A complete and accessible resource for working with couples and families Becoming a Family Counselor sets a new standard for family therapy texts. Working from a broad historical orientation, it focuses on the common themes that reappear across various theoretical approaches and connects family practice with individual approaches. Crossing boundaries of generation, gender, race, and culture, this useful introduction presents current thinking related to today's practice issues. The text begins with an overview of couple and family counseling, emphasizing the diversity and unity in the field. The development of the field is examined, from its roots in the nineteenth century through its identity crisis in the 1980s. Subsequent chapters lay out an integrated approach to contemporary family research, theory, and therapy; core chapters focus on understanding the contributions of behavioral, organizational, narrative, emotional, and spiritual perspectives. The last section of the book offers practical chapters on conducting family therapy in organizational contexts that often define the client in individual terms. Readers are encouraged to balance a change orientation with a respect for continuity and tradition. Complete with illuminating case studies, self-evaluation exercises, suggestions for independent study, and current ethics codes, Becoming a Family Counselor is a dynamic resource suitable for both students and practicing mental health professionals.

A complete and accessible resource for working with couples and families Becoming a Family Counselor sets a new standard for family therapy texts. Working from a broad historical orientation, it focuses on the common themes that reappear across various theoretical approaches and connects family practice with individual approaches. Crossing boundaries of generation, gender, race, and culture, this useful introduction presents current thinking related to today's practice issues. The text begins with an overview of couple and family counseling, emphasizing the diversity and unity in the field. The development of the field is examined, from its roots in the nineteenth century through its identity crisis in the 1980s. Subsequent chapters lay out an integrated approach to contemporary family research, theory, and therapy; core chapters focus on understanding the contributions of behavioral, organizational, narrative, emotional, and spiritual perspectives. The last section of the book offers practical chapters on conducting family therapy in organizational contexts that often define the client in individual terms. Readers are encouraged to balance a change orientation with a respect for continuity and tradition. Complete with illuminating case studies, self-evaluation exercises, suggestions for independent study, and current ethics codes, Becoming a Family Counselor is a dynamic resource suitable for both students and practicing mental health professionals.

How does one obtain employment and succeed in the growing yet competitive field of family therapy? For anyone asking themselves this question, The Marriage and Family Therapy Career Guide is the resource to read. It is structured around a series of interviews with successful graduates of accredited MFT programs and covers a wide range of career options. Not only is up-to-date information on licensure and practice requirements for each state included, the authors also present agency, residential, coaching, medical, legal, tribal, academic, corporate, faith-based, and private practice options. The book ends with a section for those professionals who wish to practice abroad. This is an indispensable guide for marriage and family therapists wishing to start their career, or change their area of practice.

Finding Your Voice as a Beginning Marriage and Family Therapist provides support to early career marriage and family therapists who seek authentic and meaningful connections with themselves, their colleagues, and the clients they serve. The book addresses a lack of resources for early career therapists during professional formation, particularly for those who have marginalized aspects of their identity. Readers will move toward celebrating their varied social contextual selves to gain a sense of empowerment, allowing themselves to fully engage in their educational, clinical, and supervisory journey. The authors offer unique insights on the literature of clinical training as well as authentic stories from early career as well as more seasoned MFTs. There are exercises for the reader and practical skills for active engagement in their own development. Reflection questions at the end of each chapter can be used for personal reflection or to frame dialogue with classmates and colleagues. Adaptable for use in the classroom, support groups, and in group/individual supervision settings, Finding Your Voice as a Beginning Marriage and Family Therapist is an essential resource for students and beginner clinicians.

Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) is a profession that is expected to grow rapidly over the next ten years. This timely text provides the essential knowledge base for all facets of supervision in marriage and family therapy that is required to become an AAMFT Approved Supervisor. The book focuses specifically on the distinctive model of supervision used in Marriage and Family Therapy and further examines the unique supervisory issues arising within different approaches to the profession. Distinguished by its use of a single case example across chapters to help clarify how different theories differ and overlap, the book embraces the full range of theoretical approaches, in addition to featuring a “nuts and bolts” approach to the day-to-day fundamentals of MFT supervision. Grounded in the most up-to-date literature, the text discusses methods and issues of MFT supervision within multigenerational, structural, cognitive-behavioral, narrative, feminist, integrative, brief, and other supervision models. The text also surveys the most important and emerging settings and populations in which marriage and family therapists work, including medical and post-disaster trauma-informed practices. It covers legal and ethical issues and discusses how culture, gender, and ethnicity must be considered during the supervision process. The text also addresses how to tailor supervision to the supervisee’s developmental level. Examples of common supervision dilemmas vividly demonstrate foundational principles. With contributions from leading marriage and family therapy educators and experienced supervisors, the text is designed for therapists at both the Master’s and Doctoral levels who seek the Approved Supervisor Credential and for MFT faculty who teach the AAMFT supervision course. Key Features: Meets the learning requirements for AAMFT-mandated courses leading to certification as an approved supervisor Covers the fundamentals of supervision in the systemic context that lies at the heart of marriage and family therapy Covers supervision in the major approaches to MFT, including cognitive-behavioral, brief, narrative, structural, and other orientations Provides an illustrative case study across all supervision models to demonstrate the uniqueness and similarities of each approach Includes coverage of important populations and settings for MFT, such as medical and post-disasters.

A comprehensive and practical approach to the world of marriage, couples, and family counseling Esteemed academics David Capuzzi and Mark D. Stauffer present the theory, research, and real-life practice of today's counselors and therapists in family therapy settings. Aligned with the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE), this useful text covers foundational teaching important to readers, but also critical modern topics not included in other texts, such as sexuality, trauma, divorce, domestic violence, and addictions, filial play therapy, and using community genograms to position culture and context in family therapy. With a unique focus on practical applications, the book discusses the major family therapy theories, and provides graduate students and post-graduate learners in counseling, mental health, and behavioral health fields the skills and techniques they need to help couples and families as part of their work in a variety of helping environments. Each chapter contains case studies and anecdotes that help readers think critically about the issues they are likely to deal with as clinicians. Written by recognized and respected contributors, this book helps readers see the connection between what they know and what happens in couples and family counseling sessions. Readers will: Learn the knowledge and skills essential to family therapy Understand the history, concepts, and techniques associated with major theories Examine the key issues specific to couples work, with relevant intervention Explore solutions to the complexities generated by special issues Discusses the modern realities of family, diversity and culture, and systemic contexts Family and couples counseling presents a complex interplay of various factors inherent to each individual, the dynamic interplay between each person's issues, and the outside influences that shape behavior. Foundations of Couples, Marriage, and Family Counseling helps readers sort out the complexity and guide clients toward lasting resolution.