Search

In designing this study, we aimed to obtain a rich, phenomenological understanding of the experiences of couple and family therapists who transitioned their practice to telehealth due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Twelve experienced therapists from the U.S., Spain and Australia were interviewed in depth about their experiences of this transition, particularly how they developed and maintained therapeutic alliances in a virtual context with couples and families suffering pandemic-related hardships. The qualitative analysis identified 40 themes reflecting participants' initial impressions of telehealth and their positive and negative reactions and adjustments to practicing remotely. Upon overcoming some initial wariness about providing services virtually, many participants described advantages to this way of working with families. Indeed, participants were creative in adjusting to this novel therapy modality, finding new ways to connect emotionally with their clients, to work meaningfully with children, to assess in-session dynamics, and to ensure their clients' privacy and safety. Notably, several participants commented on the relatively slower development of alliances with new cases and the challenge of repairing split alliances between family members. Many of these difficulties were described as due to having minimal access to their clients' raw emotions and the inability to use typical systemic interventions, such as moving family members around physically. Participants also reflected on being a "participant observer" to the upheaval caused by the pandemic, a distressing experience they shared with the families in their care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multisystemic therapy (MST) is a family- and community-based treatment of serious emotional and behavioural problems presented by adolescents. The development of this model began in the late 1970s, and today MST is a leading evidence-based treatment of serious antisocial behaviour in youths, with programs transported to more than 30 states in the United States and 12 nations, including Australia and New Zealand. This article reviews the theoretical rationale that underlies MST and presents the central clinical features of the intervention model. In addition, the training and quality assurance protocols used to promote MST program fidelity and treatment adherence are described. Finally, findings from approximately I 5 published randomised and two quasi-experimental clinical trials with youths presenting serious clinical problems (e.g., violence, substance abuse, serious emotional disturbance, sexual offending, and chronic illness) are summarised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the author's perspective regarding a child psychiatrist's reflection of his psychiatric training experience. According to the author, through the training experience the child psychiatrist was able to understand broader tenets of psychiatry like psychoeducation, prevention, advocacy and recovery. The importance for a child psychiatrist to have therapeutic skills is mentioned.