals, amilies, and groups.

Bloomquist, M. L. (1996). Skills training for children with behavior disorders: A parent and therapist guidebook.

GENERAL INTEREST BOOKS: Weakland, J. H., & Ray, W. A. (Eds.). (1995). Propagations: Theirty years o inluence from the Mental Research Institute.

GENERAL INTEREST BOOKS: Anderson, C., & Stewart, S., With Dimidjian, S. (1995). Flying solo: single women in midlife.
A “READER'S THEATER” INTERVENTION TO MANAGING GRIEF: POSTTHERAPY REFLECTIONS BY A FAMILY AND CLINICAL TEAM
Authors: Levac Anne Marie C. , McLean Sue , Wright Lorraine M. , Bell Janice M. , “Anne”  , “Fred”
Published: June 2007

The sudden and accidental death of a child can be one of the most devastating events in the life of a family. This paper describes one couple's reflections of their grief and mourning following the death of their adolescent son as well as the clinical team's reflections of therapy. The uniqueness of this paper is that it offers a “reader's theater” intervention that enabled further change to occur. The clinical team used a belief model, emphasizing that altering constraining beliefs is at the heart of healing from such tragedies as sudden death (Wright, Watson, & Bell, 1996). This approach is operationalized through therapeutic conversations between family members, clinician, and clinical team. Interventions such as reflecting teams, therapeutic letters, and “homework tasks” were used to modify or challenge constraining beliefs of both the family members and the clinical team members. However, the intent to co‐author a paper with this couple provided the serendipity intervention of a “reader's theater” that further served to identify, affirm, and solidify facilitating beliefs.
THE MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY EXAMINATION PROGRAM: A SURVEY OF PARTICIPANTS
Authors: Lee Robert E.
Published: June 2007

Participants in the Examination in Marital and Family Therapy between November 1994 and May 1996 were surveyed to ascertain who took the examination, how they prepared for it, whether they thought that it was fair, and how these variables related to scores. Two‐thirds of the respondents were female. Most were taking the examination for the first time, were relatively young, were Caucasian, and spoke English as their primary language. They primarily practiced marital and family therapy and had completed master's level university programs in marital and family therapy, counseling, and psychology. Most were sitting for the examination relatively soon after completing their training in marital and family therapy. Individual study was the preparation method of choice for half of the sample. Demographic variables had a modest but ambiguous effect on test score. Educational background had none. However, a relatively short latency between graduation and examination was related to a higher score, as was the use of multiple preparation procedures. With regard to fairness, the participants largely agreed that the examination was moderately difficult, but that the problems were realistic and they had enough time to complete the test.
BOOK REVIEWS
Authors: Freedman Jill
Published: June 2007

Book reviewed in this article:

Anderson, H. (1997). Conversation, language, and possibilities: A postmodern approach to therapy.

Kaslow, F. W. (Ed.)(1996). Handbook of relational diagnosis and dysfunctional family patterns.

GENERAL INTEREST BOOKS: McGoldrick, M.(1995). You can go home again: Reconnecting with your family.
TRAINEES' CONJUGAL FAMILY EXPERIENCE, CURRENT INTERGENERATIONAL FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS, AND THE THERAPEUTIC ALLIANCE
Authors: Lawson David M. , Sivo Steven
Published: June 2007

This study examines the relaionship between trainees' conjugal family experience, current intergenerational family relationships, and the client's perception of the therapeutic alliance. Participants were 74 first practicum family therapy trainees, representing two family therapy programs and 90 clients. Results indicated a moderately significant relationship between conjugal family experience and trainees' reported intergenerational intimacy with parents. Additionally, Clients whose therapists had conjugal family experience reported a slightly more favorable therapeutic alliance than clients whose therapists did not have conjugal family experience. Additionally, trainees with conjugal family experience reported more current intimacy and individuation than nonconjugal trainees and felt less intimidated by their parents.
FAMILY SYSTEMS THERAPY AFTER OPERATIONS DESERT STORM WITH EUROPEAN‐THEATER VETERANS
Authors: Ford Julian D. , Chandler Paticia , Thacker Barbara , Greaves David , Shaw David , Sennhauser Shirley , Schwartz Lawrence
Published: June 2007

We describe a quasi‐experimental trial of time‐limited family therapy with veterans and families of veterans who served in Europe, outside the war zone, during Operation Desert Storm (ODS). Family systems therapy was provided both to individuals and conjointly to couples or families during the acute postwar readjustment period. The intervention adapted strategies from structural, strategic, intergenerational, and behavioral family therapies in a brief‐treatment protocol for systemic stressor resolution. Veterans given family system therapy were able to resume functional levels of psychosocial adjustment and reduce the risk of long‐term (Chronic or delayed) psychosocial impairment. Based on these preliminary findings, controlled evaluation of family systems therapy appears warranted for indi‐
THE PROCESS OF INTIMACY: SIMILARITY, UNDERSTANDING AND GENDER
Authors: Heller Patrice E. , Wood Beatrice
Published: June 2007

This study examined gender and three aspects of marital intimacy using a method to establish both objective and subjective indices of intimacy. Fifty couples answered the Personal Assessment of Intimate Relationships (Schaefer & Olson, 1981) twice: once as a self‐report and once to respond as they predicted their spouses would answer. Couples who were less accurate in predicting each other's responses also diverged in their experience of intimacy and reported lower intimacy. Results suggest that high intimacy is based on both understanding and similarity of intimate experience. Women reported significantly higher levels of intimacy and were also better than men in predicting their partners' feelings. These findings suggest that women may be more attuned to intimacy or that definitions and assessment of intimacy are gender biased or both.
SELF ISSUES FOR FAMILY THERAPY EDUCATORS
Authors: Fontes Lisa Aronson , Piercy Fred , Thomas Volker , Sprenkle Douglas
Published: June 2007

Family therapy educators frequently encourage self‐reflection in their students and clients. However, little attention has been paid to the challanges and processes of the eudcators themselves. In this piece, four faculty members reflect individually and collectively on their lives and roles as educators. the describe family‐of‐origin influences, the intersections of their personal and academic lives, systemic factors in the professional setting, balancing work and family, hierarchy, gender, and coping strategies ot increase support and reduce competition. They recommend a deliberate process of self‐reflection to other family therapy educators and offer suggestions for improving the organizational dynamic of family therapy training programs.
DOES ACADEMIC TRAINING BACKGROUND MAKE A DIFFERENCE AMONG PRACTICING MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS?
Authors: Simmons Deborah S. , Doherty William J.
Published: June 2007

Using a national sample of practicing marriage and family therapists (MFTs) and their clients, this study investigated whether academic training background is associated with differences in pracice patterns and client outcomes. Clinical members of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy with academic training in psychology, social work, counseling, and marriage and family therapy were compared on a wide range of clinical practice variables, and their clients were surveyed about thier satisfaction and outcomes. Results showed highly similar practice patterns and client outcomes across all four disciplinary groups. Although the findings showed little evidence for the uniqueness of academic marriage and family therapy training among experienced MFTs, they also refute the notion that therapists trained in MFT degree programs practice in unusual or inferior ways compared to MFTs trained originally in other mental health disciplines.
DEVELOPING FAMILY PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL TREATMENTS FOR PATIENTS WITH BIPOLAR AND OTHER SEVERE PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS
Authors: Miklowitz David J. , Hooley Jill M.
Published: June 2007

Developing family treatments for patients with severe and persistent psychiatric disorder begins at the basic research level, through identifying psychosocial variables that have prognostic significance. Treatment protocols informed by this basic research can then be designed, manualized, and piloted. Next, the efficacy of a new treatment is examined, first in a randomized trial and then, if successful, in a community effectiveness study. We describe this treatment development pathway in a population for whom family attributes have prognostic importance: patients with bipolar affective ddisorder. The methodological complexities of psychosocial treatment studies are many. Moreover, the results of these studies often reflect interactions between treatment, process, and outcome variables.
FACTORS RELATED TO FAMILY THERAPISTS' BREAKING CONFIDENCE WHEN CLIENTS DISCLOSE HIGH‐RISKS‐TO‐HIV/AIDS SEXUAL BEHAVIORS
Authors: Pais Shobha , Piercy Fred , Miller JoAnn
Published: June 2007

This national survey of 309 marriage and family therapists examined what therapists do when their HIV‐positive clients disclose that they are engaging in high‐risk sexual behavior. The participants were given vignettes in which a fictitious client told the therapist about engaging in unprotected sex. Although the basic situations were the same, the client variables of age, gender, race, sexual orientation, and HIV status were systematically varied. The participants were more likely to break confidence regarding unsafe sex practices when their clients were male, young, gay, or African American. Moreover, therapists who were more likely to disclose were older, female, had less experience with gay/lesbian populations, were Catholic, were very religious, and were more likely to practice in urban areas. The authors discuss the implications of these and other findings.
TOWARD A THEORY OF CONSTRAINTS
Authors: Breunlin Douglas C.
Published: June 2007

Grounded in the cybernetic concept of negative explanation, the theory of constraints examines how human systems are kept from solving problems. To identify constraints, therapists must know where to look for them and what to look for. The theory proposes that contraints exist among the levels of a biopsychosocial system, which include biology, person, relationship, family, community, and society. The six metaframeworks of organization, sequences, mind, development, gender, and culture assist constraint identification. Combining the levels and metaframeworks creates a web of constraints, the complexity of which determines how difficult it will be to solve a given problem. The theory of constraint offers an integrative and pragmatic approach to therapy while simultaneously honoring the comlexity of human systems.
THE ROLE OF MARITAL STATUS IN HEALTH SERVICES EXPENDITURES FOR PSYCHIATRIC OUTPATTIENTS
Authors: Denton Wayne H. , Reynolds Dianne L. , Burleson Brant R. , Anderson Roger T.
Published: June 2007

This study tested the hypothesis that married psychiatric outpatients would have lower total health services expenditures than divorced or separated patients. Chart review of the 471 individuals attending an academic medical center outpatient psychiatric clinic during 1994 identified 131 married, 40 separated, and 93 divorced patients. Separated men had significantly higher average total charges ($16,890) than married ($5,279) or divorced ($5,539) men by one‐way ANOVA (p < .05). The nonparametiric Mann‐Whitney test also showed that separated men had higher charges than married or divorced men. There were no differences between marital status groups for women.
DIVORCE TRANSITIONS: IDENTIFYING RISK AND PROMOTING RESILIENCE FOR CHILDREN AND THEIR PARENTAL RELATIONSHIPS
Authors: Barnes Gill Gorell
Published: June 2007

This paper gives an account of qualitative research linked to clinical work relating to some of the short‐term effects of divorce on children within a British perspective. The transitions that accompany divorce and family reordering are shown by many studies in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand as well as in the United Kingdom to have stressful effects for children that can lead to long‐term negative outcomes. Other studies have focused on the differential social and family factors that may contribute to the “differences that make a difference” to whether divorce has barmful effects on children. This paper describes clinical intervention into family relationships in divorcing and postdivorce families and suggests some high‐risk issues for children. The focus of the work is one promoting long‐term connections between parents and children in reordered families. Some interactions that may promote resilience in children as well as in their parents are alluded to briefly.
THE “CONSULTING‐YOUR‐CONSULTANTS INTERVIEW”: A FINAL NARRATIVE CONVERSATION WITH GRADUATING FAMILY THERAPY MASTERS' STUDENTS
Authors: Keiley Margaret K. , Piercy Fred P.
Published: June 2007

In this article, we discuss a Masters' exit interview in which we use questions adopted from narrative therapy to celebrate the transition of Masters' students into the world of marital and family therapy professionals. We are finding that this process helps us underline our students' agency and competence. Also, since the process elevates students to the level of consultants during the interview, it invites them to see themselves as experts in their own right.
AN ALTERNATIVE TO MANAGED CARE: A “GUILD” MODEL FOR THE INDEPENDENT PRACTICE OF PSYCHOTHERAPY
Authors: Bittner Stephen , Bialek ED , Nathiel Susan , Ringwald John , Tupper Maria
Published: June 2007

As health care is reconfigured by HMOs and managed care organizations, family therapists often have to decide whether or not to cooperate with the new power structures and their ways of doing things. The chief concern of many therapists is the ehtical bind created when the managed care orgranization demands breaches of confidentiality or makes decisions about the course of treatment that may not, in the therapist's opinion, be in the best interest of the family. Associations of independent, nonmanaged care psychotherapists are springing up in response to these dilemmas. This paper describes the philosophical evolution and organizational development of one such association.
THE USE OF CHILD‐CENTERED PLAY THERAPY AND FILIAL THERAPY WITH HEAD START FAMILIES: A BRIEF REPORT
Authors: Johnson Laura , Bruhn Rick , Winek Jon , Krepps Jeff , Wiley Kelly
Published: June 2007

Play therapy and filial therapy show promise as effective ways to provide direct services to Head Start, addressing the needs of the children, the families, and the Head Start teachers and staff. This paper examines the utility of play and filial therapies for the Head Start population, presents a systemic explanation for the benefit of filian therapy, and provides a case example for illustration
MARITAL QUALITY AMONG COUPLES LIVING UNDER THE THREAT OF FORCED RELOCATION: THE CASE OF FAMILIES IN THE GOLAN HEIGHTS
Authors: Shamai Michal , Lev Rachel
Published: June 2007

This study aims to explore how the long period of uncertainty about possible relocation affects the marital quality of the population in the Golan Heights and what forms of coping with this ongoing stress are used. The results, based on both quantitative and qualitative data, indicate a circular process in which the level of stress generated by the uncertainty varies with marital quality and with other personal and family resources, such as potency and an appreciation of the spouse's ability to cope with the stress. Four ways of coping with the uncertainty were observed in in‐depth interviews: fighting, ignoring, postponing, and planning. The results are discussed in terms of their meaning for possible systemic interventions.
A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH IN FAMILY THERAPY JOURNALS
Authors: Hawley Dale R. , Bailey C. Everett , Pennick Koby A.
Published: June 2007

In order to assess trends in family therapy research, empirical articles (N = 195) from three family therapy journals over a 5‐year period were coded for several variables: authorship, external funding, methodology, sample, purpose, cost effectiveness, use of therapeutic model, and topic. Results indicated that a large pecentage of research in these journals focused on nonclinical issues and used nonclinical samples. Authors were affiliated with a wide variety of disciplines and reported low levels of external funding for their research. While a majority of the studies used quantitative methods, there appeared to be a growing number of studies using qualitative methods. Implications of these findings are discussed in light of research reviews over the past two decades.
THE USE OF THEORY IN FAMILY THERAPY RESEARCH: A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF FAMILY THERAPY JOURNALS
Authors: Hawley Dale R. , Geske Steve
Published: June 2007

Ninety‐five studies from Family Process and Journal of Marital and Family Therapy were evaluated with regard to their use of theory. While a majority of the articles were judged to use theory in either an explicit or an implicit manner, 42% did not appear to draw on theory in either the introductory or discussion sections. Studies that used qualitative methods appeared to use theory more frequently and explicitly than those using quantitative methods alone. Systems theory was found to be the most common conceptual framework, followed by feminism. We conclude that the link between theory and reasearch in family therapy needs strengthening and suggest that the role of theory in family therapy be reexamined.
TRAINING ISSUES FOR SUPERVISORS OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS WORKING WITH PERSONS LIVING WITH HIV
Authors: Serovich Julianne M. , Mosack Katie E.
Published: June 2007

The purpose of this article is to address the special issues and considerations Marital and Family Therapy (MFT) supervisors might face with the increasing HIV/AIDS epidemic. Three primary issues will be addressed in this article. First, the importance of educating therapists regarding various aspects of the disease process and its transmission will be discussed, followed by educational strategies programs might adopt. Second, we will discuss the ethical and legal considerations that may need monitoring by supervisors and trainees. Third, special therapeutic considerations will be provided to supervisors of therapists working with stigmatized populations.
NARRATIVE AND INTERACTIONAL PROCESS FOR PREVENTING HARMFUL STRUGGLE IN THERAPY: AN INTEGRATIVE EMPIRICAL MODEL
Authors: Butler Mark H. , Bird Mark H.
Published: June 2007

Resistance or struggle in therapy looms large as a predictor of treatment outcomes. This study organizes the significant empirical data on struggle into a coherent, operational framework for use by therapists in preventing and/or ameliorating harmful struggle in therapy. First, we review the prevalence and significance of struggle. Second, we offer a historical and conceptual overview, with emphasis on a contemporary interactional/systemic perspective on struggle. Thrid, we provide a synthesis of peer‐reviewed research, profiling struggle at speech‐act and episode levels of interaction process and across assessment/joining, intervention, and integration‐consolidation phases of therapy. Fourth, based upon this review, we propose a three‐factor model—consisting of eliciting dialogue, enactments, and accommodation‐for successful therapy process relative to the occurrence of struggle.
SYSTEMIC EFFECTS OF TRAUMA IN CLINIC COUPLES: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF SECONDARY TRAUMA RESULTING FROM CHILDHOOD ABUSE
Authors: Nelson Briana S. , Wampler Karen S.
Published: June 2007

Clinical literature suggests that those close to a trauma survivor may experience intrapersonal and interpersonal distress because of indirect or secondary effects of the trauma. The focus of this study is on the association between reported childhood physical and sexual abuse and current individual stress symptoms, relationship satisfaction, and family adjustment. The participants included 96 clinic couples who reported a history of childhood physical or sexual abuse in one or both partners and 65 clinic couples in which neither partner reported such abuse. Couples in which one or both partners reported childhood abuse reported significantly lower marital satisfaction, higher individual stress symptoms, and lower family cohesion than couples with no abuse history. No significant differences were found between individuals who reported a history of abuse and their partners who reported no history of childhood abuse, suggesting support for secondary trauma theory. Clinical and future research implications are discussed.
POSTMODERNISM AND THE SACRED: RECLAIMING CONNECTION IN OUR GREATER‐THAN‐HUMAN WORLDS
Authors: Moules Nancy J.
Published: June 2007

This article addresses the many faces of postmodernism and offers the critique that postmodernism taken up in a particular extremist way can tend to sacrifice the sacred, the spiritual, and the recognition of our “greater than human” worlds in a quest for the particular. In response to this critique, I speak to a postmodern family therapy practice that is informed by values of connectedness, community, and communion; enacted through love and pragmatics; and committed to recognition of our obligation to ecological practice.
A FAMILY‐BASED, DEVELOPMENTAL‐ECOLOGICAL PREVENTIVE INTERVENTION FOR HIGH‐RISK ADOLESCENTS
Authors: Liddle Howard A. , Hogue Aaron
Published: June 2007

Family‐based preventive intervention has emerged as a promising modality for preventing antisocial behavior problems in youth. This article introduces an intensive, family‐based preventive intervention for high‐risk adolescents: Multidimensional Family Prevention. Multidimensional Family Prevention combines the advantages of standard prevention models (curriculum based and protection focused) with those of psychosocial treatment models (assessment based and problem focused). The model's main features are described: theoretical foundations (risk and protection theory, developmental psychopathology, ecological theory), guidelines for constructing a multidomain prevention program (family and peer relationships, school and prosocial activities, drug use and health issues, cultural themes), and strategies for tailoring and implementing five flexible intervention modules (adolescent, parent, interactional, extended family, extrafamilial). Implemented in the family's home, the intervention works to create a resilient family environment that supports the basic adolescent developmental goals of renegotiated attachment bonds within the family and durable connections with prosocial institutions.
GAY AND LESBIAN COUPLES IN THERAPY: PERSPECTIVES FOR THE CONTEMPORARY FAMILY THERAPIST
Authors: Bepko Claudia , Johnson Thomas
Published: June 2007

This paper outlines the major concerns of gay and lesbian couples who seek therapy. Presenting problems are classified as either internal to the relationship or as external (contextual) ones that reflect the influence of oppressive cultural and gender biases. Throughout the article, distinctive therapy methods are described that address the unique concerns of lesbian and gay couples, with special sensitivity to heterosexist and homophobic bias.
TOWARD A DEVELOPMENTAL FAMILY THERAPY: THE CLINICAL UTILITY OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE
Authors: Liddle Howard A. , Rowe Cynthia , Diamond Gary M. , Sessa Frances M. , Schmidt Susan , Ettinger Debra
Published: June 2007

Tremendous advances have been made in our understanding of the intrapersonal, interpersonal, familial, and contextual characteristics and processes that contribute to adaptive as well as maladaptive developmental outcomes with high‐risk and clinically referred adolescents. This empirical knowledge base offers clinically rich opportunities for systematic treatment development. An important step in this process is distinguishing which research findings in basic science areas such as developmental psychology and developmental psychopathology might have clinical relevance. Toward this goal, we review relevant but selective research in areas that are central to clinical work with adolescents (parent‐adolescent relationship, biological aspects, and affect and cognition), and we offer examples of how basic research in these areas can inform treatment.
FIVE TYPES OF AFRICAN‐AMERICAN MARRIAGES
Authors: Allen William D. , Olson David H.
Published: June 2007

This study developed a marital typology based on a nonrandom, national sample of 415 African‐American couples who took the Enriching Relationship Issues, Communication and Happiness (ENRICH) marital assessment inventory. Five types of African‐American marriages were identified through cluster analysis using the positive couple agreement (PCA) scores in 10 relationship domains. Relationships between marital stisfaction, marital stability, and the five marital types were then analyzed. The five types (from highest marital satisfaction to lowest) were labeled as vitalized, harmonious, traditional, conflicted, and devitalized. The results were similar including the number and characteristics of marital types.
THE LIMITS OF A TECHINICAL CONCEPT OF A GOOD MARRIAGE: EXPLORING THE ROLE OF VIRTUE IN COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Authors: Fowers Blaine J.
Published: June 2007

Teaching communication skills is one of the most common approaches used to improve couples' relationships. These skills are typically presented as content‐free techniques that are value neutral. Yet, marital therapists frequently see that exercising communication skills, particularly in conflict situations, can be quite difficult, requiring personal strengths such as self‐restraint, courage, generosity, justice, and good judgment. These personal strengths are virtues that are presupposed in communication skills and are necessary for their successful use. The traditional attempt to see marital therapy as value neutral has made it difficult to recognize the importance of these virtues. Therapists might be more effective if they could help couples to identify and cultivate underlying character strengths necessary for good communication. This paper presents an Aristotelian reading of virtues in marriage that can broaden our understanding of marriage and open new avenues for helping couples.
MAKING SENSE IN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT LEARNING DISABILITIES
Authors: Trimble David
Published: June 2007

This article describes an integrative, multisystem clinical approach to the psychological and relational problems that develop around learning disabilities. Positioned in relationships with children, families, and schools, the therapist addresses the emotions, interpersonal conflicts, and problematic beliefs that contribute to problems. Using clinical skills to contain and relieve painful emotions, the therapist soothes “inflammation at the boundaries” of relationships among children, families, and schools, depolarizing conflicts within and between systems. Familiar with developmental and educational psychology and developmental neurobiology, the therapist makes this specialized knowledge intelligible to children, families, and teachers. This artical describes two specific methods, the chart of strengths and weaknesses and the map of learning functions, which facilitate communication of specialized knowledge about children with learning disabilities. The therapist uses expert Knowledge to help members of the treatment system transform blaming, helpless, or hopeless interpretations of the problem into more hopeful constructions, which support healthy development.
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS EVALUATE MANAGED MENTAL HEALTH CARE: A QUALITATIVE INQUIRY
Authors: Christensen Lisa L. , Miller Richard B.
Published: June 2007

This study examined the experiences of 26 marriage and family therapists working in managed mental health care. A qualitative strategy was used to explore therapists' perspectives regarding practice in a managed care environment. Using an open‐ended, semi‐structured, mailed questionnaire four themes emerged from the data. These are the adaptations of clinical practice, issues of treatment duration/abandonment, effects of managed care on the therapeutic relationship, and issues of diagnosis. Recommendations are drawn from the findings and discussed.
ATTACHMENT INJURIES IN COUPLE RELATIONSHIPS: A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON IMPASSES IN COUPLES THERAPY
Authors: Johnson Susan M. , Makinen Judy A. , Millikin John W.
Published: June 2007

This article identifies and operationalizes the newly defined construct of attachment injury. An attachment injury occurs when one partner violates the expectation that the other will offer comfort and caring in times of danger or distress. This incident becomes therapy. An attachment injury is characterized by an abandonment or by a betrayal of trust during a critical moment of need. The injurious incident defines the relationship as insecure and maintains relationship distress because it is continually used as a standard for the dependability of the offending partner. The concept of an attachment injury is defined here in the context of emotionally focused therapy, an empirically validated, short‐term approach to modifying distress in couples. The broad theoretical underpinnings of this concept may be found in attachment theory as applied to adult romantic relationships. Through the delineation of attachment injury events and the ongoing development of a detailed model of resolution, couples therapists will be better able to identify, describe, and effectively treat such injuries and address the therapeutic impasses that are associated with them.
TRAINING FAMILY THERAPISTS TO ASSESS FOR AND INTERVENE IN PARTNER ABUSE: A CURRICULUM FOR GRADUATE COURSES, PROFESSIONAL WORKSHOPS, AND SELF‐STUDY
Authors: Haddock Shelley A.
Published: June 2007

Partner abuse is an epidemic with potentially dire consequences for individuals, families, and society. Family therapists must be able to competently assess for and intervene in abuse situations. This article presents a curriculum designed to provide family therapists with introductory knowledge and skills for the assessment and intervention of partner abuse. The curriculum, which is informed primarily by feminist and multicultural theories and practices, can be used in graduate courses, professional workshops, and for self‐study.
THE BOUNDARY VIOLATIONS SCALE: AN EMPIRICAL MEASURE OF INTERGENERATIONAL BOUNDARY VIOLATIONS IN FAMILIES
Authors: Madden‐Derdich Debra A. , Estrada Ana Ulloa , Updegraff Kimberly A. , Leonard Stacie A.
Published: June 2007

This article reviews the development of a new measure to assess children's perceptions of intergenerational boundary violations in families. The Boundary Violations Scale is a theoretically derived instrument consisting of 12 items. Principal components analysis using data from 119 young adolescents from diverse ethnic backgrounds (i.e., 56% Hispanic and 44% non‐Hispanic) revealed three factors (promoting maturity, forming coalitions, and communicating as peers) that are consistent with the behavioral manifestations of this construct as posited by structural family theory. The validity of the measure was supported by significant correlations with theoretically relevant measures of family processes and child adjustment as reported by children and their mothers.
CONTEXTUAL ASSESSMENT OF COUPLES THERAPY: THE CLINICAL DISCOURSE Q‐SETS
Authors: Kogan Steven M. , Walters Lynda H. , Daniels Tracey
Published: June 2007

This article describes a method for creating highly contextual assessments of couples therapy interaction using concepts from Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL). According to SFL, talk in interaction serves three primary functions: to mediate social relations, to negotiate representations of reality, and to organize and structure the event as coherent. These concepts are operationalized using observational q‐methodology. The Clinical Discourse Q‐Sets (CDQS) include three separate q‐sets for use by trained observers in rating 12‐min segments of couples therapy conversation. Each q‐set captures one aspect of the communication process as defined by Systemic Functional theory. Good‐to‐high reliabilities for the q‐set profiles over various (n=16) couples therapy episodes were found. Preliminary evidence for the conceptual structure and clinical validity of the system was found.
EMOTIONAL AWARENESS AND COUPLES' RELATIONSHIP SATISFACTION
Authors: Croyle Kristin L. , Waltz Jennifer
Published: June 2007

This study examined the role of emotional awareness in couples' relationships and the effects of a tendency to respond to difficult couples' situations with “soft” emotions (including sadness and fear) versus “hard” emotions (including anger and resentment). Participants were 56 heterosexual couples who completed a measure of relationship satisfaction and two measures of emotional awareness, including one that was developed as part of this study. Results indicated that women were more emotionally aware than men in response to couples' situations, but not in response to general situations outside the relationship. In addition, higher levels of emotional awareness and a higher awareness of “hard” emotions were associated with decreased relationship satisfaction for women, but not for men. Discrepancy between partners' levels of awareness was related to lower satisfaction for both men and women.
THE DIFFERENT FACES OF INTIMATE VIOLENCE: IMPLICATIONS FOR ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT
Authors: Greene Kelly , Bogo Marion
Published: June 2007

Current research about violence in intimate relationships suggests that at least two qualitatively distinct types of violence exist. This new knowledge challenges the dominant conceptualization of intimate violence as solely a manisfestation of patriarchal male dominance. Following a review of the research and analysis of illustrative clinical examples, a conceptual framework is presented that assists couple therapists in answering three salient questions: What type of violence am I most likely to be working with? How can I assess the differences between types of violence? And how might I proceed with treatment for different types of violence?
TRENDS IN AUTHOR CHARACTERISTICS AND DIVERSITY ISSUES IN THE JOURNAL OF MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY FROM 1990 TO 2000
Authors: Bailey C. Everett , Pryce Julia , Walsh Froma
Published: June 2007

In this article, we present an analysis and comparison of published articles in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy (JMFT) between 1990–1995 and 1996–2000. This study focused on trends in author gender, highest degree, and professional affiliation, and article content on issues of cultural and family diversity (race/ethnicity, class, religion/spirituality, gender, sexual orientation, and varied family forms). Key findings show a significant shift from 69% male first authors in 1990–1995 to equal gender representation in authorship for 1996–2000 articles, with a particular increase in female PhDs. Articles addressing diversity issues doubled from 15.6% of all 1990–1995 articles to 31% in 1996–2000. Of note, women authored 73% of the 1996–2000 articles on the wide range of diversity issues. Implications for the field are discussed.
CHARACTERISTICS AND CLINICAL PRACTICES OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS: A NATIONAL SURVEY
Authors: Northey William F.
Published: June 2007

This report presents data from a telephone survey of a randomly selected sample of 292 marriage and family therapists (MFTs) who were Clinical Members of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. The study, designed to better understand the current state of the field of MFT, provides descriptive data on the demographic characteristics, training, clinical practices, and treatment of substance abuse disorders by MFTs. Participants reported they most commonly treat marital and couple difficulties, depression, anxiety, and problems of children and adolescents. It was also found that MFTs commonly assess for substance abuse problems, but these problems represent a relatively small percentage of their caseload. The data support the continued maturation and growth of the field. Implications for the field and comparisons to other national data are addressed.
REVIEWS
Authors: Harris Steven M.
Published: June 2007

Becvar, D. S. (2001). In the presence of grief: Helping family members resolve death, dying, and bereavement issues.

Hoffman, L. (2002). Family therapy: An intimate history.

Keith, D. V., Connell, G. M., & Connell, L. C. (2001). Defiance in the family: Finding hope in therapy.

Ravicz, S. (2000). Thriving with your autoimmune disorder: A woman's mind‐body guide.