Destructive Consequences of Lack

Growing up in lack (without love and affection, etc.) results in destructive consequences and impacts lives for generations. Marriage and family therapist David Richo (2002) recognizes love as the 5 A’s: attention, affection, appreciation, acceptance, and allowing. These are the necessary ingredients for a loving, healthy relationship to develop and withstand. This includes the parent-child [...]

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Cultural Considerations in the Treatment of Eating Disorders

Eating disorders (ED) are prevalent among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), yet predominately associated with images of White, young, thin, affluent women (Gordon, Perez, & Joiner, 2002). This myth is influenced by who gets a diagnosis, participates in clinical research, and receives care in treatment settings. Popular media portrayals of ED and people [...]

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Demons Under the Dinner Table: The Impact of Diet Culture and Weight Stigma on the Black Community

According to the CDC, in the U.S., African Americans of all age groups have the highest obesity rates of all ethnic groups in the country (Petersen, Pan, & Blanck, 2019). The CDC also reports African Americans to have the highest prevalence of obesogenic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and stroke (Petersen, Pan, & [...]

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Black Families and Body Image: The Need for a Holistic Approach

Extensive studies (e.g., Gillen & Markey, 2016; Cussins, 2001) focus on body image and the consequences for mental health. Unfortunately, a scarcity of research examined body image within the context of Black families’ experiences. Issues surrounding body images among Black people must be understood within the broader historical and familial experiences in which they exist. [...]

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Reflection On My Brother’s Death & The Blessing of Guilt:

For all who have had to say their goodbye to a loved one during the COVID-19 pandemic and have not been able to say “good-bye.” My brother, Richard (“Rick”), died on December 15, 2020, during the wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. I was told that Rick contracted and died from “double-pneumonia,” but I have my [...]

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The Special Needs Marriage

My wife and I catapulted into the special needs world with the birth of our son, Kaydan, who was born with Down syndrome. As a clinician and an Army chaplain, I thought I was well equipped for what lay ahead, but was mortified when I learned that many of the marriages with special needs children [...]

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The Motivation Behind Problematic Online Gaming

A portion of the U.S. population is choosing online games as a form of recreation and, consequently, develop unhealthy preoccupations with activities on the internet. Survey results released from the Pew Research Center reveal American adults and youth are choosing computer games as a form of recreation at rates between 48% and 77% (Duggan, 2015). [...]

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My Living Purse

Recently, I said goodbye to a dear friend and companion. Millions of people have a dog story; this is my story. December 2008, I felt a coworker’s excitement about getting her kids dogs for Christmas. As I listened in, I had the thought of wanting a dog for myself. When I made the decision to [...]

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Obesity, Nutrition, & Global Perspectives

data note therapy talk In “What MFTs Should Know About Nutrition, Psychosocial Health, and Collaborative Care with Nutrition Professionals,” by Josh R. Novak, Lindsey P. Robinson, and Leslie E. Korn, published July 15, 2021 in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, the authors note that “MFTs should consider the client's sociocultural context when it [...]

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Profession and Practice

In the AAMFT Governance Policies (December 2019)—and on the AAMFT website—there is a Core Purpose statement of AAMFT that reads, “Recognizing that relationships are fundamental to the health and well-being of individuals, couples, families, and communities, AAMFT exists to advance the profession and the practice of marriage and family therapy.” Have you ever considered what [...]

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