A Family Therapy Internship in a Multidisciplinary Healthcare Setting: Trainees' and Supervisor's Reflections

Abstract

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.

Caring for Dying Children and Their Families: MFTs Working at the Gates of the Elysian Fields

“…This can add to the emotional pressure and increases the risk of burnout. Thus, part of the MFTs' training to prepare to enter any medical field should address working collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team and the MFTs' potentially unique role on the team (Gawinski et al 1999;McDaniel et al 1992;Muchnik et al 1993;Seaburn et al 1996).…”

Medical Family Therapy: Charting a Course in Competencies

“…Previous published articles have focused on the availability (Brucker et al 2005) and development of internship sites (Grauf-Grounds and Sellers 2006), as well as specific skills needed to supervise students in medical settings (Edwards and Patterson 2006). Others have provided insight into the quality of training that can happen in a collaborative context (Gawinski et al 1999;Harkness and Nofziger 1998). MedFT training has grown from one summer institute in its early years (URMC 2012) to ten training programs currently.…”

A Guide for Beginning Family Therapy Group Supervisors

“…There is excellent literature on live supervision (Mauzey & Erdman, 1997;Moorhouse & Carr, 2001;Smith, Meda, & Kinsella, 1998), Edwards and A. Heshmati 296 the application of family therapy models in supervision (Carlson & Erickson, 2001;Foy & Breunlin, 2001;Prouty, Thomas, Johnson, & Long, 2001;Rita, 1998;Roberts, Winek, & Mulgrew, 1999;Wetchler, 1999), the process (Keller, Protinsky, Lichtman et al, 1996;Ratliff, Wampler, & Morris, 2000), and outcome of supervision (White & Russell, 1995), and the experiences of supervisors and supervisees in supervision (Anderson, Schlossberg, & RigazioDiGilio, 2000;Edwards & Keller, 1995;Gawinski, Edwards, & Speice, 1999;Wong, 1997). This literature has been invaluable in the development of many supervisors.…”