Marriage and Family Therapy and Counseling Commons^™

Inaugural Issue Of The Scholarship Review, H. Luis Vargas , Ph.D.

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

H. Luis Vargas, Editor of the Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review, introduces the journal's editors and mission.

A Phenomenological Inquiry Into The Shared Lived Experience Of Married Male Doctoral Students In Counselor Education And Their Non-Student Spouses, Anthony Suarez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research involving married doctoral students has suggested that they face a unique set of circumstances that include benefits, challenges, and changes. Additional research has highlighted the culture within Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) programs. While there are some studies that explore the experiences of married graduate students in counseling-related fields, very little literature exists that explores married students in CES programs. No such studies focus on the experiences of married male students in CES.

The purpose of this study was to explore the shared lived experiences of married male doctoral students in Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) programs and their …

The Predictors Of Juvenile Recidivism: Testimonies Of Adult Students 18 Years And Older Exiting From Alternative Education, La Toshia Palmer

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive, qualitative study was to identify and describe the importance of the predictors of juvenile recidivism and the effectiveness of efforts to prevent/avoid juvenile recidivism as perceived by previously detained, arrested, convicted, and/or incarcerated adult students 18 years of age and older exiting from alternative education in Northern California. A second purpose was to explore the types of support provided by alternative schools and the perceived importance of the support to avoid recidivism according to adult students 18 years of age and older exiting from alternative education.

Methodology: This qualitative, descriptive research design identified …

Courtesy: The Space Between Souls, Erica Vaiser

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

This paper presents an illustrative dissection of the virtuous power of courtesy. The content, herein, examines the mutual space between individual souls created through courtesy, utilizing Robert Sardello’s (2003) definition of “courtesy” as a virtue. True acts of courtesy surpass commonly understood actions and niceties, in which the purpose is to invite one’s soul into a mutual space of acknowledgment with the soul of another. It is only out of this recognition that the soul remembers its common and worldly origin. Ego processing dictates so much of our daily interactions that the presence of soul connection is most certainly never …

Wounded Healer: A Spiritual Autobiography, Soo M. Pak

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

The underworld of human life is undeniably painful, messy, dark, and overwhelming. The sight of it can be disfigured and horrendous; thus, extreme measures are taken to deny, ignore, cover up, and run away from it. However, the darkness of human life is an important ingredient that gives birth to understanding, humility, compassion, and beauty. The key is to look at our wounds with compassion, honesty, and vulnerability. There is great worth in being vulnerable with our wounds. It takes courage to sit with, feel, and examine our wound because it pains us in the most sacred place of our …

Unplugged, Lea Powell

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

This article serves as an explorative piece attempting to investigate social networking norms and their contribution towards increased levels of disengagement and disconnection. After recognizing superficial online trends of interaction within her own social network, the author discloses experiencing feelings of hopelessness. In attempt to explore these feelings and unmask the factors underlying these trends, elements of motivation, privacy, and an individual’s relationship with control are discussed. Themes of expectant accessibility and communication within the realm of technology are explored and compared to real life interactions and experiences, with emphasis on an observed dissonance occurring between them. Notions of social …

Transgender Resiliency: A Comparison Of Transgender And Cisgender Therapy Clients’ Family Functioning And Psychological Symptomology, Deborah Coolhart , Ph.D., Lmft, Anibal Torres Bernal , Ph.D., Kimdy Le , Ph.D.

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

Existing literature often suggests transgender people face increased vulnerabilities in comparison to cisgender people and poorer mental and physical health outcomes. However, studies are increasingly exploring resilience of transgender people and factors contributing to positive coping. The current study compared transgender to cisgender clients at a University-based couple and family therapy center on self-reported psychological symptomology and family functioning. Transgender individuals did not differ significantly from cisgender individuals on family functioning, however transgender individuals reported significantly fewer symptoms on all twelve subscales of psychological symptomology, despite lower income and lower levels of education. Results suggest transgender individuals may develop unique …

The Phenomenon Of Belonging, Martin R. Baker

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

A central problem facing humanity is that we have forgotten our sense of belonging. We no longer feel like we belong to ourselves, each other, and the world in deep and meaningful ways. Modern culture has uprooted the heart felt bonds of authentic connection and replaced them with false experiences of belonging through the addictive qualities of materialism, narcissism, and rationalism. As a result we suffer from our lost experiences of soul, spirit, and the aliveness of the world. In this article, we will explore belonging as the process of growth, forever pushing away the old and pulling towards new …

Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: A Contemporary Phenomenological Approach, Raissa M. Miller, Casey A. Barrio Minton

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) is a contemporary qualitative research method grounded in phenomenology, hermeneutics, and idiography. The philosophical principles and rigorous methodology make this approach well suited for research in counselor education and supervision. This primer introduces counselor educators to IPA theory and methodology and discusses considerations for implementation.

Sexual Attraction In The Therapy Room: An Exploration Of Licensed Marriage And Family Therapists’ Experiences And Training, Rafiah Prince

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

The client-therapist relationship is an essential part of therapy and is central in helping clients achieve therapeutic goals as the joining process facilitates the change process. However, in an effort to create a space for change, there is a possibility that professional boundaries may become blurred wherein a client may express a sexual attraction toward their therapist. To explore this phenomenon, the researcher employed convergent parallel mixed method design to explore the experiences of Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) who have experienced sexual attraction from their clients. The study was conducted online through a secure forum. Implications for clients, …

The Art Of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy: Experiential Training For Novice Therapists In Creative Collaborative Language, Lori Ann Pantaleao

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Novice solution-focused brief therapists often have difficulty delivering scaling questions within the languaging of their clients. To help beginning Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) trainees, this researcher has created the metaphorically enhanced scaling question (MESQ) training program. By incorporating a meaning making system such as the metaphor, the scaling question becomes expressive and symbolic to the client and his or her own story. The MESQ objective is to assist novice therapists in facilitating the SFBT scaling question creatively through the use of metaphor. A metaphor is a created meaning isomorphic to its original meaning or experience. The metaphor will be co-constructed …

Advocacy In Action: A Framework For Implementation Of The American Counselors Association Advocacy Competencies On A Local Level, Jeffrey M. Lown

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Despite calls from within the professional field and external forces, counselors have faced ongoing challenges in their efforts to be effective advocates for their clients and themselves. A review of the literature reveals that throughout the history of the profession, prominent figures have called on counselors to assume advocacy roles, and that some initiatives have been successful in fostering lasting change. However, as counselors and their clients’ needs continue to evolve, so too must strategies to address these needs be reevaluated and new initiatives put into place.

In this paper, I have outlined a committee structure and agenda that seeks …

Metaphoric Generative Genograms: A Journey To Bring Genograms To Life Through Metaphorical Components, Elisa Garcia

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

The purpose of this dissertation is to offer a greater understanding of the potential of genograms through my clinical work from a Bowen Family Systems lens. I account for how I processed and effectively blended metaphorical components, by examining six cases from my two-year journal entries, of bringing genograms to life in sessions. I also explain how I created a useful tool, the Metaphoric Generative Genogram, that can benefit other clinicians working with children and families in the foster care community.