Fidelity Assessment of the Treatnet family (TF): A family-based intervention for adolescents with substance use disorders and their families.

INTRODUCTION: In transporting family-based interventions to community settings, establishing and maintaining fidelity to intervention is important. This exploratory study was implemented in the framework of a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) global programme on Drug Dependence Treatment and Care. It is the first to examine an evidence-informed family-based intervention ("Treatnet Family"; TF) adherence for the treatment of adolescents with substance use disorders (SUD) among practitioners in community settings in Jakarta, Indonesia. METHOD: Twenty-three practitioners at five community-based counselling centres were trained in Treatnet Family and delivered it to 19 adolescents with SUD and their family members over a 6-week period. One of the five local Treatnet Family-trained supervisors randomly selected one session of the family-based intervention (TF) and observed the extent to which the practitioner's adhered to the TF manual. RESULTS: According to the supervisors' observation, all the practitioners used the Treatnet Family core skills such as positive reframing, positive relational reframing, perspective taking, relational questions, and going with resistance. There was a high level of agreement between practitioners' and supervisors' rating on the practitioners' use of specific therapeutic skills as measured using the Inventory of Therapy Techniques (ITT). CONCLUSION: Results suggest that Treatnet Family can be delivered with adherence by practitioners in community-based settings.

Exploring Partner Intimacy Among Couples Raising Children on the Autism Spectrum: A Grounded Theory Investigation.

In this study, we explored how couples raising children with autism spectrum disorder negotiate intimacy, including what contextual and temporal factors influence these processes. We conducted conjoint interviews with 12 couples, employing grounded theory methodology to collect and analyze the data. Our results indicated that fostering intimacy in these couples' relationships involves partners working together to make key cognitive and relational shifts. Couples are aided or hindered in making these shifts by the degree to which they experience various contextual and environmental factors as resources or roadblocks. We also found that intimacy is not a fixed point at which couples one day arrive, but is an iterative process taking place over time and requiring work to develop and maintain.

Most and Least Meaningful Learning Experiences in Marriage and Family Therapy Education.

Marriage and family therapy educators increasingly emphasize training competencies. What we know less about is what makes family therapy education meaningful to marriage and family therapy (MFT) graduate students and what does not. In this study, through an Internet survey, we explored the most and least meaningful learning experiences of 68 MFT graduate students and recent graduates of Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education-accredited programs. We used thematic analysis to identify and illustrate resulting themes, which included the importance of experiential and personal components to learning, the professor-student alliance, tying theory to practice, and the experiences of students with their clients, among others. We discuss the implications of these findings to support family therapy education and offer tentative suggestions for formative discussions both within and across programs. Video Abstract is found in the online version of the article.

Mindfulness-based relationship education for couples expecting their first child--part 1: a randomized mixed-methods program evaluation.

This article is Part 1 of a two-part series, in which we report on our evaluation of a mindfulness-based relationship enhancement program for couples who are expecting their first child. In this mixed-methods randomized clinical trial, we assigned 33 couples to the 4-week Mindful Transition to Parenthood Program treatment group (n = 16 couples) or to a waitlist control condition (n = 17 couples). Men in the treatment group significantly improved in relationship satisfaction, mindfulness, and negative affect; women had no significant treatment effects. Small to large effect sizes were present for treatment group men and women in multiple areas. Mixed-methods analyses demonstrated that this intervention may be especially helpful for men because of differences in social support needs, effects of program enrollment, and relational processes in the prenatal period.

Mindfulness-based relationship education for couples expecting their first child-part 2: phenomenological findings.

This phenomenological study is the second phase of a larger mixed methods study of a relationship-enhancement program for couples expecting their first child (see Gambrel & Piercy, this issue). The 4-week Mindful Transition to Parenthood Program uses mindfulness practices and interpersonal activities to develop skills of internal and interpersonal attunement. Based on semi-structured interviews with thirteen couples, four overarching themes emerged: (a) positive changes for self, (b) improvements in couple relationship, (c) more prepared for baby, and (d) male involvement. Participants stated that the program increased their acceptance and awareness, deepened connections with their partners, and led them to be more confident about becoming parents. Male participants felt they became more identified as fathers. The authors discuss the clinical implications of these findings.

The divide between "evidenced-based" approaches and practitioners of traditional theories of family therapy.

Evidenced-based approaches continue to grow in the field of family therapy. However, practicing family therapists do not always embrace these approaches. In this article, we explore factors contributing to practitioners' concerns with evidence-based treatments and suggest a broader, more clinically palatable view of evidenced-based treatment. We also suggest how family therapy researchers, practitioners, and educators might begin to close the researcher-clinician divide in the best interest of all concerned.

Essential elements of Internet infidelity treatment.

As the worldwide usage of the Internet tops 1.6 billion people, problems related to its use such as online Infidelity are becoming widespread issues for couples and, consequently, for their therapists. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how practicing therapists treat Internet infidelity through exploring the basic themes used in Internet infidelity treatment. We conducted in-depth interviews of 15 therapists with experience in treating Internet infidelity. Our findings indicate that therapists go through a variety of steps in treatment, including: (a) develop physical boundaries, (b) develop psychological boundaries, (c) manage accountability, trust, and feelings, (d) increase client awareness around etiology of the Internet relationship, (e) assessment of the couple's context and readiness for change, (f) assess the presence of unique circumstances, and (g) work toward forgiveness. Implications and future research are discussed.