The Condensed MFT Core Competencies: A Streamlined Approach for Measuring Student and Supervisee Learning Using the MFT Core Competencies.

In this article, the authors present a condensed version of the Marriage and Family Therapy Core Competencies (MFT-CC), collapsing the original 128 MFT-CC to 16 using a qualitative research method. Educators, supervisors, and researchers can more easily and efficiently use the condensed MFT-CC to measure student and supervisee learning for accreditation and training. The 16 Condensed MFT-CC are mapped to the original MFT-CC, COAMFTE's Version 12 Foundational Curriculum Areas and the Association for Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards 6 domains upon which the national exam is predicated.

The Profession of Couple, Marital, and Family Therapy (CMFT): Defining Ourselves and Moving Forward.

The field of Couple, Marital, and Family Therapy (CMFT) has evolved and strengthened, but we still have work to do when it comes to identity, comprehensive scholarly resources, empirical support, and name brand recognition. We explore the reasons for these challenges and propose ways to address them: embracing the interdisciplinary nature of the field, consistently organizing treatment effectiveness by problem rather than by intervention model, continuing innovation in theory development, and utilizing more diverse and meaningful research methods. This approach provides a more accurate representation of the scope of practice of CMFTs, the range of mental and physical health problems we address, and the depth and extent of the existing research on the effectiveness of relational therapies.

Strengthening Clinical Research in Marriage and Family Therapy: Challenges and Multilevel Solutions.

There is a critical need for high-quality and accessible treatments to improve mental health. Yet, there are indications that the research being conducted by contemporary marriage and family therapy (MFT) scholars focuses less on advancing and disseminating clinical interventions than in previous decades. In this article, we describe challenges to increasing rigorous clinical research in MFT. We use systems mapping and the intervention-level framework to identify strategic goals designed to drive innovation in clinical research in the field. It is our hope this article encourages dialog and action among MFT stakeholder groups to support clinical science that will improve the health and functioning of families.

Clinical and Supervisory Considerations for Transgender Therapists: Implications for Working with Clients.

Transgender therapists have unique and valuable perspectives into how gender organizes the therapeutic process. Currently, in the MFT field, there is discussion of the cisgender therapist's experience in the therapy room, but no known articles on the transgender therapist's experience. This article provides insight into the experiences of transgender therapists around issues of self-disclosure, social locations of both therapist and client, and clinical supervision. Drawing from our clinical experiences as transmen, we highlight special considerations for working with cisgender, queer, and transgender clients. Implications for supervision of transgender therapists are also discussed. As more gender diverse students seek MFT training, there is an urgent need to acknowledge their perspectives. This article is a call for beginning conversations in this direction.

The Therapist's Role in Effective Marriage and Family Therapy Practice: The Case for Evidence Based Therapists.

In this paper we argue that the therapist is a crucial change variable in psychotherapy as a whole and in couple, marital, and family therapy specifically. Therapists who work with complex systems require more skills to negotiate demanding therapy contexts. Yet, little is known about what differentiates effective couple, marital, and family therapists from those who are less effective, what innate therapy skills they possess, how they learn, and how they operationalize their knowledge in the therapy room. We discuss the need to emphasize evidence based therapists (as opposed to therapies), and implications of the importance of the role therapists for training, practice, research priorities, and policy.

Targeting Threats to the Therapeutic Alliance: A Primer for Marriage and Family Therapy Training.

Although theory and research highlight the importance of the client-therapist relationship, marriage and family therapy (MFT) training has historically centered on specific models, consisting of proprietary language and techniques, instead of common factors like the therapeutic alliance. In this article, we begin by making an argument for explicitly focusing on the therapeutic alliance in MFT training programs. Next, we highlight common alliance threats experienced by both faculty members and student therapists. We then integrate research-informed principles with clinical wisdom to outline specific recommendations and concrete skill-building exercises for MFT educators and supervisors to use with their students to address these threats and advance training on the therapeutic alliance.

Diversity, social justice, and intersectionality trends in C/MFT: a content analysis of three family therapy journals, 2004-2011.

In this study, we analyzed the amount of attention given to diversity, social justice, and an intersectional approach to social inequalities over an 8-year period (769 articles) in three family therapy journals. Overall, 28.1% of articles addressed at least one diversity issue, and a social justice framework was utilized in 48.1% of diversity articles. A systemic, intersectional approach to conceptualizing and analyzing multiple social inequalities was utilized in 17.6% of diversity articles. The most common goals addressed in diversity articles, articles using a social justice framework, and articles using an intersectional approach are also identified. Findings indicate that, despite important work being carried out, more work remains to further identify how addressing diversity issues can improve client outcomes.

A more optimistic perspective on government-supported marriage and relationship education programs for lower income couples.

Comments on the original article by Matthew D. Johnson (see record 2012-08242-001). It is important to challenge some of Johnson's points about the effectiveness and reach of interventions to lower income couples and couples of color and his suggested prioritization of basic over applied research. With emerging findings and practical knowledge gained in lower income communities from all across the United States over the past decade, we see evidence to support optimism for the potential utility of marriage and relationship education (MRE) programs to help disadvantaged and minority couples. Accordingly, continued support for these efforts is justified. We anticipate that the potential of these first-generation programs will only increase as the research Johnson called for advances our understanding of low-income and minority couple relationships, as more programs are rigorously evaluated, and as we learn and disseminate best practices from programs now in the field.

Dyadic research in marriage and family therapy: methodological considerations.

With training that emphasizes relationship systems, marriage and family therapists are uniquely attuned to interpersonal dynamics, interdependence, and the influence of relationships on individuals' perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes. While recent statistical advances have contributed to a proliferation of resources designed to introduce researchers to dyadic data analysis, guidelines related to the methodological aspects of dyadic research design have received less attention. Given the potential advantages of dyadic designs for examining couple and family relational and therapeutic processes, the purpose of this article is to introduce marriage and family therapy researchers to dyadic research methodology. Using examples from our own research, we discuss methodological considerations and lessons learned related to sampling, measurement, data collection, and ethics. Recommendations for future dyadic research are provided.

Creating culturally responsive family therapy models and research: introducing the use of responsive evaluation as a method.

Models of marriage and family therapy (MFT) typically reflect Western values and norms, and although cultural adaptations are made, many models/frameworks continue to be inappropriate or inadequate for use with non-Western cultures. Worldwide, therapists are examining ways of using MFT models in a culturally sensitive manner, especially when working with clients who are seen as having minority status or perceived as "other" by the dominant group. This essay suggests the use of responsive evaluation as a theoretically consistent methodology for creating and evaluating culturally responsive therapies. This approach rigorously evaluates each unique client/therapist context, culture, power, needs, and beliefs. We describe responsive evaluation and discuss how each component addresses the research needs of examining culturally responsive family therapies. A case illustration is offered delineating the process of conducting culturally responsive therapy with a Cambodian sample using solution-focused and narrative therapy.

Marriage and family therapy: examining the impact of licensure on an evolving profession.

Regulatory responsibilities for the profession of marriage and family therapy have shifted from the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) to state regulatory boards. The impact of these changes has not been adequately addressed. The purpose of this article is to highlight many of these changes and explore their implications. The educational, experience, and supervision requirements of states regulating the profession of marriage and family therapy in 2007 are examined using descriptive data from 47 regulatory entities and then compared with the current (2012) regulatory standards from 51 regulatory entities. In turn, these are compared with AAMFT prelicensure clinical membership requirements. Results indicate a marked difference between AAMFT prelicensure and state licensure requirements in both 2007 and 2012, but that state requirements continue to evolve. Additionally, the changing roles of the AAMFT and the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB) within the profession are explored.

The core competencies and MFT education: practical aspects of transitioning to a learning-centered, outcome-based pedagogy.

The MFT core competencies and latest COAMFTE accreditation standards usher in a new paradigm for MFT education. This transition necessitates not only measuring student mastery of competencies but also, more importantly, adopting a contemporary pedagogical model. This article provides an overview of the changes, a review of parallel trends in other health professions, definitions of learning-centered and outcome-based pedagogy, and a detailed description of a systematic approach for developing a competency-based curriculum, including a list of educator competencies necessary for successful implementation.

First-session competency: the brief strategic therapy scale-1.

The first session in brief strategic therapy is the most critical phase of treatment. More than a mere "assessment phase," the first session in a true intervention sets the stage for all subsequent therapeutic maneuvers. This article presents a supervisory observation tool, the Brief Strategic Therapy Scale-1 (BSTS-1), a fidelity measure proposed as a more formal method of analyzing performance and competency of the therapist for the first session. During scale development, a narrow group of expert judges defined the core skills of therapists and determined the structure/phases of a brief strategic therapy first session. In addition, expert collaborators gave feedback on the scale's usability. This article concludes with the BSTS-1.

The doctoral education of professional marriage and family therapists.

The professional practice of marriage and family therapy (MFT) scholarship is regulated at the master's level in the United States. Consequently, contemporary curricular issues have largely been focused on what is to be achieved within the master's degree, with an emphasis on clinical practice. We consider here what value may and should be added through the doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy. Doctoral programs are the developmental stage wherein we should seek to transmit the specialized knowledge and skills germane to MFT scholarship and practice in diverse settings, e.g., clinical and research intensive university, family law, health care, child development and education, child welfare, juvenile justice, faith based, and business. However, underlying this specialty education are three transcendental goals: sophistication of family systems scholarship, socialization into the profession of MFT, and cultivation of professional maturity.

The present and future of MFT doctoral education in research-focused universities.

Doctoral education is greatly impacted by context, and the large majority of marital and family therapy (MFT) doctoral programs are PhD programs in research-focused universities. I believe their primary mission is to equip students to become scientist-practitioners and do original research that will advance the science of the discipline, whereas the mission of the typical master's program is to produce strong practitioners who are research informed. It is the emphasis on the scientific method, not the content specialty area, that should be the hallmark of PhD programs in research-focused contexts. I describe metrics for success that include not only research productivity but also the development of a supportive, open, flexible, and generous program culture. The research mission of these programs has been only modestly helped by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education process and the programs are largely not doing the programmatic intervention research that the field needs. As the universities that house these programs are also "raising the bar," the long-term viability of the programs themselves will likely hinge on success in this arena.

The core competency movement in marriage and family therapy: key considerations from other disciplines.

There is a growing movement to define competency within the field of marriage and family therapy (MFT), particularly with respect to the training of practitioners and the evaluation of clinical practice. Efforts to define competency, however, transcend the practice of MFT and much can be learned from the experiences of other disciplines. Professions such as education, law, and medicine have made strides toward addressing the complex issue of competency standards in their respective fields. This article describes some ways in which the issue of competency has been approached in other professions, as well as some common dilemmas posed by adopting a competency-based orientation, to shed light on the process of defining competency in MFT. Moreover, this article identifies some of the more useful conceptualizations, modes of pedagogy, and evaluative practices found in other professions.

Exploring relationships among communication, sexual satisfaction, and marital satisfaction.

This study examined relationships among couple communication, sexual satisfaction, and marital satisfaction in 387 married couples. Regression analyses demonstrated that communication and sexual satisfaction independently predict marital satisfaction. However, there is a significant interaction between communication and sexual satisfaction; if couples are successful at communicating constructively, sexual satisfaction fails to contribute to marital satisfaction. Alternatively, if couples have difficulty communicating but are sexually satisfied, they will experience greater marital satisfaction than if they have a less satisfying sexual relationship. Thus, sexual satisfaction may partially compensate for the negative effects of poor communication on marital satisfaction.

What is love anyway?

This essay explores seven interlocking meanings of the term love. These meanings are the author's synthesis based on years of trying to understand what people mean by the word and why they are not more explicit in explaining themselves during psychotherapy. The meanings may help clinicians better grasp what seems to be the most basic context for understanding a person's sexual life. Love may be: a complex emotion--it is never a single feeling; an ambition; moral commitment; a private dynamic struggle; a deal; a stop sign to psychological inquiry. Many forces in culture and within individuals resist careful scrutiny of what we mean by love.