March / April 2023 Volume 22, No. 2
Helping Survivors of Suicide
Debra and Keith* were back in my office, still trying to decide what to do. She was highly distressed over their marriage; he was equally confused about her distress. After several agonizing months of back-and-forth in both individual and marital therapy, she concluded the only way to move forward was alone. The reasons she provided [...]
Read MoreMarch / April 2023 Volume 22, No. 2
Coping with the Loss of a Client
Grief and loss can be a challenging topic to discuss for most; words do not bring back the loved one who was lost. Those who surround you may be extra cautious not to bring up memories or topics for fear of triggering you or causing you emotional pain. This, in turn, creates a vicious cycle [...]
Read MoreMarch / April 2023 Volume 22, No. 2
How MFTs Can Support Transnationals Through Their Grief Process
Transnationalism Immigration is a significant life change that can bring about various emotional challenges, including grief and loss (Falicov, 2019). It can also complicate the grief process when a loss occurs post-immigration (Falicov, 2019). As a result, marriage and family therapists (MFTs) can play a critical role in helping immigrants navigate these emotional challenges. MFTs [...]
Read MoreMarch / April 2023 Volume 22, No. 2
Children’s Reactions to Death
At some point in time in our lives, we experience the loss of loved ones. Whether that be parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents, friends, and/or others about whom we care. Commonly, the perception is that these individuals will pass when we are adults; it is challenging to fathom that children will experience death before they [...]
Read MoreJanuary / February 2023 Volume 22, No. 1
Understanding the Role of Humor in Family Therapy
From the inception of the field, family therapists have developed creative ways of integrating humor into their work. This is largely because humor invites clients to engage with seemingly incongruous ideas in constructive ways. However, the pros and cons of using humor in psychotherapy are not always obvious, and clinicians would benefit from a deeper [...]
Read MoreJanuary / February 2023 Volume 22, No. 1
In Praise of Lightening Up
How does one justify to one’s spouse packing a box of condoms for an upcoming solo business trip? I don’t know, and neither did Frank. Frank did, however, discover that if “I’m not sure how those got in there” doesn’t soothe a dubious spouse, a panicked “well, just in case” will help one’s cause even [...]
Read MoreNovember / December 2022 Volume 21, No.6
Wellness Series Part 1 – Don’t Sleep on it: An Urgent Call for MFTs to Attend to Sleep in Therapy
The global COVID-19 pandemic, political uncertainty, and racial tension over the last few years has undoubtedly taken a toll on our psychological, physical, and social relationships. One of the more impactful and important mechanisms through which this manifests is through sleep quality, particularly poorer sleep. Indeed, both the global/national events (e.g., Targa et al., 2021) [...]
Read MoreNovember / December 2022 Volume 21, No.6
Embracing A Lifestyle of Wellness: Self-care for MFTs
The last couple years have been full of disruptions, chaos, and disequilibrium due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, the pandemic has contributed to disorientation in almost every area of life and has “exposed every crack in our personal and professional tapestry” (Gould, 2021, p. 203). Most helping professionals, including marriage and family therapists (MFTs), [...]
Read MoreNovember / December 2022 Volume 21, No.6
Insomnia: A Beginner’s Guide for Marriage and Family Therapists
Impacting millions of individuals every year, insomnia is a common, costly, and problematic sleep issue affecting everyone from children to senior citizens. Insomnia is considered the most common sleep disturbance in the United States (Cleveland Clinic, 2020). It is associated with several emotional, behavioral, social, and physical health complaints and elevated rates have been found [...]
Read MoreNovember / December 2022 Volume 21, No.6
Wellness Series Part 2 – Why MFTs Should Assess and Discuss Nutrition Habits in Therapy
The foods that our clients are eating (or not) are the building blocks for all the important neurochemicals that help brains run effectively and efficiently (Arden, 2015). Unfortunately, not only can excess calories be consumed, but these may be more highly processed foods, leaving the individual with micronutrient deficiencies (Astrup & Bügel, 2019). Importantly, poor [...]
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