No abstract

Few services exist for women who test positive for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations despite the distress that they and their families may experience. We present one model of a time-limited family-oriented psychoeducation group to provide information and support for nine women who received positive test results. We report on five family-oriented themes that arose from the discussions: distress about possible transmission to children; family conflict about testing; concerns about disclosure; different coping styles and decision making; and underlying family conflict and unresolved grief. We also include recommendations from these women to enhance the services available to families by expanding assessment, and providing written literature and contact information. In addition, referrals for a psychoeducation group, community support group, or psychotherapy may be useful for individuals, couples and families who are considering genetic testing for BRCA mutations.

Objective To investigate whether living alone is significantly associated with expression of suicide ideation among mood-disordered mental health patients and whether degree of family connectedness moderates the association between living alone and expression of suicide ideation. Design Cross-sectional survey design. Setting Inpatient and outpatient mental health services in Rochester, New York. Participants 130 mood disordered inpatients and outpatients 50 years or older. Measurements Patients completed a demographics form, an interviewer-rated measure of current suicide ideation (Scale for Suicide Ideation), and a self-report measure of family connectedness derived from the Reasons for Living Scale – Older Adult version (RFL-OA). Results Patients who reported greater family connectedness were significantly less likely to report suicide ideation; this protective effect was strongest for those living with others (Wald’s χ2(df=1)=3.987, p=.046, O.R.=.905; 95% C.I.=.821–.998). A significant main effect of family connectedness on suicide ideation suggested that having a stronger connection to family members decreased the likelihood of reporting suicide ideation (Wald’s χ2(df=1)=9.730, p=.002, O.R.=.852; 95% C.I.=.771–.942). Conclusions These results suggest potential value in assessing the quality of interpersonal relationships when conducting a suicide risk assessment among depressed middle-aged and older adults.

Family therapy doctoral students from American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy-accredited programs are required to complete a full-time clinical internship. The literature provides little information about these internship experiences. Two doctoral-level marriage and family therapists summarize their professional and personal experiences in their internships located within a multidisciplinary healthcare setting. In addition, their supervisor reports on her experiences working with marriage and family therapy doctoral interns. We hope that this case report will stimulate all interns and their supervisors to provide feedback to their internship sites and graduate programs about their clinical training and the extent to which the programs prepared them for their marriage and family therapy careers in the larger health and mental health community.