The Common Factors Model was introduced in 1992 by Michael Lambert suggesting that four factors that exist in all forms of psychotherapy are what account for positive therapeutic outcomes. The four common factors posited by Lambert include: Extratherapeutic Factors, The Therapeutic Relationship, Hope and Expectancy and Specific Factors. Marriage and family therapy is one form of psychotherapy that has taken an interest in The Common Factors Model and dedicated various amounts of research to understand connections between the two philosophies. Despite the efforts to understand common factors that exist in marriage and family therapy, very little research has been done studying the relationship between the common factor Hope and Expectancy, and marriage and family therapy. The current study aimed to fill that gap, by exploring the relationship between marriage and family therapy, and the common factor hope and expectancy through the lens of Snyder’s Hope Theory. In this study, a mixed methods sequential embedded designed was implemented to examine the relationship that exists between marriage and family therapy and the common factor Hope and Expectancy. The results indicated that levels of hope and expectancy were high in parents/guardians who were going to start participating family therapy with their child. The high levels of hope and expectancy were likely due to the activation of an interaction between extratherapeutic factors and hope and expectancy. Some of the extratherapeutic factors involved in the interaction were specific to marriage and family therapy, while others can be found in all forms of psychotherapy.

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

There are 5.7 million people in India who are living with HIV/AIDS and many more are indirectly affected by the epidemic (families, children). Since HIV/AIDS is a growing problem, further research for prevention and treatment is needed. Family therapists possess an important role in the AIDS crisis given that some family therapy models have been shown to work well with HIV issues. Although there is a need for family therapy in India, the profession of family therapy is in its infancy. This study attempts to understand what marriage and family therapy interventions work best with Indian clients especially those who are HIV positive. Psychoeducation, directive therapy, addressing the presenting problem and systems therapy (particularly focusing on the couple husband-wife system) are interventions found in this study to be most utilized by Indian therapists with their clients. / Ph. D.

Mental health professionals place value on education in the hopeful expectation that ethics instruction will provide the knowledge and awareness required to empower therapists to make ethical clinical decisions. This study examined the current status of ethics education in accredited and non accredited marriage and family therapy graduate programs in the United States and Canada. Surveys were sent to ethics instructors in 123 graduate programs, 72 of which have full or provisional accreditation by the AAMFT Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education. A total of 65 surveys were returned, resulting in an overall response rate of 53%. Information was gathered using a modified version of a survey designed by Vanek (1990) that examined eight areas of ethics training: 1) professional and educational characteristics of the instructor, 2) structure of ethics education, 3) instructional methods, 4) goals for ethics education, 5) specific content areas, 6) evaluation indices, 7) instructional materials, and 8) rationale for ethics education. Particular attention was placed on ethical content areas that are unique to a systemic approach to therapy. The future direction of ethics instruction was examined to determine whether instructors would significantly alter ethics education in the future. A series of paired t tests for within-group comparisons was used to determine if significant differences existed between the current and desired emphasis placed on 16 educational goals and 34 content areas. With the exception of four goals, there were statistically significant differences (p<.05) between the current and future emphasis placed on all other goals by ethics instructors. There were also statistically significant differences (p<.05) between the current and future emphasis placed on 22 of the 34 content areas by ethics instructors. These results indicated that the majority of ethics instructors place emphasis on these goals and content areas, but acknowledge a desire to place greater emphasis on them in the future. A series of t tests for independent groups determined that there were no significant differences (p<.05) between accredited and non accredited programs in the degree of emphasis currently placed on any of the specified goals or content areas. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this study was to contribute an increased understanding of therapists' experiences working with therapy dogs in couple and family therapy. This qualitative study sought to describe the overall experience of therapists who work with therapy dogs in couple and family therapy, including managing the therapy dog's presence with more than one client and the benefits and challenges of doing so. Eight individuals participated in semi-structured interviews and areas of inquiry included how therapists made the decision to work with a therapy dog, how the therapy dog was managed in session, the impact of the therapy dog's presence (e.g. benefits and challenges), and recommendations for therapists who aspire to work with Canine-Assisted Psychotherapy (CAP) in their practices. The data was analyzed using transcendental phenomenology. Findings from the data analysis suggest that the majority of therapists who use CAP with couples and families find it to be beneficial for the therapists, the couples and families, and the therapy dog, with only a few challenges. Participants focused more on being flexible and observing the system's dynamics surrounding the therapy dog, whereas in individual therapy it appears that therapy dogs are included to fulfill a treatment goal or enhance a therapy model. Additionally, the majority of participants reported on the therapy dog's ability to help the therapist better understand their couple and family clients and overcome particular challenges when working with more than one client. The findings contribute to the CAP literature, have clinical implications, and provide areas for further exploration. / Master of Science / The purpose of this study was to contribute an increased understanding of therapists’ experiences working with therapy dogs in couple and family therapy. This qualitative study sought to describe the overall experience of therapists who work with therapy dogs in couple and family therapy, including managing the therapy dog’s presence with more than one client and the benefits and challenges of doing so. Eight individuals participated in semi-structured interviews and areas of inquiry included how therapists made the decision to work with a therapy dog, how the therapy dog was managed in session, the impact of the therapy dog’s presence (e.g. benefits and challenges), and recommendations for therapists who aspire to work with Canine-Assisted Psychotherapy (CAP) in their practices. The data was analyzed using transcendental phenomenology. Findings from the data analysis suggest that the majority of therapists who use CAP with couples and families find it to be beneficial for the therapists, the couples and families, and the therapy dog, with only a few challenges. Participants focused more on being flexible and observing the system’s dynamics surrounding the therapy dog, whereas in individual therapy it appears that therapy dogs are included to fulfill a treatment goal or enhance a therapy model. Additionally, the majority of participants reported on the therapy dog’s ability to help the therapist better understand their couple and family clients and overcome particular challenges when working with more than one client. The findings contribute to the CAP literature, have clinical implications, and provide areas for further exploration.

Research has linked emotional regulation to the adaptive functioning of adolescents. Further research suggests that family processes, which include implicit rules, impact children's emotional regulation. The current study examined the impact of implicit rules that are facilitative of family connectedness on development of adolescents' emotional regulation. Data came from the Flourishing Families Project (FFP), a seven-year longitudinal study measuring family processes that impact adolescent development. The sample was collected in the northwestern United States and consisted of 500 families with a target child between the ages of 10 and 14 years. Participants filled out self-report measures on implicit family rules and emotional regulation. Data was organized in a cohort sequential design and analyzed using latent variable growth curve modeling. Results indicated that there was no statistically significant growth in emotional regulation across the adolescent years. Results further indicated that initial status of facilitative rules did not have a statistically significant effect on growth in emotional regulation. Finally, growth in facilitative rules was found to have a statistically significant impact on growth in emotional regulation. Clinical implications for work with adolescents and families are discussed.

Extensive literature suggests that Latino youth experience higher levels of depression when compared to youth from other ethnic backgrounds yet relatively little is known regarding why this particular population is especially susceptible to depression. This study focused on family level stressors and the link between interparental conflict and adolescent depressive symptoms in Latino families. The sample consisted of 400 girls and 290 boys, they were distributed into four groups based on gender and family structure. Written surveys were completed in their respective English classes measuring the aforementioned variables. Results indicated a significant relationship across all four groups between family stressors and interparental conflict, along with interparental conflict and depression. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

The purpose of this research is to explore differences in the therapeutic alliance for High-Conflict Co-Parents (HCC) vs. Regular Couples. Therapeutic alliance refers to the relationship, consisting of a bond, and agreement on the tasks and goals of therapy, between at least two people in the therapeutic relationship. It was hypothesized that HCC clients would have lower therapeutic alliance scores compared to regular couple clients. The results supported this hypothesis. By identifying these differences, more research can be conducted to improve our understanding of how to strengthen the therapeutic alliance with HCC clients, leading to improved treatment of this population.

Dual roles are common in mental health work. The implications and pitfalls of dual roles are regularly addressed in the legal and ethical literature (Corey, Corey, & Callanan, 2007; Kaplan, et al.; 2009; Moleski & Kiselica, 2005). Most ethical codes caution against entering into dual roles and provide guidance when they cannot be avoided (American Counseling Association, 2005). Dual roles and relationships most frequently addressed in ethical codes included bartering, social relations, and sexual relations. Some of these dual relationships are unethical as well as illegal and should be avoided; for example, sexual relationships with clients. Other dual roles are potentially harmful and should be avoided or managed carefully with a keen awareness of the potential consequences. Bartering for services and social relationships outside of therapy would fall into this category.

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