The Person-of-the-Therapist Training approach is a relational framework that supports therapists in intentionally integrating personal experience into clinical work. Despite its growing presence in couple/marriage and family therapy training, no comprehensive synthesis has traced POTT's historical development, empirical foundations, and contemporary relevance. This narrative review employed a structured literature search and thematic synthesis of 30 sources published between 1987 and 2024. Three developmental periods are described: philosophical foundations emphasizing therapist personhood, institutionalized training with emerging qualitative evidence, and recent global, sociocultural, and supervisory expansions. Across three periods, the literature reflects increasing conceptual clarity, pedagogical structure, and attention to ethical and embodied therapeutic presence. Implications include the need for increasing the transportability of POTT, expanding its empirical base, and employing it in diverse supervision contexts. In an era of technological mediation and artificial relationality, POTT clarifies the importance of the embodied, ethical, and human-centered psychotherapy dimensions.

Disordered eating behaviors are prevalent in emerging adulthood and may be shaped by family dynamics. This study examined associations among maternal and paternal differential support, weight-shape concerns, and binge eating and compensatory behaviors in emerging adulthood, while testing the moderating role of negative urgency. Participants were 517 emerging adults from across the United States (ages 18-29; M = 22.60, SD = 3.81; 76% female). Participants reported on parental differential support, weight-shape concerns, eating behaviors, and negative urgency. Using moderated-mediation analyses, we found that weight-shape concerns mediated associations between differential support and eating behaviors. Unequal maternal support and paternal favoritism showed distinct patterns, suggesting that differential parental support may carry different relational meanings. Associations were stronger among individuals with high negative urgency. Together, the findings suggest that unequal treatment and emotional reactivity may play an important role in understanding disordered eating within family contexts.

Although telehealth outcomes have been widely studied, less is known about how providing telehealth influences therapists' subsequent in-person clinical practice. This qualitative study examined how marriage and family therapists (MFTs) described changes in their in-person work following telehealth experience. Forty-two MFTs completed an online survey including demographic items, a Likert-scale item assessing perceived impact on in-person services, and an open-ended prompt about changes noticed during in-person therapy. A subset completed follow-up virtual interviews. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings indicated that telehealth functioned as a formative professional experience, shaping in-person practice through heightened embodied attunement, increased observational precision, more intentional communication, expanded intervention flexibility, and refined clinical decision-making. Participants also reported enduring logistical changes related to scheduling, boundaries, and modality selection. Developmental stage influenced how these changes were integrated. Results suggest telehealth experience represents an important dimension of therapist development, with implications for training, supervision, and hybrid care.

Mindfulness is beneficial for mental health and romantic relationships. Recently, there has been a novel application of mindfulness to romantic relationships called "mindful partnering" (MP). Emerging evidence from interpersonal mindfulness frameworks suggests that relational forms of mindfulness may provide unique benefits for individuals and their relationships beyond those associated with partners' individual intrapersonal mindfulness. However, interpersonal mindfulness in relationships (MP) is multifaceted, and previous examinations of interpersonal mindfulness in couples have been limited by focusing on a small number of isolated features. In the current study, we applied actor-partner interdependence models in two samples (Ns = 168;170) to test how MP (including self-reports and observations) predicts mental and relational health outcomes. Results indicated that greater MP predicts fewer mental health symptoms and greater relationship health. Alongside literature supporting mindfulness as beneficial for couples, these results suggest that MP may be a strong target for couple-focused interventions.

Cumulative childhood trauma (CCT) can lead to long-lasting consequences, such as difficulties in emotion regulation, which, in turn, can affect romantic relationships. While problems with emotion regulation are associated with poorer relationship outcomes, few studies have examined these associations among couples seeking relationship psychotherapy, despite an estimated 80% of individuals in such psychotherapy having experienced CCT. The present study investigated the intermediary role of emotion regulation difficulties in the association between CCT and relationship distress in 199 couples seeking relationship psychotherapy. Path analysis revealed both a direct and an indirect association between one's CCT and one's relationship distress, through difficulties in emotion regulation. This study highlights the need for further investigation into the mechanisms underlying the consequences of CCT on romantic partnerships.

This study explores the experiences of Black mental health clinicians navigating double consciousness through a theoretical synthesis of W.E.B. Du Bois' double consciousness, Frantz Fanon's racial inferiority complex, and Cross's Black racial identity development theory. The focus of this study was how dual awareness manifests through racial subjectivity within the professional context for Black clinicians. Furthermore, the study explored the various ways double consciousness influences Black mental health clinicians' interactions during academic learning, professional training, within clinical settings, encounters with professors, clients, supervisors, and colleagues. The results of the data analysis of 12 semi-structured interviews with Black therapists revealed main themes such as perceived inferiority, marginalization of Black therapist experience, authenticity and identity navigation, and mistrust and suspicion about being a Black therapist. Recommendations for the self of the therapist, supervision, and academic training programs are discussed.

Equality in marriage is an important element of healthy relationships. Religious marriages differ from those of non-religious or religiously ambiguous individuals. How religious couples experience equality in marriage is an understudied process. A grounded theory design was used to understand how Latter-day Saint couples experience marital power sharing. Thirty-one participants (fifteen opposite sex couples and one wife) participated in 46 interviews where they discussed their marital dynamics, especially surrounding their perceived influence of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and power sharing. Four interrelated processes surfaced from these interviews: interacting influences (one's family of origin, the Church, and culture), self-in-relationship (including one's self-concept, self-awareness, examination of beliefs, and healing and reconciliation), relational processes (including taking relational responsibility, balancing relational influence, attuning to one's partner, and engaging in emotional exposure), and identity formation ("we" vs. "me"). Implications and applications for clinical practice are discussed.

Military couples face unique relational challenges, including deployments, relocations, and extended separations, which can negatively impact relationship well-being. The Adventures in Marriage (AIM) program aims to enhance relationship functioning by focusing on couple interactions through a structured, skills-based curriculum in a time-efficient and accessible format that addresses the challenges faced by military couples. The purpose of the current study was to examine military couples' relationship functioning and relationship deployment readiness after attending the AIM program. A total of 302 different-sex military couples completed pre- and post-program surveys. Using Latent Change Score Modeling (LCSM), the results indicated significant increases in both wives' and husbands' relationship functioning and relationship deployment readiness following participation in the AIM program. Improvements in relationship functioning were associated with improvements in relationship deployment readiness at both individual and dyadic levels. The implications underscore the importance of integrating programs like AIM into military family services.

S. Thorpe, K. E. Vigil, B. Duroseau, P. Iyiewuare, N. Malone, J. N. Dogan-Dixon, J. Ross, "Superwoman Schema and Relationship Satisfaction Among Black Women in the United States: The Mediating Role of Relationship Attachment," Journal of Marital and Family Therapy 51, no. 3 (2025): e70036, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jmft.70036. The above article, published online on 27 May 2025 on Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) has been retracted by agreement between the Editor-in-Chief, Lenore M. McWey, the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, the authors, and Wiley Periodicals LLC. A third party reported that a number of references in this article were either incorrect or nonexistent. Further investigation confirmed that a significant number of references were either incorrect or nonexistent. All parties have determined that the large number of incorrect references constitutes a major error and leaves significant portions of the article unsubstantiated. This retraction has been agreed to because these errors in the references fundamentally compromise the content of the article.

Attachment-based family therapy (ABFT) is an evidence-based systemic treatment for adolescent depression and suicidality. The first session focuses on shifting therapy goals from behavior management to relational repair. This study explores whether making this shift is associated with adolescent treatment outcomes. First-session recordings from an ABFT randomized controlled trial were coded for shifts in content (from an individual to a relational understanding of symptoms) and affect (from defensive to vulnerable emotions or hopefulness). Greater maternal responsivity to the relational reframe and stronger maternal acceptance of the relational contract were associated with greater reductions in adolescents' depressive symptoms. In contrast, adolescent scores on these measures were not associated with depressive symptom change, and although suicidal ideation decreased in the overall study, neither adolescent nor maternal scores on these measures predicted changes in suicidal ideation. Findings suggest that early maternal engagement with the relational focus of ABFT may be an indicator of subsequent improvement in adolescent depression.

This study focuses on marital satisfaction, a key concept often used to assess happiness and stability in a marriage. The main goal of this study was to explore the mediating processes linking experiences in the family of origin to marital satisfaction. A total of 357 married individuals participated in the research. Participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing marital satisfaction, family-of-origin experiences, and dysfunctional relational beliefs. The study's model was analyzed using structural equation modeling. The mediation analysis suggests that experiences in the family of origin may play a role in shaping marital satisfaction through dysfunctional relationship beliefs. The results indicated that married individuals who experienced dysfunctional family-of-origin experiences reported lower marital satisfaction if they also held dysfunctional relationship beliefs. This highlights the importance of addressing dysfunctional relationship beliefs in married couples to minimize the influence of negative family experiences on their marital relationships.

Research has yet to clarify the relational mechanisms through which communicated perspective-taking (CPT) during conflict relates to overall relationship satisfaction, and prior studies have largely overlooked its dynamic and interactive nature, often examining partners' contributions separately. To address these gaps, this study employed an observational dyadic design to examine, in a sample of 178 young adult couples, the unique and joint contributions of partners' CPT during conflict to their relationship satisfaction, as well as the role of positive relational experience during conflict in these associations. Results showed that an individual's CPT was positively associated with their own and their partner's relationship satisfaction, through both their own and their partner's greater positive relational experience during the conflict discussion. Partners' CPT also interacted in association with relational experience and relationship satisfaction. Findings underscore the potential role of positive relational experience and the inherently dyadic and interactive nature of CPT within couple interactions.

The Satir Model (SM) is an experiential and systemic approach increasingly used across clinical and community contexts. Although research shows benefits for emotional resilience, self‑esteem, communication, and family functioning, no synthesis has examined how SM is described as a transformational systemic therapy. This review followed PRISMA 2020 guidelines and identified 21 eligible studies from 5923 records. Using thematic synthesis, four interconnected domains of change were identified: intrapersonal processes (emotional regulation, self‑worth, coherence), relational and systemic processes (communication, attunement, boundary reorganization), experiential somatic mechanisms (sculpting, imagery, movement), and meaning‑ and identity‑level transformation (narrative reframing, existential clarity, cultural meaning). Together, these findings position SM as a holistic and culturally adaptable approach that facilitates multilayered change beyond symptom reduction. Future research should strengthen methodological rigor, operationalize core constructs, and examine long‑term and cross‑cultural outcomes.

This special issue brings together 11 theoretical, quantitative, and qualitative articles that apply a strength-based, liberatory framework to systemic therapy with people of color. Collectively, the authors reconceptualize the meaning and treatment of a range of presenting problems, critically interrogate selected ethical and legal mandates, broaden the application of systemic thinking, and offer guidance for training the next generation of systemic professionals.