ABSTRACT Online telesupervision (OTS) is synchronous (real-time) audio and video interactions between a supervisor and a clinician who are not in the same physical location. The COVID-19 pandemic created an abrupt pivot to OTS, requiring systemic supervisors and clinicians to adopt and utilize technologies which were unfamiliar to many. To facilitate the effective adoption and implementation of OTS we draw attention to three distinct competencies critical to the effective use of OTS: technological, contextual, and relational. These competencies are in no way exhaustive but lay the ground work for systemic supervisors to engage and connect with supervisees using video conferencing technology. In addition to the competencies, specific techniques and strategies are suggested to assist supervisors hone their skills in OTS and subsequently improve the quality and effectiveness of supervision in a virtual environment.

ABSTRACTResearchers used thematic analysis to identify participant perceptions of the alignment between their faith traditions and family systems theory, structural family therapy, Bowen’s multigenerational theory, and narrative family therapy. Thirty-seven participants from six faith orientations, including 20 denominations or sects, responded to a survey. Patterns across responses indicate that family systems theory concepts are compatible across diverse faith traditions. Structural family therapy’s emphasis on restructuring boundaries and hierarchy is compatible across faith traditions as long as cultural and religious norms are carefully considered. Bowen’s concepts of detriangulation and differentiation are compatible across faith traditions, but particular beliefs may contradict the transmission of family patterns. Core concepts of narrative family therapy are compatible across faith traditions as long as therapists honor intuitive processes, include stories from clients’ faith traditions, and do not instill stories of false hope. Regardless of model, some clients may resist definitions of psychological dysfunction and understand illness and change as supernatural.

ABSTRACTWhen clients attend therapy, there is often “mystery” regarding the therapist’s model, use of specific interventions, and how change occurs in the therapy room. Unlike therapist’s use of self-disclosure, which is the exposure of the therapist’s personal thoughts, feelings, and experiences, this article introduces a new concept—therapeutic transparency. Therapeutic transparency allows an open dialogue between therapist and client regarding how change occurs and the tenets of the therapist’s model. This article discusses the importance of being transparent in the therapy process and five steps that therapists should engage in to help remove mystery and increase client participation.

ABSTRACTUp to half of clients in psychotherapy do not return after their initial session, and clients in family therapy are more likely than those in individual therapy to terminate after the first session. Recent research has identified six therapist-related conditions in the family therapy session that have influenced client decisions to continue after the first session. This article reports the findings of a review of the professional literature aimed at operationalizing the six therapist-related conditions by identifying specific family therapist actions that can be deliberately applied during initial family therapy sessions to increase the chances that client families will return.

ABSTRACTThis study investigates the effects of a solution-focused brief counseling training program on telephone-counseling volunteers in Taiwan, with an emphasis on promoting their counseling self-efficacy. There were 14 hotline volunteers recruited from Taipei Lifeline, they received 24 hours of solution-focused brief counseling training over 3 days. All participants were required to fill in an open-ended course feedback form after the solution-focused brief counseling training program and 1 month later. We used open coding to analyze the verbal data from the course-feedback forms. There were 6 features contributing to the effect of this solution-focused brief counseling training program that were found: helpful solution-focused brief counseling skills, the usefulness of solution-focused brief counseling’s stages, the establishment of basic knowledge of solution-focused brief counseling, enhancing the confidence and stability of telephone-counseling volunteers, the positive influence on volunteers’ personal life, and effective ways to learn and master solution-focused brief counseling. Using the research results, this study discusses solution-focused brief counseling training as it relates to telephone-counseling volunteers and suggests further research directions in relevant fields.

ABSTRACTReframing is a fundamental and widely used technique in individual and relational therapy. Despite the widespread use of reframing, we are not aware of explicit and comprehensive guidelines for constructing reframes. This lack of clarity about how to develop reframes may lead clinicians to do so haphazardly. Further, those who train marriage and family therapists may struggle to effectively teach students to develop reframes. In this article, we present three principles that guide the development of effective reframes. We offer these principles as one way to teach students to construct reframes and have developed case vignettes to demonstrate the application of these three principles.

ABSTRACTMany studies have been reported that higher levels of depression and anxiety in parents of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of group resiliency training on anxiety, depression, and marital satisfaction in mothers of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This study was an experimental, pretest—post-test study with control group. Participants included 54 mothers of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Mothers were randomly divided to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received 8 group resiliency training sessions and then compared in changes in Beck depression and anxiety scale and the Enrich marital satisfaction scale. Results of multivariate analysis of covariance showed significant change in depression, anxiety, and marital satisfaction. Our study indicates that resiliency training can be considered as one the effective intervention for anxiety, depression, and marital satisfaction in these mothers.

ABSTRACTNumerous studies have described fathers’ low participation in child psychotherapy. Few studies, however, have explored the clinical challenges involved in the process of engaging fathers effectively. The present study sought to address this gap by assessing the clinical process that takes place when the father joins therapy. Treatment supporters in a counseling program for child behavior problems were interviewed about clinical cases involving attempts to engage fathers. Qualitative analysis of the interviews revealed three main themes: The father’s initial suspiciousness, the father’s prior involvement at home, and the mother’s perception of the father’s help. Based on study results, a new model for fathers’ engagement is proposed.

ABSTRACTAn ecomap, also called ecogram, is a tool that spans multiple disciplines, including social work, nursing, counseling, and other medical and mental health fields. They are a visual depiction of relationships, social networks, and social support (Crawford, Grant, & Crews, 2014). Ecomaps can be especially relevant for couples and families that have multiple layers of sexual and gender diversity, as they are facing homophobia, heterosexism, and cisgenderism. By conducting an ecomap with them, we further understand the strengths and support in their social context. In this article, we will describe this intervention, using an exemplar case.