skip to main content
  • APA.org
  • APA Style
  • APA Services
  • Corporate Solutions
  • Divisions
  • MyAPA
  • (Log Out)
  • Log In
The Society for Couple and Family Psychology
  • Leadership
  • News & Events
  • Diversity
  • Education & Research
  • Publications
  • Membership
  • About
  • Home
  • Div. 43
  • Publications
  • The Family Psychologist
  • 2019
  • The Family Psychologist

    Div. 43, Society for Family Psychology
    • Browse All Issues
    April 2019
    Two worried parents sitting at a table with a child and therapist
    Editor’s Note

    Letter from the editor

    Welcome to the Spring 2019 issue of The Family Psychologist (TFP).
    By Kendra Campbell, PhD

    Div. 43 Board

    • Recognition of the Div. 43 Board of Directors
      TFP editors would like to thank the Div. 43 leadership for their support of this publication.

    President Address

    • Ignoring self-of-the-therapist makes treatment less effective
      Couple and family psychotherapy works. There is a growing body of research regarding effectiveness of couple and family-based treatments. We have a seat at the empirically validated table (Sexton, Ridley, & Kleiner, 2004). Having an evidence-based model to guide us (including therapist-specific factors) is essential.
      By Susan Regas, PhD

    Vice-President for Education

    • Future directions for CFP education
      Last year, the focus of this column was the challenges educators face at various stages of training in couples and family psychology (CFP), ranging from doctoral and internship/post-doctoral training to post-licensure continuing education. As I approach the end of my term as the division’s VP for education, I’d like to take this opportunity to discuss future directions for the division’s training and education activities.
      By Shelley A. Riggs, PhD

    Vice President for Practice

    • Meet the newest Div. 43 Fellows
      In this issue, we hear from new fellow Patricia Pitta, PhD. She is the director of the Postgraduate Integrative Couple and Family Therapy Program at St. John's University, and she is a diplomate in couple and family psychology and a Distinguished Fellow of the New York State Psychological Association. 
      By Allison B. Hill, PhD, JD

    Vice President for Science

    • Funding of couple and family research: The continuing quest
      One of my goals as VP of science for Div. 43 was to continue the multiyear efforts of current and past Div. 43 Board members to influence federal funding agencies regarding couple and family research.
      By Steven L. Sayers, PhD

    Practice Corner

    • Avoiding the morass of multiple relationship ethics violations
      Real World Issues in Couple Therapy: Guest Author
      By G. Andrew H. Benjamin

    Student/ECP Corner

    • Social justice and systemic change: A call to action for students and ECPs
      As students and early career professionals (ECPs), a good majority of us have had more exposure to education and formal training in the areas of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) as it relates to education, training and the work that we do, allowing us to serve as change-makers in a multi-generational workforce.
      By Shawndeeia Drinkard, PhD

    Forensic Corner

    • Therapy amid conflicting allegations precautions, best practices and ethical obligations
      In prior columns, we have addressed general considerations and essential competencies for providing effective therapy to court-involved families. Family psychologists can provide effective help to families who are negotiating the transitions and emotional distress that often accompany parental separation or involvement with the courts. A minority of cases, however, present particularly difficult challenges and ethical and clinical risks. These include situations in which a therapist is presented with conflicting allegations of abuse, trauma or the undermining of a parent-child relationship. 
      By Lyn Greenberg, PhD

    Guest Article

    • Consensual non-monogamy: A brief summary of key findings and recent advancements
      This past year, Div. 44 (Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity) has formed a task force on consensual non-monogamy (CNM), in recognition of relationship diversity, which intersects with sexual/gender identities in interesting ways. The task force formation also recognizes that consensual non-monogamies are becoming more of a focus of research and clinical practice than in the past, as changes in society affect how people approach intimate relationships and family formation.
      By Richard A. Sprott, PhD, and Heath Schechinger, PhD

    Reference Corner

    • A review of "Treating the Difficult Divorce: A Practical Guide for Psychotherapists" by Jay L. Lebow
      From Reference Corner Editor Linda Berg-Cross, PhD: Ralph Fretz, PhD, is a psychologist who is licensed in New Jersey and Florida and is board-certified in couple and family psychology He has been a practicing clinician since 1982. His family training includes two years with Harry Aponte and one year with Sal Minuchin. He currently works as a research director for a company that partners with public agencies to provide correctional treatment services.
      By Ralph Fretz, PhD, ABPP

    Candidate Statements

    • Candidate Statements for Div. 43 Board
      Please review the following candidate statements to prepare for the upcoming 2019 Div. 43 election.
    • About the Newsletter
    • Contact Us

    Notice to readers

    Please note that as of April 2020, the division is no longer updating the Family Psychologist newsletter. Members and readers interested in the latest news and articles from the division should instead visit The Couple and Family Psychologist Blog.

    Back to top
    • Div. 43 Home
    • Contact Div. 43
    • Contact APA
    • Help
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Use
    • Accessibility

    © 2026 APA Div. 43: Society for Couple and Family Psychology
    750 First St. NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242
    Telephone: (202) 336-5500. TDD/TTY: (202) 336-6123
    Email Div. 43 for permission to reproduce any of this web content.