Therapist Use of Self and the Development of a Culturally-Aware Professional in Family Therapy

Abstract

It has been well established that strong therapeutic alliances correlate with positive outcomes in the course of any therapy. For therapists who seek to enhance their professional development, the contribution of familial alliances to therapy necessitates information about their proclivities with different types of family systems. Since the early days of family therapy, the genogram has served as a tool for identifying family patterns, resources, and potential hindrances. More recently, genograms have aided trainees to better understand how cultural, gender and other biases and assumptions affect administration of therapy. In this manuscript, we introduce the theoretical framework of a new model where the family-of-origin forms an important resource for the professional development of the therapist in training.

Family Counselors Addressing Social Determinants of Mental Health in Underserved Communities

“…In fact, The International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors (IAMFC) encourages CFCs to think systemically and to intentionally advocate for all families (International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors, 2018). Additively, this necessitates the need for the CFC to be culturally aware and culturally responsive (Haber et al, 2022). This paper specifically discussed systemic issues situated within the SDOMH, which are often prevalent within underserved communities, and detrimental to mental and physical health (Goosby et al, 2018).…”