Common factors in therapy such as the therapeutic alliance and client motivation have been found to account for more change than therapy models. But common factors have been critiqued as only lists of variables that provide little practical guidance. Some researchers have demonstrated that certain common elements (e.g., the therapeutic alliance) account for more variance than others (e.g., techniques), suggesting that some factors should be emphasized over others. Such findings suggest the need for alternatives to model-based therapy, with one alternative being meta-models, or "models of models," that focus on how therapeutic factors interact with each other to produce change. The purpose of this article is to propose a meta-model describing the relationship between two specific common factors-the therapeutic alliance and interventions. We also propose a new factor-a therapist's way of being-that we believe is foundational to effective therapy. The model is proposed in pyramid format, with techniques on top, the therapeutic alliance in the middle, and therapist way of being as the foundation. The hierarchical relationships between these three concepts are discussed, along with implications for training, research, and therapy.

This study aimed to explore the mental health needs of women residing in domestic violence shelters; more specifically, we aimed to identify commonalities and differences among their mental health needs. For this purpose, qualitative and quantitative data was collected from 35 women from a Midwestern domestic violence shelter. Hierarchical clustering was applied to quantitative data, and the analysis indicated a three-cluster solution. Data from the qualitative analysis also supported the differentiation of women into three distinct groups, which were interpreted as: (A) ready to change, (B) focused on negative symptoms, and (C) focused on feelings of guilt and self-blame.

This project qualitatively analyzed the stories that 23 preadolescent foster children told about their lives. An ecological framework in conjunction with the social constructionist understanding of stories guided the ethnographic semistructured interviews. These stories contained both common and unique features and provided insight into the lives of foster children whose environments involved poverty, drugs, crime, violence, and racism. Research domains included confusion, social ambivalence, anger, loss, and aids to resiliency. This study highlights the importance of these stories for the children who create them and those who will work with them.You have to keep moving, and moving, and moving, until finally someone keeps you. That kind of sucks.-Brian, 11-year-old foster child T hroughout a complex and difficult transition into foster care, already maltreated children are left without a say in what happens to them. Additionally, little is known about how these children make sense out the experience of entering and moving through the foster care system. One of the cruel ironies for children placed in the foster care system is that being removed from one family and moved to another may often be traumatic, resulting in further losses and confusion in the child's life (Folman, 1998). The voices of these children through their stories can be a rich resource of useful information (Johnson, Yoken, & Voss, 1994). Thus, our purpose was to hear how foster children, aged 7-12 years, described their lives and processed the unique and often confusing circumstances that they experienced.Hearing foster children describe their lives while they experience them is important for several reasons. First, we lack understanding of how foster children experience surrogate family care. There is a dearth of reliable, consistent data regarding foster children and foster care institutions (Goerge, Wulczyn, & Hardin, 1999). Second, having a clearer picture of the child's experience in foster care could enhance societal awareness and strengthen foster care policy. Collecting and disseminating their stories provides representation in two ways: description and advocacy (Alldred, 1998). Their stories might help to shape the institutions that serve them. Institutions designed to help foster children often lack clear and consistent policy directives and frequently are overwhelmed as demands outstrip resources (Orme & Buehler, 2001;Wells & Freer, 1994). Hearing from those in foster care is an important step in improving our knowledge of the nature of such care and how family service programs can better serve them.Third, most foster children want to talk about their experiences. Telling life stories is therapeutic for children (Coles, 1989) and can be helpful for the practitioner in providing treatment and case planning. Listening to foster children shows respect for them and acknowledges their individuality (Whiting, 2000). In fact, Festinger (1983) argued that the foster care professionals

A common response to intimate partner violence is to ask victims why they stay in the abusive relationship. Unfortunately this can have the effect of blaming or holding the victim responsible for the abuser's actions. Recently, social media brought attention to this issue following the highly publicized case of intimate partner violence (IPV) with NFL player Ray Rice and his fiancé. Twitter users responded to the media's perceived victim blaming by posting their own stories of why they stayed or left abusive relationships. The purpose of this study was to conduct a qualitative content analysis of these Twitter postings. The Twitter hashtags generated N = 676 responses (''whyIstayed'' n = 409; ''whyIleft'' n = 267) and these were examined to answer the following research questions:(1) what factors influence victims of IPV to stay in an abusive relationship? (2) What factors influence victims of IPV to leave an abusive relationship? 12 themes and 8 subthemes emerged that highlight the numerous factors that influence decisions about abusive relationships. Clinical implications and future research recommendations are discussed.

Although postpartum depression is common and well-studied in mothers, many fathers also experience symptoms. This qualitative study investigated fathers’ experiences of postpartum depression. Data from secondary sources such as blogs, websites, forums, and chat rooms were analyzed using a combination of phenomenological and content analysis methods to understand father’s experiences of paternal postpartum depression. Six themes emerged from the data including fathers’ needing education, adhering to gender expectations, repressing feelings, being overwhelmed, resentment of baby, and the experience of neglect. These data provide useful information that can aid health care providers, researchers, clinicians, and families in understanding the experience of paternal postpartum depression and in better coping with the challenges these families face.