Training family therapists to work with families with young children: Current practices in accredited family therapy programs and recommendations for the future

This study examined how current family counseling/therapy programs train students to work with families with young children and made recommendations for training in this area based on recommendations of child and family therapy experts and the research and clinical literature. These recommendations explored what knowledge and skills all students should acquire versus students who want to specialize with this population. Changes to accreditation standards were also proposed as well as a description of resources to support changes in program curricula. Current training was measured by examining curricula from master's level marriage and family counseling/therapy programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP) and master's level social work programs with a family-related concentration accredited by the Council on Social Work Education Commission on Accreditation (CSWE), the accreditation standards from these three organizations, course syllabi from the COAMFTE and CACREP programs, and surveys of COAMFTE and CACREP program directors (60% response rate). Recommendations for training were obtained through a qualitative analysis of quotations from the literature concerning training and through interviews of child and family therapy experts (65% response rate). The results revealed the number of courses recommended by the literature and experts was much greater than the number of child-related courses per program and a great variety of textbooks were used. Accreditation standards also required little child-related course material. The on-campus clinics had low percentages of child-related facilities but high percentages of child-related resources. The results also showed the experts recommended much greater percentages of experiential activities than were required by the programs. Finally, a much larger percentage of experts than program directors agreed that accreditation standards should be changed to include more child-related courses.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of North Texas

Year dc:date

2000

Author dc:creator

• Crane, Jodi M.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Bratton, Sue C.
• Jacobson, Arminta
• Berg, Robert C., 1938-

• Psychotherapists -- Training of.
• Family psychotherapy -- Study and teaching.
• Child psychotherapy -- Study and teaching.
• COAMFTE
• CACREP
• children
• training
• recommendations
• family therapy

Statement dc:rights

• Public
• Copyright
• Crane, Jodi M.
• Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

oclc: 47827931
https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc2679/
ark: ark:/67531/metadc2679

OAI identifier oai:identifier

info:ark/67531/metadc2679