The psychosocial needs of couples impacted by aphasia are often unmet. Sixty-one marriage and family therapists' (MFTs) experiences, perceived knowledge, confidence, comfort, and barriers in working with couples impacted by aphasia, and their interactions with speech-language pathologists (SLPs) were investigated using survey methodology. All MFTs were licensed, practicing in the US, and had at least 3 years of experience. Participants completed the following in order: (a) a pre-intervention survey, (b) one of two intervention conditions, and (c) a post-intervention survey. Twenty-eight respondents were randomly assigned to an education-alone intervention and 33 respondents were assigned to an education plus Relationship-Centered Communication Partner Training program (RC-CPT). The results of the present study suggest that MFTs who participated in this survey consider providing therapy to couples impacted by aphasia to fall within their scope of practice and already feel comfortable with various skills needed to provide therapy to this population. Aphasia education alone and education plus RC-CPT can both improve MFTs' knowledge, confidence, and comfort in working with couples impacted by aphasia but being shown a model of RC-CPT likely helped MFTs better visualize therapy, which bolstered changes in respondents' perceptions. Future development of RC-CPT should prioritize MFT involvement as collaborators and consultants. Continuing education courses and interprofessional collaboration are needed to better address the psychosocial needs of people with aphasia (PWA) from an interdisciplinary perspective.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BGMYU2/oai:scholarsarchive.byu.edu:etd-11286 |
| Date | 28 March 2024 |
| Creators | Christensen, Madison Rae |
| Publisher | BYU ScholarsArchive |
| Source Sets | Brigham Young University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Theses and Dissertations |
| Rights | https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/ |
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