Diane R. Gehart

The Mental Health Recovery Movement and Family Therapy, Part II: A Collaborative, Appreciative Approach for Supporting Mental Health Recovery

A continuation of Part I, which introduced mental health recovery concepts to family therapists, Part II of this article outlines a collaborative, appreciative approach for working in recovery-oriented contexts. This approach draws primarily upon postmodern therapies, which have numerous social justice and strength-based practices that are easily adapted in recovery-oriented contexts. The model outlined in this article includes an overview of the recovery partnership (i.e., therapeutic relationship), mapping recovery (i.e., assessment and case conceptualization), recovery planning (i.e., treatment planning), facilitating recovery (i.e., intervention), accessing resources (i.e., case management), recovery maintenance, and service contexts as well as a case study.

The legacy of Tom Andersen: The ethics of reflecting processes

Tom Andersen and his pioneering work with reflecting conservations has had a lasting influence on the field of family therapy and mental health more broadly. Most family therapists are familiar with his contributions related to reflecting teams; however, fewer are familiar with his conceptualization of reflecting processes, which offer practical ways to approach therapeutic conversations to address challenging problems. This article provides a brief history of Andersens career and reviews four key elements of his approach, including: (a) his way of being in relationship, (b) appropriately unusual comments, (c) inner and outer dialogs, and (d) ethics of dialogical relating. Finally, this article introduces readers to the context of the video that will be analyzed in the articles that follow in this special section.

Mindfulness in Therapy

This chapter provides a definition of mindfulness and an overview of how mindfulness has been used in mindfulness-based and mindfulness-informed therapies. In addition, the psychological and relational benefits of mindfulness are reviewed as well as its relation to positive psychology and family therapy.

Therapeutic Presence and Mindfulness

Chapter 4 describes how mindfulness and acceptance practices can be used to cultivate therapeutic presence using principles of compassion, humanity (humility and humor), and interbeing. In addition, the implications of the neural integration and relational resonance are explored in the context of the therapeutic relationship. Specific implications for working with couples, families, difficult emotions, trauma, mandated clients, children, and adolescents are discussed.

Mindfulness and Acceptance Interventions for Couples and Families

This chapter provides practical instructions for using mindfulness and acceptance intervention practices when working with couples and families. Practices for working with couples include facilitated mindful communication, mindful pause, listening deeply, loving-kindness meditation, compassionate life review, love dialogues, nonviolent speech, practicing together, and mindful sex and intimacy. Practices for working with families include parent–child attunement, slowing to the present moment, out-the-door mindfulness, mindful puppet enactments, narrating what is, “rocking” mindfulness practice, and mini-mindfulness and acceptance practices.

Therapist Self-Care and Style of Life

This chapter provides a comprehensive self-care plan for therapists and helping professionals that includes formal meditation, including vipassana, at-work mindfulness practices, community building, and spiritual development. Readers are also invited to reflect upon the intersection of personal and professional life as it relates to one’s overall well-being.

Teaching Mindfulness Practice in Therapy

This chapter provides a comprehensive model for teaching mindfulness breath meditation to individuals, couples, and families in outpatient mental health and private practice settings, including unique considerations for teaching mindfulness to couples and families. In addition to detailed in-session instructions for therapists, the chapter includes sample client handouts and practice logs as well as instructions for introducing loving-kindness meditation, mindful body scan meditation, mindful daily activities, and the 3-min breathing space.

Foundational Mindfulness- and Acceptance- Informed Interventions and Practices

This chapter introduces therapists to mindfulness and acceptance intervention practices and principles that can be used in a wide range of therapy contexts. The intervention practices are divided into three groups: (a) philosophy-in-action, which includes befriending problems, embracing what is, and cultivating wisdom and compassion; (b) practices for cultivating empathy, which includes not-knowing expertise and planting the seeds of equanimity in good times, difficult times, and in-between times; and (c) in-dialogue mindful-experiencing, which includes mindful experiencing of thoughts and emotions, mindful awareness of relational patterns, and mindful enactments.

Mindfulness Research Foundations

In this chapter, the research related to mindfulness and following areas is reviewed: physical health, adult mental health, couples, families, and neurological functioning. Implications for working with couples and families are highlighted throughout.

Training and Supervision

In addition to reviewing related research and pedagogical models, this chapter outlines a comprehensive curriculum for use in mental health clinical training programs and includes suggested readings, in-class lectures, in-class meditations, at-home meditations, journals/logs, online modules, community building, and instructor role. Detailed instructions for in-class learning exercises are provided for chocolate mediation, mindful yoga, ice meditation, mindful listening, “being seen,” and stress-reducing visualization.