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A presentation of case studies forms the focus for an exploration of the discovery of an abortion or adoption used as the management of an unwelcome pregnancy which occurred in the context of the marital system. Managing an impasse in the middle phase of therapy in each case led to the emergence of information which then allowed the therapist to work with the couple system to alleviate the core situation out of which presenting problems emanated. In these cases the unwelcome pregnancy had the potential to be cataclysmic to the couple system. Therefore, the possibility that a couple is concealing an abortion or an adoption should be considered by couples' therapists when there is little or no response to usual strategies for change. The reason for concealment is immaterial. What is paramount is that the therapist bring the event to the fore of treatment and work with a couple to put closure on what is generally an unresolved issue. © 1999, by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

Objective: To review family-based treatment research. A growing body of research and several meta-analytic reviews demonstrate that family-based treatments are effective for a variety of child and adolescent disorders. In addition, an emerging tradition of family-based process research has begun to identify important ingredients of effective family psychotherapy. This article reviews these advances and their implications for future research. Method: Selected studies on the treatment of schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, attention deficit, conduct disorder, and substance abuse are reviewed, as well as several process research and meta-analytic studies. Results: Family-based therapies have been shown to be effective for treating schizophrenia, conduct disorder, and substance abuse. Some data support their effectiveness in the treatment of eating disorders. Few studies have targeted internalizing disorders. A process research tradition is emerging, but it is in need of methodological advances, Meta-analytic studies suggest that family-based therapies are as effective as other models. Conclusions: More well-designed studies with diverse populations are needed to assess accurately the effectiveness of this increasingly popular treatment approach.

This nine-year study examined the extent to which selected admissions criteria of 34 family therapy doctoral students predicted their future performance on clinical, academic, research, and other job-related criteria. Age and clinical background were positively related to clinical ratings after three years. Letters of recommendation and student autobiographies were positively related to qualify and quantity of publications. Graduate Record Examination scores and interview ratings were not predictive of any of the criterion variables at three or six years. Additional findings are presented and discussed.

This paper presents the theoretical basis and the associated perceptions of race relations that characterized a race relations competence workshop which served as the educational component of an overall program to improve race relations among managers within the fictitiously named XYZ Corporation. Workshop activities combined didactic and experiential methods and focused on group and individual levels of learning based on embedded intergroup relations theory. An assessment of the race relations competence workshop was carried out as part of an overall effort to evaluate the race relations improvement program in the company. Employing measures of both global evaluation and perceptions of race relations among managers, the study showed that Blacks evaluated the workshop more favorably than Whites, that reports of having information about the workshop were positively associated with favorable evaluations of the workshop, that workshop participants more than nonparticipants were likely to perceive Whites as hurting Blacks and less likely to perceive Blacks as hurting Whites. Additional analyses showed that, while the workshop generally had favorable effects for participants, the groups most likely to show unfavorable consequences were White male first level managers younger than 41 years and White female first level managers older than 40 years.

Bonding is an essential factor in the establishment and maintenance of an intimate committed relationship. Dissecting elements of bonding leads to an understanding of the internal structure of the marriage. Attraction and bonding are different and equally vital in turning initial romance into enduring intimacy. The process of attraction based on projections developing into an enduring bond between peers merges relationship purpose and a rationale for emotional involvement. This occurs when attention is accorded to each of the factors of bonding; ego-equality, respect, interdependence and reality grounding. In therapy, a couple’s bonding can be assessed through the isomorphic qualities actualized in the therapeutic joining process. Discussions includes over bonded and under bonded couples, their presenting problems, and a treatment focus for each condition. © 1991 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Children and youth in schools are subject to the effects of the larger culture's attitudes and values related to body size. When negatively biased, these attitudes and values can have detrimental effects and thus emerge as relevant to educational and psychological consultants. Drawing on the nascent field of Fat Studies with its focus on the cultural meanings attached to large bodies, we identify direct implications of fat phobia for school-age children and youth. Via a brief case example, an initial review of literature, and several examples of health-positive programming, we describe the social justice implications of fat phobia for consultants in school and community settings. In this consideration of the role of consultants for addressing fat bias and supporting health, we also suggest the merit of applied interdisciplinarity as a strong ground for consultation research and practice. The academic area of Fat Studies provides illustration of the integration of disciplinary perspectives (e.g., sociology, anthropology, biology, psychology). Educational and psychological consultation is ideally situated for systematically engaging such interdisciplinarity in support of practical outcomes that are healthy, sustainable, and socially just.

Six women faculty came together to research their peers asking other women in COAMFTE-accredited programs about their personal and professional identities. The goal of this research was to develop recommendations for the field of Couple/Marriage and Family Therapy to support the engagement and advancement of women faculty. The research collaboration itself became a heuristic, feminist praxis, a co-creation of insight, support network, and professional relationships which had liberating results for the collaborators. We intended to create a research project that would be collaborative, empowering, and transformative for participants; in the process, the collaboration became empowering and transformative for ourselves. This article will reflect on our experiences and provide recommendations for future feminist research teams. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Trends in popular belief about same-sex relationships have undergone noteworthy change in the United States over the last decade. Yet this change has been marked by stark polarizations and has occurred at varying rates depending upon regional, community, racial, religious, and individual family context. For queer youth and their families, this cultural transformation has broadened opportunities and created a new set of risks and vulnerabilities. At the same time, youth's increasingly open and playful gender fluidity and sexual identity is complicated by unique intersections of class, race, religion, and immigration. Effective family therapy with queer youth requires practitioner's and treatment models that are sensitive to those who bear the burden of multiple oppressions and the hidden resilience embedded in their layered identities. We present case examples of our model of family therapy which addresses refuge, supports difficult dialogs, and nurtures queerness by looking for hidden resilience in the unique intersections of queer youths' lives. These intersections provide transformational potential for youth, their families and even for family therapists as we are all nurtured and challenged to think more complexly about intersectionality, sexuality, and gender. Las tendencias en la creencia popular acerca de las relaciones entre personas del mismo sexo han sufrido un cambio considerable en Estados Unidos durante la ultima decada. Sin embargo, este cambio se ha producido a ritmos diferentes segun las comunidades locales y regionales, y el contexto familiar individual. En el caso de los jovenes queer y sus familias, esta transformacion cultural ha ampliado oportunidades y creado un nuevo conjunto de riesgos y vulnerabilidades. Los jovenes queer y sus familias, al intentar desarrollarse en numerosos contextos, estan marcados por divergencias crueles en actitudes y creencias. Al mismo tiempo, la fluidez del genero y la identidad sexual cada vez mas abiertas y ludicas de los jovenes estan complicadas por intersecciones unicas de clase, raza, religion e inmigracion. Una terapia familiar eficaz con jovenes queer exige modelos de tratamiento y profesionales que sean sensibles a aquellas personas que cargan sobre sus espaldas numerosas opresiones y una resiliencia oculta incorporada en sus identidades multiples. Presentamos ejemplos de casos de nuestro modelo de terapia familiar que aborda el refugio, respalda los dialogos dificiles y apoya la sexualidad alternativa buscando la resiliencia oculta en las intersecciones unicas de las vidas de los jovenes queer. Estas intersecciones ofrecen posibilidades transformacionales para los jovenes, sus familias e incluso los terapeutas familiares mientras nos estimulan y nos desafian a todos a pensar de forma mas compleja acerca de la interseccionalidad, la sexualidad y el genero.

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is a collaborative methodology that uniquely involves stakeholders in all stages of the research process. CBPR has been widely utilized in the field of public health, but not widely employed with college populations. This study utilized CBPR methods within a college community to gain insight into excessive alcohol consumption. Six student researchers planned and carried out a rigorous qualitative study at a public university in the Northeast region of the United States. A total of 48 undergraduate participants were recruited for focus groups that were facilitated by two student researchers, and transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis methods. Students' reasons for drinking alcohol were focused within the themes of inclusion, habitual default, and the student development process. Social media, strict policy/enforcement, and student's desire to avoid responsibility led to increased risk and consequences related to drinking. Students recommended late night transportation and a Good Samaritan policy as strategies to improve student safety. This study led to student advocacy and policy change directed at improving student's health and safety and demonstrated that CBPR methods show promise for engaging students and producing meaningful data.

Sexual identity development has traditionally been theorized about from within heteronormative societies founded on patriarchal notions with links to misogyny, racism, and classism, among others. These forms of domination have constrained the way sexual identity has been conceived of, researched and written about within the mental health fields and limited the efficacy of clinical work with all people but especially sexual minorities and those who are gender non-binary. In this chapter the authors will deconstruct heteronormativity, examine the deleterious effect of it on mental health, and locate the influence of intersections of oppression on the field of SFT theory and in clinical work. An LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex) affirmative clinical framework developed from systems theory and queer theory will be outlined, and then a case study using the framework will be described.

Despite great advances that have been made in the understanding and treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs), fewer than 11% of eligible patients seek treatment. Few studies have explored the roles of facilitators and barriers in treatment seeking from the perspectives of addiction-focused clinicians working in developing countries. This descriptive study used a mixed-methods research design with concurrent strategies. Research participants were addiction-focused clinicians (N = 112) working in India. Primary research questions examined (1) key facilitators that motivate patients to seek treatment, (2) major barriers in treatment seeking, and (3) critical strategies for enhancing treatment seeking with the support of family, friends, and community. Key facilitators of treatment seeking included informed and caring family members, friends, and community. The most common barriers were patients’ denial of the problem of SUDs, shame in admitting the problem, and belief and confidence that they can quit using substances by themselves anytime. A systemically focused public awareness creation strategy, implemented simultaneously at various key sectors in society, was recommended for facilitating treatment seeking and removing barriers. Implications for clinicians, patients, public health personnel, community leaders, and regional, national, and global policy makers are reviewed. © 2018, © 2018 Taylor & Francis.

AbstractOriginality/value This paper provides an alternative approach to nurturing queer identity by (1) creating refuge for emerging sexualities; (2) allowing for difficult dialogues where ability, sexuality, and gender can be pragmatically discussed, performed, and negotiated; (3) tolerating the discomfort of these difficult dialogues and pushing through to nurturing the unique queerness that evolves out of these conversations; and finally (4) encouraging transformation of all participants including client and practitioners. The practitioners discuss their own transformation through the co-created dialog with each other and with the client.

Although research on substance use disorders (SUDs) largely focuses on the developed world, treatment programs from the developing world seldom get international attention. Focusing on India, this study was designed (1) to describe India’s treatment programs, and (2) to report Indian perspectives on critical factors related to treating SUDs. An online survey instrument was created, based on mixed-methods approach with concurrent strategies, to collect data. Participants were India’s clinicians (N = 112). Indian treatment approach suggests that SUDs must be treated by a multidisciplinary treatment team with a comprehensive plan that must include systemically focused clinical interventions in patients’/clients’ relevant relational systems. Findings may have relevance to clinicians, researchers, and policy makers globally. © 2017 Taylor & Francis.