The Family Journal

Cardiovascular (CV) disease is the leading cause of death in the United States (Hoyert & Xu, 2012), and low-income and ethnic minorities are disproportionally affected. Relationship education (RE) interventions have been shown to improve relationship quality and reduce distress in individuals and couples, including low-income and ethnic minority populations. This study examined the effect of an evidenced-based, individual-oriented, RE intervention, within my reach, (WMR), on emotional distress in a population of mostly low-income and ethnic minority individuals with existing CV disease and/or CV disease risk factors (CVD) to those without disease or risk factors (non-CVD). Results showed significant improvements in overall distress for both the CVD and non-CVD groups, but neither group improved significantly more than the other. The authors found similar changes in distress levels when we examined a subset of the population that met the criteria for clinical distress. Also, data showed that CVD participants presented with significantly greater overall distress than non-CVD participants. These findings are consistent with prior research that showed the effectiveness of the WMR curriculum in stress reduction. Furthermore, this study contributes knowledge about a unique population, individuals with CV disease and/or CVD, who may greatly benefit from interventions focused on stress reduction.

An individual diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) typically relies on medical professionals for support and assistance. The family of the person with T1D is an important source of emotional support. While medical doctors are frequently the primary service provider, counselors may be better equipped to provide the emotional support needed for adjustment. Through acknowledging key aspects of the diagnosis and its symptoms, counselors can support patients with T1D and their families psychologically in the adjustment process.

This pilot study evaluated the feasibility of an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) self-help program for problematic pornography viewing (PV). A sample of 19 adults seeking help for problematic PV was recruited in an open trial. Participants reported adequate program acceptability, although only 45% of those completing postassessment read at least half of the self-help book. Significant improvements on problematic PV and cognitive fusion were found over the 8-week intervention period, with effects sustaining at 8-week follow-up. Participants who read more improved more on PV problems and psychological inflexibility. Overall, an ACT self-help approach appears feasible and potentially efficacious for PV.

The importance of play and playfulness has been recognized from Greek philosophy to contemporary psychology, while play has been primarily limited to the population of children in the use of mental health therapy. Play in adult couples counseling has been recently brought to the attention of mental health clinicians, while no clinical studies have yet been done. This study explored the effects of integrated play therapy on relationship satisfaction and intimacy in couples counseling through a clinical case study.

Given the ongoing rise in the numbers of stepfamily constellations in 21st-century society, and given the identified challenges and resultant dissolution rates of these families, clinicians who wish to be of clinical service to stepfamilies require information about the most recent standardized measures for stepfamily assessment. These measures can be divided into those assessments pertaining to issues and patterns of stepparenting and those measures attending to marital dynamics. This article will present psychometric information about two measures of stepfamily marital functioning along with recommendations for the efficacious therapeutic use of each measure.

Wellness, outness, and sexual orientation identity were examined across multiple demographic categories in a large sample of gay and lesbian parents. No significant differences were found in terms of wellness. However, gay male parents reported higher need for protection, acceptance, internalized homophobia, and more difficult process of identity formation. Older parents reported a more difficult coming out process. Parents of color were less out to their faith communities, had higher identity confusion, but lower need for privacy.

“Coming out” refers to disclosing one’s nonheterosexual identity to another person. Disclosure to family members is one of the most important and difficult milestones in sexual identity formation. This is a study of the experiences of Christian parents whose children came out as lesbian, gay, or bisexual. The study examined the changes in parent–child relationships and the parents’ Christian beliefs across three time points: before disclosure, in the couple months directly following disclosure, and at the time of the interview.

Families who have twins encounter unique needs and circumstances. Insight into issues twins encounter can improve parental and counseling treatment of twins as well as foster a healthy identity formation. These special issues that twins encounter will be addressed through the following: parenting influences, twin comparisons, sharing, competition, differentiation, bonding, empathy development, separation anxiety, identity development, and various recognized patterns of twinship. Through an understanding of twins’ specific needs and challenges, counselors can be influential in fostering a healthier family system.

Counseling research on female youth of color has been limited in the application of theoretical frameworks that engage families in a practical sense regarding career issues. In this direct content analysis, 40 female middle school students of color shared perceptions of their strengths and supports for future career success. Relational cultural theory, a framework grounded in multiculturalism and feminism, was shown to be a fitting and promising theory-to-practice model for those working with female adolescents of color and their families. Implications for counselors working with female youth of color and families on career exploration are provided.

Parenting stress is a cross-cultural concept and is impacted by specific family and life circumstances. Parenting stress is amplified by challenging life situations including poverty, single parenting, and parental separation, but parenting stress is counteracted by the inherent benefits of parenting including intrinsic feelings of warmth and love. The Parental Stress Scale (PSS) was created in 1995 to measure stress unique to parenting and captures both the joys and demands of parenting. The current study reviews two decades of research that incorporated the PSS. We present descriptive data from published studies that all used the same parenting stress measure and provide cross-study comparisons. The studies we review evidence diverse use of the PSS in eight countries and PSS translation into four languages. This review is intended to aid future researchers with interpretation of relative differences in descriptive statistics of parenting stress by providing descriptive data from different samples worldwide.

When parents separate and divorce, they and their children often suffer dire emotional consequences, especially when the parents have a “high-conflict” relationship. When the parents are able to have a more collaborative relationship, however, outcomes are more positive. Family counseling can be an excellent resource for these parents, but the literature in this area is sparse. This article reviews a framework of understanding high conflict in the context of separated parents. After establishing this base of understanding, common challenges in working with high-conflict separated parents are presented, along with nonmodel-dependent strategies for meeting these challenges. Case examples are provided to illustrate both the challenges counselors may face and the strategies that are suggested for meeting those challenges.

The topic of fathers’ and daughters’ relationships has been explored on many levels. Authors inform readers that fathers are very important figures in their daughters’ life. It suggests that daughters elaborate on their first experience related to love, comfort, discomfort, honor, and disappointments of their father relationship with them. In the article “Divorced Fathers and Their Daughters: A Review of Recent Research,” Neilson explains that many believe daughters continually pay the price for parents’ divorce, as a result of receiving too little or no fathering after parents’ marriage ends.

Excluding partner-abusive fathers from an intimate partner violence (IPV)-exposed child’s mental health treatment without exercising due diligence may be contraindicated. It is known that fathers with antisocial characteristics can be detrimental to a child’s development; however, research also shows that fathers are as important as mothers to the healthy development of children. Due to this dichotomy, working with IPV-exposed children and their families deserves an idiographic approach. By using a case vignette, steps are delineated and recommendations offered to develop a model for the safe engagement of partner-abusive fathers into an IPV-exposed child’s treatment.

This article provides direction for counselor social justice advocacy within the child welfare system. Four primary concerns are identified: (1) racial disproportionality, (2) organizational issues, (3) the inaccessibility of adequate services for families, and (4) the recruitment and retention of foster parent caregivers. Although counselors are uniquely qualified to engage in social justice advocacy efforts, a review of the literature indicates that little research attention has been devoted to advocacy in child welfare from a counseling perspective. A distinctive social justice–oriented, integrated model for counselor advocacy within the child welfare system has been developed with consideration of the American Counseling Association’s competencies for counselor advocacy, multicultural counseling, and social justice competencies, and an advocacy model developed specifically for the child welfare system. Strategies for leadership and advocacy are explored, and ideas for future research are proposed.

Many counselors may recognize the importance of providing treatment to a person with a disability and that person’s primary caregiver due to the strain placed on the family. However, counselors may be less aware of issues concerning nondisabled sibling(s) in such families. Siblings of persons with disabilities (SPDs) may be forgotten in the counseling process, despite the increased stressors they experience. Therefore, in this article, we (a) provide a review of the literature on typically developing SPDs, (b) highlight the positive effects of having a sibling with a disability, and (c) describe a clear approach for counseling with this population and provide a case illustration.

The aim of this study is to present an explanation of relational resilience in families with a disabled child with spousal support, which can be a protective factor, and couple burnout, which can be a risk factor. The study group of the research consisted of 233 married individuals. Of the participants who live in Turkey, 162 (69.5%) were female and 71 (30.5%) were male. In the study, Relational Resilience Scale was used to measure the relational resilience of the participants, Couple Burnout Scale was used to measure the relationship burnout, Spouse Support Scale was used to measure the level of support spouses receive from each other, and Demographic Information Form was used to determine the demographic characteristics. The data were tested with standard multiple regression analysis. According to the findings of the study, spousal support as a protective factor and couple burnout as a risk factor predict the relational resilience in families with a disabled child. Starting from this point of view, relational resilience of married individuals with a disabled child was evaluated with regard to spousal support and burnout within the marriage. Results were discussed in light of the related literature and suggestions were made.

The study investigated potential variables associated with indiscriminate friendliness (IF) in children adopted from China by U.S. parents. Children in this study were adopted at a mean age of 19 months and have spent an average of 61 months with their adoptive parents. The sample comprised of 92 U.S. parents with children adopted from China. Children’s age at the time of adoption, length of postadoption time, prior institutional care, and postadoption parenting by adoptive parents were investigated in association with IF. Findings showed that prior institutional care was significantly associated children’s IF, whereas an increase in postadoption time shared with adoptive parents was not accompanied by a decrease in children’s IF. The significant regression model explained 9% of variance in children’s IF. Results provided practical implications for family counselors and other mental health professionals working with adoptive families.