Doctoral education in marital and family therapy (MFT) plays a crucial role in the future of the ... more Doctoral education in marital and family therapy (MFT) plays a crucial role in the future of the field. In this article, I write about the purposes, diversities, and futures of MFT doctoral education from the perspective of having hired 18 full-time MFT faculty over the last 13 years. I argue that the field needs well-rounded doctoral-level academics and clinicians who have a solid understanding of the foundations of the field and have mastery around theory, clinical practice, and scholarship in order to advance the profession of Marriage and Family Therapy.
This study examines the understudied mental health perceptions, treatment, and coping strategies ... more This study examines the understudied mental health perceptions, treatment, and coping strategies of immigrants from the Republic of Albania to Southern California regarding themselves and their families. In-depth, semi-structured interviews with 12 Albanian immigrants residing in a large Southern California population center were conducted. The transcripts of these interviews were analyzed. The constant-comparative method was used to analyze the data obtained from the interviews. Thirteen themes describing the perceptions and attitudes of Albanian immigrants about coping strategies, mental health, and mental health issues emerged. Themes are discussed in the context of existing literature, and implications for practice, research, and limitations are presented.
Cost-effectiveness of marital therapy was examined beginning with a simple question: If governmen... more Cost-effectiveness of marital therapy was examined beginning with a simple question: If government or health insurers paid for the screening and, where indicated, empirically supported treatment of 100,000 randomly selected married persons (i.e., 50,000 couples) from the general population, would the financial benefits outweigh costs? Two empirically supported forms of marital therapy, behavioral marital therapy and emotionally focused therapy, were considered in aggregate as possible treatments of choice. Marital therapy appears to be cost-effective when paid for by government to reduce public costs of divorce or when paid for by insurers to offset the increased health-care expenses associated with divorce. Implications and specific needs for future research to substantiate these conclusions are discussed.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is an empirically validated relational therapy that recognizes ... more Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is an empirically validated relational therapy that recognizes the complexity of couple's therapy and supports the need for specialized training of therapists. Until now, there has been little research on effective methods for EFT supervision and no systematic model for conducting EFT supervision. The findings of a qualitative study of certified EFT therapists' experiences with EFT supervision and training are presented in this study, along with a systematic model of EFT supervision. The model of EFT supervision is based on the findings of this study, relevant research regarding effective clinical supervision, and the authors' experiences with EFT supervision. This model of EFT supervision is isomorphic to the clinical practice of EFT, in that it is theoretically grounded in attachment theory and emphasizes experiential and emotionally based processes.
Marriage and family therapy training programs aim to provide students with research-based knowled... more Marriage and family therapy training programs aim to provide students with research-based knowledge about marriage and divorce. A group of 223 California-based clinical members of the American Association for Marital and Family Therapy (AAMFT) was surveyed on their endorsement of 21 myths about marriage. Therapists provided correct responses to an average of 9.4 of these items. Endorsement of specific myths
Doctoral education in marital and family therapy (MFT) plays a crucial role in the future of the ... more Doctoral education in marital and family therapy (MFT) plays a crucial role in the future of the field. In this article, I write about the purposes, diversities, and futures of MFT doctoral education from the perspective of having hired 18 full-time MFT faculty over the last 13 years. I argue that the field needs well-rounded doctoral-level academics and clinicians who have a solid understanding of the foundations of the field and have mastery around theory, clinical practice, and scholarship in order to advance the profession of Marriage and Family Therapy.
This study examines the understudied mental health perceptions, treatment, and coping strategies ... more This study examines the understudied mental health perceptions, treatment, and coping strategies of immigrants from the Republic of Albania to Southern California regarding themselves and their families. In-depth, semi-structured interviews with 12 Albanian immigrants residing in a large Southern California population center were conducted. The transcripts of these interviews were analyzed. The constant-comparative method was used to analyze the data obtained from the interviews. Thirteen themes describing the perceptions and attitudes of Albanian immigrants about coping strategies, mental health, and mental health issues emerged. Themes are discussed in the context of existing literature, and implications for practice, research, and limitations are presented.
Cost-effectiveness of marital therapy was examined beginning with a simple question: If governmen... more Cost-effectiveness of marital therapy was examined beginning with a simple question: If government or health insurers paid for the screening and, where indicated, empirically supported treatment of 100,000 randomly selected married persons (i.e., 50,000 couples) from the general population, would the financial benefits outweigh costs? Two empirically supported forms of marital therapy, behavioral marital therapy and emotionally focused therapy, were considered in aggregate as possible treatments of choice. Marital therapy appears to be cost-effective when paid for by government to reduce public costs of divorce or when paid for by insurers to offset the increased health-care expenses associated with divorce. Implications and specific needs for future research to substantiate these conclusions are discussed.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is an empirically validated relational therapy that recognizes ... more Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is an empirically validated relational therapy that recognizes the complexity of couple's therapy and supports the need for specialized training of therapists. Until now, there has been little research on effective methods for EFT supervision and no systematic model for conducting EFT supervision. The findings of a qualitative study of certified EFT therapists' experiences with EFT supervision and training are presented in this study, along with a systematic model of EFT supervision. The model of EFT supervision is based on the findings of this study, relevant research regarding effective clinical supervision, and the authors' experiences with EFT supervision. This model of EFT supervision is isomorphic to the clinical practice of EFT, in that it is theoretically grounded in attachment theory and emphasizes experiential and emotionally based processes.
Marriage and family therapy training programs aim to provide students with research-based knowled... more Marriage and family therapy training programs aim to provide students with research-based knowledge about marriage and divorce. A group of 223 California-based clinical members of the American Association for Marital and Family Therapy (AAMFT) was surveyed on their endorsement of 21 myths about marriage. Therapists provided correct responses to an average of 9.4 of these items. Endorsement of specific myths
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