An Analysis of AAMFT Supervisors: Their Identities,Roles, and Resources*

This paper reports data from a comprehensive study of AAMFT approved supervisors. It reviews findings on a variety of demographic variables and identifies significant relationships between these data and patterns of supervisory attitudes and procedures. The discussion presents a demographic profile of the approved supervisors with an analysis of their supervisory models and resources, the extent of their professional activities, and the issue of adjunctive personal psychotherapy for students in clinical training.     

Social Constructionism,Sexuality, and Politics

No abstract available for this article.     

Therapists’ Responses to Treatment Termination: An Inquiry into the Variables that Contribute to Therapists’ Experiences

The study investigates predictors of emotional responses to treatment termination in a sample of 48 professional social workers and 92 student social workers in Israel. The findings show that the respondents found treatment termination to be moderately difficult, and client initiated terminations to be especially difficult and to bring in its wake particularly negative emotions. They also show that the aftermath of the termination was related to the process. The less abrupt the termination, the more control the therapists had over the termination process, the more central the therapeutic relationship was to them, the more they attained the therapeutic goals, the less they believed that the therapy had failed, the more choice they had in the treatment termination, and the more they wanted the termination, the more positive self-feelings the therapist reported. The paper suggests that treatment termination is better viewed as a transition than a loss and discusses the clinical implications of the findings.     

An Empirical Approach to Supervision and Training of Relationship Therapists

This paper presents an empirical approach to supervision and training of marriage and family therapists. Advantages from the use of the empirical approach include a systematic investigation of the skills and competencies of the therapist and establishing the basis for the scientific study of supervision. A Counseling Problems Worksheet is presented to help in developing multiple hypothesis related to counselor skill deficiencies. Two case studies are given to demonstrate the use of the empirical approach .     

Participant Supervision: Supervisor and Supervisee Experiences of Cotherapy

Participant supervision is a unique application of live supervision in which a supervisor and supervisee see clients conjointly. Although minimally discussed in the family therapy literature, it has notable advantages, chief among them being a shared clinical experience that increases attunement to supervisee skill and development, the modeling of skillful intervention, and a higher degree of collegiality. However, it is not without its challenges, including supervisee vulnerability and anxiety, diffusion of responsibility, and limited time for case discussion. This article highlights the experience of one supervisor and three doctoral‐level supervisees engaging in participant supervision over the course of a 2‐year period. Using illustrative examples, we discuss our experience of the advantages and challenges of participant supervision, and provide recommendations for establishing a collaborative relational context within which supervisory benefits can be maximized.     

Taking Subjectivity and Reflexivity Seriously: Implications of Social Constructionism for Researching Volunteer Motivation

This paper explores the contributions a social constructionist paradigm can make for researching volunteer motivation, by reflecting on an active membership study of volunteer netball coaches at a New Zealand high school. Social constructionism is based on philosophical assumptions which differ from those of positivism and post-positivism, the dominant paradigms for understanding and representing volunteer motivation. It highlights the social processes through which people give meaning to their motives and view researchers as necessarily implicated in this meaning-making process. Through a critique of the extant literature on volunteer motivation and an illustration of the insights of social constructionism from our empirical study, we consider how volunteer motivation research could be different if subjectivity and reflexivity were taken more seriously.     

The Experiences of Couple/Marriage and Family Therapists of color: A Survey Analysis

The family therapy literature documenting the experiences of couple/marriage and family therapists (C/MFTs) of color as a group is limited. The purpose of this study was to assess the status of C/MFTs of color in their clinical training programs, clinical work, and related areas of professional challenges and opportunities. Participants (N = 113) completed a one‐time, anonymous electronic survey on SurveyMonkey consisting of demographic questions, closed‐ and open‐ended questions about their experiences. Key findings are reported related to C/MFTs of color experiences in training programs, areas of professional need, and working with racial and/or ethnic minority clients. These findings shed light on how social justice principles and practices upheld in our field are experienced from the emic perspectives of C/MFTs of color. These voices help to broaden our understanding of how we might move forward in advocating for and advancing a more culturally responsive agenda within our profession.     

Beyond Social Constructionism: A Structural Analysis of the Cultural Significance of the Child Star

This article challenges the dominance of social constructionist theories of childhood by presenting a structural analysis of the child star as a recurrent, universal feature in the myths and legends of the world. The article argues that by conceptualising our understanding of children and childhood as being due solely to the socio‐historical context in which they live, an important dimension of childhood may be overlooked. Through looking at media stories about child stars throughout the twentieth century, this article uses a psychoanalytic Jungian framework to explore deeper similarities and patterns in cultural story telling about children over different cras and social contexts.     

Social Protection and Health: Experiences in Uganda

There is an interesting and continuing debate on the nature and role of social protection in poverty reduction. Within the health sector, discussion has focussed on the drawbacks associated with fee exemption schemes and community‐based health insurance, with much less attention paid to the policy option of abolishing user fees. This paper reviews empirical evidence on the impact of the Government of Uganda's decision in 2001 to abolish user fees for health services. The paper finds that this policy intervention has had a significant positive impact on health‐seeking behaviour in Uganda and concludes that this policy measure can make an important contribution towards a more ‘promotional’ policy approach to social protection.     

Experiences of Family Therapists Working with Families in a Transitional Homeless Community

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and observations of marriage and family therapists (MFTs) conducting an empirically supported parenting program at a transitional homeless community. A diary method was used in recording five MFTs' observations and reactions to implementing the psychoeducational groups. Fifty‐one recordings were collected from three different parenting groups over the course of 20 weeks. Constant comparative method was used to identify themes related to MFTs' experiences of conducting the parenting program. These themes included the needs of at‐risk families, confidentiality, and role ambivalence and boundary ambiguity. We provide recommendations for best practices and an example of therapists' decision‐making process using Kitchener's (1984) model.     

Challenges,Speculations, Risks: Flying With Dragons: Social Constructionism Beyond the Realm of Academia

Postmodernism has had far‐reaching effects on the field of psychology and psychotherapy, allowing us to question truths which were once thought to be infallible. Students in psychotherapy in particular are often excited by the new and dynamic possibilities for practice that arise from postmodernism. However, these new therapists often experience ‘resistance’ when, from their position as students or interns, they try to engage with traditional services, such as psychiatric facilities. This article takes the form of a conversation between a supervisor and a Clinical Psychology Masters student who is attempting to write a thesis that will reflect the spirit of postmodern thinking while at the same time be acceptable to university requirements. The student's thesis is based on her attempt to do postmodern family therapy with the family of a patient diagnosed with schizophrenia. But their dialogue keeps being interrupted by other voices, as characters from the ‘dramatic dialogue’ the student has imagined break into ‘reality’, leaving the reader to ponder what is really going on.     

约旦社会保障制度改革及其启示

和世界上大多数国家一样,约旦也面临着越来越严重的人口老龄化问题。为此,约旦政府在社会保障领域实施了三项重要的改革措施。一是参数式改革,即不改变现有制度的性质,只是调整具体的参数;二是整合碎片化制度改革,把公务员和军事人员纳入全国统一的社保制度中来;三是未雨绸缪,积极开展公共预筹积累制改革,融资模式由现收现付制逐步过渡到部分积累制,不断完善投资管理体制。这三项改革不仅符合世界银行提倡的改革模式,而且这三项改革措施之间的相互配合与协调,有力地推动了约旦社保制度的改革和发展,具有极强的借鉴意义。     

约旦社会保障制度改革及其启示

和世界上大多数国家一样,约旦也面临着越来越严重的人口老龄化问题。为此,约旦政府在社会保障领域实施了三项重要的改革措施。一是参数式改革,即不改变现有制度的性质,只是调整具体的参数;二是整合碎片化制度改革,把公务员和军事人员纳入全国统一的社保制度中来;三是未雨绸缪,积极开展公共预筹积累制改革,融资模式由现收现付制逐步过渡到部分积累制,不断完善投资管理体制。这三项改革不仅符合世界银行提倡的改革模式,而且这三项改革措施之间的相互配合与协调,有力地推动了约旦社保制度的改革和发展,具有极强的借鉴意义。     

The Reflective Learning Model: Supervision of Social Work Students

A key task for the field education supervisor is to facilitate reflection in beginning practice, and to promote in the student a sense of ownership, mastery and understanding of his or her clinical process. At the same time the supervisor is charged to instruct and guide the student. A major challenge for the supervisor is to balance these two dimensions of supervision and maintain a focus on the student's experience rather than the supervisor's expertise. The authors present a Reflective Learning Model which identifies the importance of both facilitative and didactic interventions within effective supervision. A case study is provided to demonstrate the model in action.     

Attending to Social Justice in Clinical Social Work: Supervision as a Pedagogical Space

Although social justice is a central professional value of social work articulated in ethics codes, clinical social workers have been long criticized for not clearly incorporating this professed commitment into practice. Supervision is an optimal space within which clinicians can develop knowledge and skills to attend to the issues related to social justice in their practice. A growing body of literature emphasizes social justice in the delivery of clinical services, yet there is a death of literature on how clinical supervision can promote social justice seeking clinical work. In this paper, we draw from existing literature to identify key elements involved in social justice seeking clinical supervision. Using Goodyear’s (Clin Superv 33:82–99, 2014) learning mechanisms of clinical supervision, which consists of modeling, feedback, direct instruction, and self-directed learning, we discuss a case composite to illustrate ways in which clinical supervision can serve as a pedagogical space to advance clinical social workers’ commitment to social justice.     

Aversive Peer Experiences on Social Networking Sites: Development of the Social Networking‐Peer Experiences Questionnaire (SN‐PEQ)

Cyber victimization is an important research area, yet little is known about aversive peer experiences on social networking sites (SNSs), which are used extensively by youth and host complex social exchanges. Across samples of adolescents (n = 216) and young adults (n = 214), we developed the Social Networking‐Peer Experiences Questionnaire (SN‐PEQ) and examined its psychometric properties, distinctiveness from traditional peer victimization measures, and associations with internalized distress. The SN‐PEQ demonstrated strong factorial invariance and a single‐factor structure that was distinct from other forms of peer victimization. Negative SNS experiences were associated with youths' symptoms of social anxiety and depression, even when controlling for traditional peer victimization. Findings highlight the importance of examining the effects of aversive peer experiences that occur via social media.     

Constructing Critical Conversations in Social Work Supervision: Creating Change

Clinical social work supervision is not immune to enactments of racial and social injustice, prejudice, power and privilege rampant in our social environment and institutions. These dynamics are active in all social interactions. Most often felt on impact, these remain underground and unevenly experienced—though predominantly by people representing intersecting marginalized identities. Such real enactments can be misunderstood or avoided in social work supervision. Negative consequences not only impede learning for the supervisee and supervisor, and affect clinical understanding of client care they also perpetuate injustice based on power and social locations. Social work supervision provides space for critical analysis to identify and alter dynamics of power, privilege, and social oppression. The critical conversations (CC) model provides a framework to illuminate and examine power dynamics in order to produce change with parallel insight and action—supervisee, supervisor, and client care. Supervisee and supervisor gain capacity to engage in reflection, examine personal and professional values, hold tension and tolerate ambiguity, use one self critically, articulate ideas and insights thoughtfully and effectively, as well as inform clinical understanding of clients. The need for critical dialogue in social work supervision regarding dynamics of sameness, differences, intersectional identities, power and privilege is emphasized. Theoretical grounding is offered to elucidate how complex structural forces of oppression and privilege, cultural patterns and narratives are internalized. A definition of CC, its theoretical underpinnings and the CC model are presented with a case scenario to illuminate the application of the CC model in clinical supervision.