Analyzes information about callers, their problems, and the responses made by counselors at a Relate (Marriage Guidance) Helpline telephone service. An assessment of the value of the telephone service is made in light of its aim, to provide a prompt response to people whose relationships are in difficulty and are unable to wait for a counseling…

Recognizing mental health needs of diverse populations, emphasizing cultural diversity, and recruiting ethnic minority students are important foci of current of marriage and family therapy training programs. However, the profession has made little progress in identifying the needs and experiences of its international students and practitioners.…

Many couples who come in for family counseling report that financial difficulty is a factor contributing to their current struggles. Yet few therapists spend much time, or even feel qualified to help couples in this critical area. The purpose of this study was to interview subjects who were married or who are married to discern their financial…

Surveyed 274 counselor education chairpersons concerning current status of marriage and family counseling in counselor education. Respondents indicated that marriage and family programs are growing in popularity, identified courses frequently employed in counselor training, discussed accreditation of marriage and family counseling programs.…

Compared two models of family therapy supervision: supervision based on delayed feedback supervision concepts and supervision based on the concepts of live supervision using the team approach. No significant differences were detected between the two supervision models in their ability to help interns acquire and retain selected family therapy…

The author discusses standards for professional training and laws governing the practice of marriage counseling in various states. The groundwork and guidelines set by the American Association of Marriage Counselors have been outlined. (JC)

The who, what, when, where, and why of providing clinical supervision for marriage counselors is discussed, dealing with such questions as: How often? For how long? Interminably? In what settings? Practical as well as philosophical suggestions are made. Description of supervision, moving through preceptorship, apprenticeship, mentorship,…

Studied current and projected involvement of counselor education departments in marriage and family counselor training to assess the extent counselor educators agreed with 30 marriage and family counseling competencies. Results indicated high level of involvement in marriage and family counseling preparation with an indication of increased…

Describes the spiritual genogram, a blueprint of family members' multigenerational religious and spiritual affiliations, events, and conflicts. Used as a tool in both training and supervision, the spiritual genogram enables students and supervisees to make sense of their own religious and spiritual heritage and to explore the ways in which their…

This article discusses the curriculum of an ethics course for marriage and family counseling students, focusing on (a) course objectives and course schedule, (b) active learning techniques in the classroom, (c) homework assignments (including the use of technology), and (d) midterm and final exams. The use of active teaching techniques is…

Examines developments in empirical research in family therapy training since Kniskern and Gurman's (1979) review. Assesses present knowledge concerning training outcomes in marital and family therapy from six studies of the development of instruments for measuring the outcome of training and nine studies which actually evaluate training outcome.…

Drawing on earlier research, presents the stages of counselors' cognitive flow (what counselors are thinking). Describes associated techniques that can be used by supervisors of any theoretical orientation to teach supervisees working with couples to be aware of and modify their thought processes in sessions. (RJM)

Explores marriage and family therapy student's inclusion of gender in conceptualization of a clinical case by viewing an intake interview conducted by a sex therapist to identify the couple's central issue. Results revealed that trained students who considered gender might have analyzed gender issues more extensively. Discusses how these biases…

Describes a multidimensional model for providing comprehensive mental health consultation to Head Start programs. Explores the skills necessary for marriage and family therapists to work effectively as systems consultants. Recommendations are made for applying the model in both university and private settings. (Author/MKA)

Resurgence of interest in marriage and family enrichment has propelled educators to examine the training of new therapists in preventive approaches to therapy. This article presents a graduate course to educate students about the enrichment movement and skill and competency based approaches to family interventions. (BF)