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.

Effective couple interventions, such as Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy and the Relationship Checkup, include the labeling of common relationship patterns. This study hypothesized that a micro-intervention using nature metaphors, such as "Porcupine-Turtle," would produce greater improvements in relationship health relative to descriptive labels such as "Approach-Withdraw." Twenty-five couples were presented with nature metaphor patterns, while 24 couples were presented with descriptive patterns. Several measures of relationship health showed significant improvements across both groups, while other measures showed significant improvements for descriptive patterns only. Generally, nature metaphor patterns were initially rated as more novel and more resonant. Broadly, these results add support for the effectiveness of relationship pattern labeling. The effectiveness of nature metaphor patterns may be improved if introduced with more guidance to help couples capitalize on initial, stronger senses of resonance.

Mindfulness has well-documented benefits for mental, physical, and relational health. However, research about the role of mindfulness in health has scarcely explored interpersonal mindfulness, a distinct type of mindfulness expressed externally and relationally in interpersonal interactions. Mindfulness is known to be beneficial in romantic relationships but has been underexplored to date. A new interpersonal mindfulness construct known as "mindful partnering" (MP) presents a comprehensive application of interpersonal mindfulness to romantic relationships. This study advances research on MP by providing an improved conceptualization of the construct and an observational coding scheme, the Ratings of Observed Mindful Partnering (ROMP) system. Results showed that the ROMP has strong interrater reliability at the level of suggested analysis, supporting the idea that interpersonal mindfulness is observable, and initial tests of validity indicated convergent validity of this measurement tool for the MP construct. We suggest that this tool is potentially useful for clinicians and future research.

Reintegration after military deployment is often viewed as an individual process, though it occurs in family systems. Black veterans remain underrepresented in reintegration research, particularly in studies focusing on relational trust and racialized stress. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) revealed four interrelated themes: presence, communication, racial identity, and family role negotiation. Findings indicate that trust was built through everyday relational processes rather than immediate emotional disclosure, and racial identity served as both a resource and a strain. These findings highlight trust as a relational process shaped by family dynamics and sociocultural contexts, extending reintegration literature.

This study investigated queer therapists' perceptions of police bias and attitudes toward police. We used a mixed-methods explanatory approach by administering the Perceptions of Police Scale (POPS) to mental health professionals and conducted follow-up qualitative interviews with participants who identify with a queer sexuality to explore the factors influencing their perceptions of police and the ways in which they view and utilize reliance on police when a client is experiencing a mental health crisis. Quantitative data were analyzed with SPSS using correlations and t-tests to assess the relationship between sexuality and perceptions of police scores. Sexuality significantly correlated with perceptions of the police, meaning queer therapists viewed the police less favorably compared to heterosexual participants. A qualitative analysis using reflexive thematic analysis revealed seven themes that address how queer therapists perceive police and strategies utilized to decide if calling 911 for a client in crisis would be lifesaving or life-threatening.

The transition to parenthood is a period of heightened vulnerability for many couples, often marked by increased conflict. Attachment insecurity is a known risk factor, linked to dysfunctional conflict dynamics in couples more broadly. Yet, the emotional processes driving these patterns remain underexplored, especially from a dyadic perspective. This study examined emotional flooding-a form of dyadic emotion dysregulation-as a potential intermediary variable linking attachment to conflict behaviors. Ninety-six mixed-sex couples completed questionnaires on attachment and emotional flooding before engaging in observationally coded conflict discussions during the third trimester of pregnancy. Actor partner interdependence models extended to mediation (APIMeM) revealed that men's attachment anxiety was positively associated with observed conflict withdrawal indirectly through their own emotional flooding. Women's attachment anxiety was positively associated with observed conflict hostility through their own emotional flooding. Findings highlight emotional flooding as a pathway through which attachment shapes mixed-sex couples' vulnerability to gendered conflict patterns.

Despite the increasing emphasis on addressing the intersections of client and therapist identity to improve therapeutic outcomes, therapy clients holding marginalized identities continue to experience othering. Othering is a process that engenders marginalization and inequality based on preconceived group identity, involves the hegemonic construction of belonging and not belonging, and often entails both stereotyping and racialization. This paper reports on the experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning plus (LGBTQ+) emotionally focused couple therapy (EFCT) clients' experience of othering both in their own therapy and as part of participating in a research study on tailoring EFCT to account for the unique lived experience of members of the LGBTQ+ communities. This study relied on negative case analysis in the context of thematic analysis (TA) to develop three themes: (1) understanding versus inflating identity, (2) educating the therapist, and (3) deepening discussions around identity.

Given the centrality of religious beliefs in shaping nonaffirming perceptions of marginalized gender identities, this exploratory qualitative study sought to interview Christian religious leaders with the hope of better supporting family therapists and families in developing affirming and celebratory views of transgender and nonbinary identities. Nineteen religious leaders from mainly diverse Mainline Christian Protestant traditions were interviewed. Queer theory-informed thematic analysis revealed four themes that reflect insights in fostering more affirming and inclusive beliefs about transgender and nonbinary people: (1) discuss the misuse and appropriate use of religious theology, (2) be present with people, (3) educate through resources and the humanization of transgender and nonbinary people, and (4) be a living example of affirmation. Implications for family therapists are discussed.

Research has underscored the interconnection between work and family domains, showing that an imbalance between demands and resources can lead to job and parental burnout. Our study examined the moderating role of family functioning in the association between job burnout and parental burnout among working parents in Italy. Drawing on Olson's Circumplex Model, balanced family functioning was conceptualized as optimal levels of cohesion and flexibility, reflecting a well-regulated family dynamic. Three-hundred-nine working parents of children aged 0-18 completed a survey assessing sociodemographic characteristics, job burnout, parental burnout, and family functioning. Results indicate that parental burnout was positively related to job burnout and negatively to family functioning. Simple slope analyses showed that the association between job and parental burnout progressively weakened as family functioning increased and became non-significant beyond a specific threshold. Our findings highlight the clinical value of balanced family functioning's buffering effect on work-family stress processes.

The concept of a lifelong attachment system is derived from the author's four decades of clinical experience. This framework aligns with the collectivist values prevalent in Asian cultures, where individuals are regarded as integral parts of a larger community. Individual well-being is viewed as contingent upon a secure attachment system throughout the lifecycle. In order to illustrate the practical application of this concept, I will present a composite family therapy case study involving a socially withdrawn (hikikomori) adolescent. The objective of the therapy is to facilitate secure attachment systems. The therapeutic process includes establishing a therapeutic system, promoting secure communication within the system, and incorporating broader attachment networks. This composite case study discusses the culturally preferred value of human relationship from the collectivistic perspective prevalent in East Asian cities. It also introduces therapeutic approaches that effectively promote a secure family system by expanding the original attachment theory.

This paper introduces family systems intelligence as a capacity that extends beyond emotional intelligence to how individuals understand and respond effectively to family challenges in ways that foster personal and relational health. After defining the general concept of systems intelligence, we define family systems intelligence and distinguish between dyadic and multilateral levels. We argue that couple therapy models are sometimes insufficient when couples face issues involving broader family systems. We illustrate these ideas in three domains where third-party dynamics are central: stepfamilies, families facing medical illness, and ideological differences. We describe initial work on a performance-based measure of family systems intelligence, with the goal of a scalable assessment to support research and training. We conclude with implications for strengthening training in systemic competence among therapists and for influencing the broader culture.

Interparental conflict (IPC) is a common challenge for many parents. While previous research has examined destructive IPCs and their links to maladaptive child outcomes, less is known about how constructive IPCs relate to adaptive outcomes. This study used a systematic research synthesis (SRS) to review 23 peer-reviewed quantitative studies that were published in the past decade (2015-2025) that measured constructive IPCs and children's outcomes. Studies varied in design and location. Findings indicated that constructive IPCs were associated with less negative child outcomes, such as fewer internalizing and externalizing problems, and positive outcomes, including greater emotional security and better social problem-solving skills. Many associations were influenced by other factors. Common theoretical frameworks were examined, as well as the incorporation of mediators and moderators among selected studies. These results can guide clinicians in developing interventions for families navigating IPCs.

Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) is a resource-based model that emphasizes solution-building over problem-solving. This scoping review identified solution-focused (SF) measurement tools, examined their psychometric properties, and explored the conceptualization of a core SFBT construct, namely solution-building. Using the PRISMA guidelines, we searched eight databases, supplemented with citation searching. Eligible studies included the development or validation of SF measures. Twenty-four studies met the inclusion criteria, yielding 11 instruments (seven client-focused and four provider-focused). Measures were applied across diverse disciplines and cultural contexts. The Solution-Building Inventory and Solution-Focused Inventory had the most psychometric evidence. Mapping instruments to SFBT constructs revealed that "strengths and resources" and "hope and positive emotions" were most assessed, while "goal setting" and "using the client's language" were least represented. Only three measures demonstrated sensitivity to client change over time. Recommendations for future research and practice are discussed.

Helping people to adjust well to retirement is important, as some retirees struggle. Most recent retirees are in a couple relationship, and the adjustment of spouses is interdependent. The current study is the first evaluation of the effects of couple-based retirement education on couples' relationships and retirement adjustment. Twenty-seven couples attended one of a series of 1-day workshops plus a telephone-based couple session. Content included couple communication and support, healthy aging, financial planning for retirement, and social engagement. Client satisfaction with the program was high, retirement self-efficacy and couple dyadic coping increased, but there was no increase in the already high couple relationship satisfaction. A couple-based approach to retirement education is promising and a randomized controlled trial with larger numbers and follow-up is needed.

The average couple therapy treatment length is 11.50 sessions in the United States, yet these estimates are supported by decades-old research. We update this prior work by accounting for therapist effects and investigating clinical cut-offs for depression and relationship distress. We used a sample of 417 mixed-sex couples and 122 therapists from the Marriage and Family Therapy Practice Research Network. Using multilevel modeling in Mplus, couples had an average of 11.73 sessions with therapists explaining 7.40% of the variance. Having one partner meeting the relationship distress cut-off as well as both partners meeting depression cut-offs were associated with longer treatment. Additionally, therapists in the Western region of the United States and treatment after the COVID pandemic were associated treatment length. These findings can aid clinicians in providing treatment plans and clearer expectations for treatment length. Couple therapy modalities can consider briefer adaptations to meet shorter treatment lengths.