Free post #9: Qualifications and Training for MFT

I am some what aware of the steps needed to become a marriage and family therapist, for example I have to attend graduate school for a Master's degree. But I would like to get a more specific and better understanding of what is actually needed to complete this process.
According to the article " Training and Other Qualifications and Advancements for Marriage and Family Therapist ", education requirements vary by state and a masters degree is required for licensure. Accredited master degree programs include up to 60 hours of graduate study semester hours including a supervised internship.
To keep a licenses a marriage and family therapist would have to stay active. Meaning participating in things like workshops, personal studies, and graduate studies. A marriage and family therapist will also have to have some form of a counseling license required by all states.
I find this information more informing and direct. Now that know that there is a lot of extra schooling in training involved to become a marriage and family therapist and stay one.

Prompt Post #9: Recognizing Significance

    According to the news story " The Importance of a fathers in the family ", there is a real importance of having a father figure within the family unit. Salem reported that a fathers affection and increased involvement in thongs such as family activities, or being involved with the family in general, can add to the promotion of children's social and emotional development. Marriage and family therapist recognize this importance. This importance is one of the main goals of a marriage and family therapy session, which is keeping the family together and building relationships between members of families. For example, if a couple with children seperates, a marriage and family therapist would help those children develope relationships with each parent even though their parents have differences. This would enable both parents to be involved in their child's lives, benefiting the children for having both family figures. Marriage and family therapy is important to the family unit because it enables the family to stay together, communicate, and understand each other. This benefits the children and possibly the family as a whole.
myfox8.com/2015/03/03/the-importance-of-a-father's-in-the-family/

Prompt Post #8: Practicing Your Knowledge

   Marriage and family therapist often use spreedsheets including Microsoft word. Microsoft word is used to record notes on their counseling sessions. They document ideals, notes, and strategies that can help a relationship or family. Using Microsoft word to take notes is a good strategy because it can help a marriage and family therapist to see problems more clearly, and, as with any other notes, it can serve as a good reminder of sessions, especially if a therapist is counseling a lot of different families at one time.
   When using this basic skill, I did not have any trouble because of my comfortability with using this program. I am aware of all the steps to take to get to the program, and I am efficient in my use of tools to adjust my notes in a way that fits my needs and understanding. The only problem I have with using this program isy ability to type in fast speeds. I am not yet that comfortable with typing so I do not type very fast, which is something I feel I need to work on to improve my work as a therapist.

Free post # 8 : Family Systems Therapy Approches

   To find out how a marriage and family therapist would go about helping a family I decided to research some information on the different methods used to have effective therapy sessions and bring families together.
   A concept called Family system Therapy, based on Murray Bowen's family sysyem theory, views a family as an emotional unit, and suggests that an individuals behavior is a result and inseparable from their family.
   Family system therapies fall under different categories such as...

• Strategic family therapy, which examines a family's function. For example how they communicate with each other, or how they solve their family problems. It does this by evaluating the family's behavior outside of the therapy session.
• Structural family therapy looks at the relationships, behavior, and trends, inside the therapy session, in order to understand the functioning of the family.
• Intergenerational family therapy focuses its importance on the generational influences on the family and each individual of that family. When identifying these behavioral patterns from generations, it helps people to see that their problems has been intact within the family long before their current problem. 

This us a very interesting finding to me and rooting from this I will like to know how a therapist would go about choosing a method to use? Would any of these three aspects be able to help in any situation? 

www.goodtherapy.org/family-systems-therapy.html

Prompt Post #6: Evaluating Sources

According to the article "marriage and family therapist", marriage and family therapy is a very effective type of treatment in the mental health literature. I agree with this argument because according to research, family therapy has been linked to positive outcomes in individual and family functioning. From my findings, treatment is most effective when combining medication and counseling sessions. When patients are treated with only medication, you are only treating the surface and symptoms of their conditions, not finding the root of the problem. This is ineffective because when their is a lack of medication the patient will repeat their actions until they actually understand the problem. When only having counseling sessions with a patient is time consuming and hard to get quick  results. Marriage and family therapy allows an individual to realize their problem and condition, except it, and then find ways to improve their self. This helps them to abandon their unexpected behavior or habits and improve their overall health and life, making this an affective treatment

Free Post #7: Skills and Knowledge needed

I am interested and confused about the actual skills and knowledge used by marriage and family therapists during their daily jobs. I decided to conduct some research to find out what are the important skills and knowledge needed to have positive outcomes with my future sessions.

According to the article, Marriage and Family Therapist Career, marriage and family therapist should withhold a lot of different skills and knowledge to have effective outcomes with their clients. These different skills and knowledge includes;
• Social perceptiveness- Being aware of others reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Judgment and Decision Making- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

• Service Orientation- Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Speaking- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Complex problem solving- Identifying complex problems an reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Critical thinking- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Writing- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Science- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

Knowing this information now, I have realized I have a lot to work on with myself as a person, and the knowledge needed to do my job.

www.mymajors.com/career/marriage-and-family-therapist/skills/

Prompt post #7: Contemplating Controversy

There is a lot of controversy in the field of psychology. The Nature vs. Nurture debate is one of the most enduring in this field. The main question is are human behaviors, ideals, and feelings innate or are they learned, and to what extent? Rene' Descartes created this view that these characteristics are in- born ideas that influence our approach to the world. Contrary to this belief, the British philosopher, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke pressed the role of experience and how it affects these characteristics. Locke suggested that the mind at birth is a "blank slate", in which experience fills it.
The nature debate believes that genetics and other natural traits, influence how a person will develop in the world. For example, if a parent is psychologically troubled, it will affect their child pertaining to behavior, personality, and other characteristics. The nurture debate argues that the people and environment a person is around will affect their development and how they relate to the world around them.