Statistics show that two thirds of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIs/ANs) live outside of tribal areas, and 50% of those individuals who seek counseling services will not use tribal resources. There is a strong likelihood that counselors will have the opportunity to provide services to AI/AN clients. The review of the academic literature…

The clinical experience of a Euro-American female counselor-in-training providing bilingual family therapy services to Mexican immigrants is described. Cultural themes encountered when applying academic discourse to clinical work are raised in the context of case studies in which the student therapist works from a postmodern client-as-expert…

Counselors pride themselves on their developmental focus; however, they have generally only applied phasic theories to counseling practice and have not incorporated constructive "stage" theories into clinical work. This article begins to rectify that lack by explicating the relevance of Kegan's subject-object theory for counseling practice, by…

Presents an interview with Jay Haley, an acclaimed pioneering therapist and master teacher. He is one of the founders of family therapy and has written 19 books on various aspects of therapy. (GCP)

Explores family therapy theory as it relates to the training of novice family counselors. Recent advances in the field have complicated the decision regarding what theories should be taught in introductory courses. Questions are posed concerning whether the traditional theories should be taught as they were originally conceptualized or whether…

Addresses advantages of, and potential pitfalls in, integrated approaches to marital counseling. Presents a sequential approach in which various approaches to marital counseling are integrated without jeopardizing internal consistency and uniformity in treatment. Offers precounseling considerations and procedures for a five-session series.…

Presents an interview with Everett L. Worthington, Jr., a clinical psychologist active broadly within the marriage and family counseling fields, as well as the Christian counseling movement. He sees himself as a bridge among the secular academic community, the general population, and broader religious populations. Describes his interests and…

Multisystemic Therapy (MST) is a well-validated, evidenced-based treatment for serious clinical problems presented by adolescents and their families. This article is an introduction to the MST approach and outlines key clinical features, describes the theoretical underpinnings, and discusses the empirical support for MST's effectiveness with a…

Presents an interview with Peggy Papp, a faculty member at the Ackerman Institute for the Family, where she is director of the Depression in Context Project. The Interview focuses on Papp's journey to becoming a marriage and family therapist and her role as a leader in field of feminist therapy. (GCP)

Although many individuals living in poverty are referred for family counseling services via schools, court systems, and social service agencies, theories have failed to provide an adequate framework for treatment. This article addresses the common principles of the multisystems approach and feminist family therapies and how they can be applied in…

Purports that because family counselors are not yet sufficiently adept at dealing with families that have a member with some sort of learning disability, they are less likely to diagnosis and address it in the treatment process. Briefly describes the "Syndrome-L Family," and discusses the challenges of this syndrome for family counseling practice.…

Briefly reviews the literature on infertility and its emotional, physical, existential, and relational effects on individuals, couples, and families. Life crisis and biopsychosocial theories are discussed as they apply to persons struggling with infertility issues. In addition, stage models derived from a biopsychosocial perspective are presented.…

This article affirms that Adlerian therapy--both explicitly and implicitly--is a relational constructivist approach, and consequently may serve as an integrative bridge between cognitive constructivist and social constructivist therapies. Both theory and practice issues are discussed. (Contains 85 references.) (GCP)

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) provides an eight-phase emotionally corrective experience described as a "learning catalyst" for reprocessing traumatic events. The originator of EMDR discusses the experiences that influenced her innovative approach. EMDR is discussed as a learning catalyst, and many misconceptions about the…

Describes the process of how counseling theory is constructed in the classroom, deconstructed in the workplace, and then reconstructed to meet the unique needs of individual counselors. Marital and family counselor educators and students can both benefit from knowledge about this process. (Author/MKA)