The AAMFT Blog

Resources for MFTs: War, Conflict, & Trauma

AAMFT is aware is that many of our members have clients going through a range of difficulties at this time. Some are distressed and fearful of yet another war erupting on our planet, while others are more directly impacted; perhaps Jewish or Palestinian families living in the US who are concerned about their loved ones in the Middle East; or perhaps families who have generational trauma lingering from the Holocaust who now face old wounds being reopened unexpectedly and horrifically. AAMFT is currently reaching out to systemic therapists in the Middle East, or those with experience working in the region, to obtain more information and resources for working with clients suffering the impacts of war and trauma in the region.

Below are some resources for clinicians related to the impact of war, conflict, trauma, and treatment approaches.

Doing What Matters in Times of Stress: An Illustrated Guide (from the World Health Organization) 

A stress management guide for coping with adversity. The guide aims to equip people with practical skills to help cope with stress. A few minutes each day is enough to practice the self-help techniques. The guide can be used alone or with the accompanying audio exercises. Available in multiple languages. Informed by evidence and extensive field testing, the guide is for anyone who experiences stress, wherever they live and whatever their circumstances.

Mental Health Innovation Network (MHIN)

Many great resources are included on this site. Search for “war” or “conflict” in the search bar for a variety of resources and information. One recommended resource is PFA-Psychological First Aid. Psychological first aid has been recommended by many international and national expert groups, including the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and the Sphere Project. Psychological first aid is an alternative to psychological debriefing. In 2009, the World Health Organization’s mhGAP Guidelines Development Group evaluated the evidence for psychological first aid and psychological debriefing. They concluded that psychological first aid, rather than psychological debriefing, should be offered to people in severe distress after being recently exposed to a traumatic event."

Pan American Health Organization: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergencies (MHPSS)

Health emergencies, natural and socio-environmental disasters, armed conflicts, and various migratory phenomena may cause severe suffering in affected populations. The psychological and social effects of emergencies can be severe in the short term, but they can also affect people in the long term. These effects can also threaten peace, human rights, and development. Protecting and improving people's mental health and psychosocial well-being is therefore a priority in emergencies. To achieve this goal, coordinated action is needed among humanitarian assistance providers, including governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations and civil society groups involved in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS).

The Mental Health & Psychosocial Support Network

This online platform enables members to share resources, join groups, and interact with others, based on their work and interests. The platform also plays an important role in mobilizing capacities, resources, and supporting coordination around MHPSS response during emergencies. Scroll down to the "Latest Resources" section for resources on hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel.

Thank you to AAMFT Professional Member Dr. Laurie L. Charlés for her resource suggestions. Dr. Charlés has extensive experience working in regions experiencing conflict and war around the world.

Additional resources:

War Anxiety: How EMDR Therapists Can Help

Statement on Mental Health in Light of Global Conflict, with resources on Jewish and Muslim communities

Healing Circles

‘I Love You. I Am Sorry’: One Jew, One Muslim and a Friendship Tested by War
A Los Angeles program that connects Muslims and Jews has been strained by the war in Israel. But the group’s leaders found that it has strengthened their bond.

Family Therapy Magazine articles related to trauma:

Trauma-informed Family Therapy: Systemic Treatment of Trauma of Child Refugees
Charity Somo, PhD, and Laurie L. Charlés, PhD

Transgenerational Trauma: A Memory of a Therapist to Be

Ronald W. Lawrence, MS

Children’s Reactions to Death

Sarah Bauer, MMFT

Supporting Children Through Their Grief Journey

Nancy L. Kriseman, MSW and Lane Pease Hendricks, MS

Family Evacuation After the Collapse of Afghanistan

Laurie L Charlés, PhD and Florence J. Lewis, PhD

Helping Families Cope with Disasters

Michael Ungar, PhD

Journal of Marital and Family Therapy:
JMFT Special Section on Mass Trauma

Family Interventions for Populations Exposed to Traumatic Stress Related to War and Violence

Elizabeth Wieling

Experiencing Couple Relationships in the Line of Fire

Michal Shamai, Saray Fogel, and Dvorit Gilad

 

AAMFT and Medicare Mental Health Workforce Coalition Celebrate Passage of Medicare Coverage of MFTs and Counselors

AAMFT and the Medicare Mental Health Workforce Coalition honored key leaders involved in the passage of Medicare Part B Coverage of Marriage and Family Therapists at a special event and reception in Washington, DC on September 12.

The Mental Health Access Improvement Act, which was passed last year, will enable MFTs and MHCs to begin treating Medicare beneficiaries for their mental health conditions and bill for those services beginning January 1, 2024. This action was a major milestone for the advocacy and public policy efforts of AAMFT and our members around the country who have fought hard for inclusion in the Medicare program.

The event was held on Capitol Hill and attended by many representatives of the Medicare Mental Health Workforce Coalition, the key alliance supporting Medicare recognition of MFTs and MHCs, to honor key legislative sponsors of our Medicare bill. AAMFT is a key participant and founding member of the coalition.

Chris Michaels, CEO of AAMFT, said at the reception, “Tonight, I am again reminded of the many therapists, counselors, Medicare enrollees, association staff members, healthcare advocates, and Members of Congress and their staffs who worked so hard for so many years in order to ensure that Seniors have access to the valuable services that counselors and therapists provide.”

At the reception, Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) was honored for her long commitment to securing Medicare Part B Coverage for MFTs and MHCs. Senator Stabenow was a lead sponsor of the Mental Health Access Improvement Act for several years. In accepting the award, Senator Stabenow highlighted the challenges of passing any kind of health-related legislation, especially during tough federal budget times.

She said, “Sometimes it takes a focusing event like a disaster or crisis which in this case was the Covid-19 pandemic to bring significant attention to the problem of mental health workforce shortages in Medicare.”  “Fortunately, we had the solution in hand through the Mental Health Access Improvement Act that had bipartisan support,” the senator said proudly. 

Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) was honored alongside Senator Stabenow at the event. Senator Barrasso was also a lead sponsor of the Mental Health Access Improvement over the last decade. He struck a similar tone as Senator Stabenow, saying “We know the public mood, comments from constituents and the like, and widespread media attention during the pandemic reinforced what we knew before the pandemic about mental health workforce shortages. The early warning signals were there before the crisis and we needed to take action.” Senator Barrasso said that significant mental health workforce shortages in Wyoming prevented people from seeking care and he is hopeful that the Mental Health Access Improvement Act will address the current situation in Wyoming.

Both Senator Barrasso and Senator Stabenow highlighted that we need to do more to improve access to mental health care for older adults. “More work needs to be done to address our workforce issues”, Stabenow said. Barrasso agreed, “We need to increase access to mental health, especially in underserved areas.”

For more information about Medicare and the resources available to prepare for its implementation, please visit the AAMFT Medicare Coverage of Marriage and Family Therapists page.

 

Foundation for the Advancement of Human Systems

Allow us to reintroduce ourselves! Have you heard of the the launch for Foundation for the Advancement of Human Systems (FAHS), formally AAMFT Foundation? Join the party by connecting with FAHS! Follow the FAHS on Twitter/IG (@Advancehumansys, and check out our website for impact (www.humansyst.org)

 

With a new mission and vision the Foundation for the Advancement of Human Systems is poised to advance healthy relationships for individuals, couples, families, and communities!

 

Mission: The Foundation for the Advancement of Human Systems (FAHS) exists to fund research focusing on healthy and strong human systems – individuals, couples, families, and communities.

Vision: Advancing healthy relationships for individuals, couples, families, and communities

 

Download FAHS Video

Costs for Starting a Marriage and Family Therapist Practice

This content is provided by zynnyme, an affinity partner of AAMFT. This information is not necessarily the view of AAMFT and should not be interpreted as official policy. 

You have your degree, supervision hours, training experience, and licensure… but what about a Marriage and Family Therapy private practice? Even though you’ve already invested a LOT of money into your education to become the kind of therapist who makes a real impact on clients, you feel completely out of your element when it comes to the business side of things.

And then there’s the dreaded question:

How much is a Marriage and Family Therapy practice actually going to cost!?

The good news: Much less than you might expect. In fact, all of the money spent on getting you to where you are today in your profession is the greatest expense you’ll need as a therapist. Yes, it’s true that you’ll need to invest some money into private practice, but it’s totally doable.

In fact…

Your Marriage and Family Therapist practice costs LESS than most businesses.

That’s right — you don’t need hundreds (or even tens) of thousands of dollars to start a successful, values-aligned private practice. It’s all about starting for a low cost and growing as you build a steady caseload of ideal clients to learn from and serve.

So, let’s get right to it!

Here’s how much starting a Marriage and Family Therapist practice really costs…

Checklist: Cost of Starting a Marriage and Family Therapist Private Practice

To make this easy for you, we’re going to cover things one at a time. You’ll be able to check off each of these items once you have what you need, so you can avoid confusion and overwhelm.

Alright, here we go…

1. A Physical or Virtual Marriage and Family Therapist Office

Whether you prefer to see clients in person or with secure, HIPAA-compliant telehealth software for online sessions, you need some kind of private space to practice therapy.

If you choose to go the in-office (or hybrid) route, look into subletting an office for $100-200 or less per month. The specific number depends on the area you’re practicing in, of course, but you’ll likely find it’s a lot more affordable than you might’ve expected!

Plus, you won’t have to pay for expensive furniture and may even negotiate a deal where you only start paying for office space after you start seeing clients. My personal experience as a Marriage and Family Therapist was that I only paid for the space when I had clients, and there was an hourly fee that only went up to a max of $75 for a couple night’s worth of rent per month.

Investment: $200/month
> Download our free Office Space Checklist for your private practice