In this Lessons from the Field, we describe the lessons we learned from developing the Divorce Education Assessment Collaborative (DEAC) and creating a longitudinal evaluation plan for divorce education programs across geographically, programmatically, and format-diverse programs. Background: Although divorce education programs are commonly mandated for divorcing parents, variability in program content, format, and design can make it difficult to determine the efficacy of such programs. We contend developing a standardized evaluation tool, and making it freely available to programs, is essential for identifying best practices and moderators of program effectiveness. Experience: Members of the DEAC share their experiences and insights regarding successes and challenges in coordinating and collaborating to develop an evaluation tool that is concise, but provides key information
In 2021, many (if not most) of us were still living under the umbrella of COVID-19 with new strains or variants of the virus keeping us masked, social distancing, and engaging in work with colleagues and clients at a distance through video conferencing. The traffic of manuscripts being submitted to the Journal began to slow down, something we would see carry over well into 2022. I speculate that the reduction in submitted manuscripts is related to the pandemic. It could be associated with general stress and the "over" work people were experiencing, perhaps burnout was setting in as our work and home worlds began to blend together. Or, it could be that conducting original research and reaching out to populations of interest and securing samples was much harder during the pandemic. Despite the challenges we've all faced in 2021, JMFT continues to be a go to journal for the authors and readers of some of the best relationallyoriented clinical research that is being conducted across the world. I am happy to report that overall, the numbers that reflect the health and popularity of the Journal are still in good shape.In 2021 (January 1-December 31) we received 179 total original submissions, an 11% decrease from the previous year's 200 submissions. I can easily, but without any proof, attribute the decrease to the pandemic. The numbers from 2022 and then 2023 will help us know more about the impact of the pandemic on the scholarship in our field. Despite the overall numbers being down a bit, I believe the quality of the manuscripts we have received is just as high as in previous years.Our acceptance rate in 2021 was 34.33%. This represents a slight increase as the acceptance rate in 2020 was 26.74%. Our submissions came from 25 different countries, a decrease of 17% from last year's 30 countries. The time from initial processing by the editorial assistant to a first decision was about 33 days, with approximately half of all submitted manuscripts receiving an initial decision in less than 30 days. We continue to be committed to maintaining a quick turnaround time for our authors. I am hopeful that as the word gets out about our quick turnaround time, new authors will see JMFT as a desirable outlet for their work while those who have previously published with us will continue to submit future manuscripts to JMFT. We continue to prioritize manuscripts that focus on both processes and outcomes associated with relationship-oriented clinical approaches. We are encouraged to see more manuscripts being submitted from outside the United States. We welcome increased submissions from outside of North America and have taken extra steps to work with authors whose native language is not English.We have elected to continue the JMFT Doctoral Apprentice Reviewer Program that was instituted by my predecessor, Fred Piercy. This program plays an important role in socializing
For many family therapists who work with high-conflict divorcing families, the thought of being subpoenaed to testify about a family's progress in therapy or a parent's fitness for custody is often dreaded due to being unfamiliar with one's role in the family law system. When parents cannot communicate respectfully and engage in long-term, intense conflict during their divorce, it is considered a highconflict divorce (Mitcham-Smith & Henry, 2007;Neff & Cooper, 2004). When couples decide to divorce, often the transition is difficult as emotions can get unstable, children can be put in the middle, or parents can engage in frequent conflict. At these times, therapists can become overly involved in the difficult interactions if they are not prepared. Graduate education typically does not prepare therapists for the intense work with disaffected partners who are in the midst of a painful divorce experience. High-conflict parenting post-separation: The making and breaking of family ties was written for these complicated relationship dissolutions. The authors specifically identify two groups who could benefit from this book-mental health and legal professionals.The overall objective of this book is to give mental health professionals information on the legal proceedings of a divorce, a greater understanding of the complex family dynamics, and knowledge about the impact of emotional distress on divorcing families. The authors provide a deep dive on Family Ties, a therapeutic approach specifically targeting families in divorce or separation transitions. This approach is grounded in systems theory, attachment theory, mentalization-based concepts, cognitive behavioral theory, and psychoeducational frameworks. The Family Ties approach was designed to help families facilitate healthy boundaries and communication patterns in post-divorce family relationships. The book does not include any discussion on evidence of effectiveness or measurement of outcomes for the approach.Mental health professionals, specifically Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs), can benefit from reading this book as MFTs are sought-out professionals for families experiencing repercussions from divorce and separation. The authors explain the inner workings of the legal processes that occur during divorce and separation. It is important for readers to be aware that the authors' background is in psychiatry and clinical psychology but there is no mention of their clinical experiences with families in legal contexts. However, they do have research experience in this area.This book does not address specific ethical codes or procedures that would make it appropriate for an ethics course or a stand-alone guide to ethical practice in the field. While the language of the book is easy and approachable, this book is not recommended for introductory level clinicians but for established MFTs who find themselves commonly working with separating families. Another consideration is that the price of the book is high, but it may be worth the cost for therapists who see a nee...
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