The AAMFT Blog

Clinical Guidelines for LGBTQIA-Affirming Marriage and Family Therapy

The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) is pleased to announce new guidelines that outline how marriage and family therapists practice in an affirming, inclusive, ethical, and competent way with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA) people.

It is a core value of AAMFT to support, promote, and protect diversity and to value all individuals and groups, and our commitment to inclusion involves the identification and creation of resources that promote equity for all. The guidelines, written by a team of queer, transgender, and allied MFT scholars and practitioners, contain five pillars for clinical practice, a glossary of relevant terms, and an extensive reference list that will be a valuable resource for anyone who practices from a systemic therapy lens.

The guidelines were authored by:

Erica E. Hartwell, PhD

Christopher K. Belous, PhD

Kristen Benson, PhD

Livingstone Cox, MA

Alex Iantaffi, PhD

Christi R. McGeorge, PhD

Daran Shipman, MA

Markie L. C. Twist, PhD

This resource is free and available for download on the AAMFT store. Download the Guidelines.

AAMFT Member Melissa Tran Wins Dr. Robert L. Jesse Award

Melissa Tran, MA, LMFT, an AAMFT Professional Member holding the Clinical Fellow designation, at the Orlando VA Healthcare System, won the Under Secretary for Health Dr. Robert L. Jesse Award for Excellence in InnoVAtion for her Perinatal Reproductive Education and Planning Resources (PREPARe). PREPARe provides a holistic prenatal and postnatal support program involving nutrition, mental health and women’s health.

Support groups and classes are available for those who are expecting or recently postpartum. Offerings range from yoga, hypnosis and childbirth, lactation counseling, parenting styles, infant loss, infertility, post-partum depression, effective communication and how your health affects your child including nutrition and food safety.

This award recognizes and honors VA employees who have demonstrated excellence and enabled the discovery and spread of healthcare innovation that exceeds expectations, restores hope, and builds trust. Inspired by her own experience with motherhood, Tran developed the program to help other new parents navigate pregnancy and its related conditions. Tran often felt lost during her pregnancy and postpartum period, so she made it her mission to make sure that perinatal services, education and support are readily available across VHA.

Congratulations, Melissa, on this outstanding achievement!

NEW: Topical Interest Networks

In 2017, AAMFT members voted to approve the Board of Directors recommendation to adopt a more flexible membership structure. The tailored membership offered by this new structure allows members to select the benefits that offer them the most support in each year of their career journey, a revolutionary change for the organization. It truly allows member needs and wants to serve at the forefront of AAMFT’s strategic direction. We have only gotten here today through a tremendous amount of work and partnership on the part of members, volunteers, and staff.

Now, we are ready for the final phase of the new structure roll-out with the highly anticipated launch of topical interest networks. For those of you who are curious how we have gotten here, below we offer a glimpse into the process and where we anticipate it going in the coming year. And for those who are just excited to join a group and start contributing to its’ development, hop over to aamft.org/engage to review the list!

What are topical interest networks?

Topical interest networks, or TINS, are member-led engagement programs that are focused on sub-specialties or focus areas in our profession. They are all new for 2019.

What types of topics are covered by the interest networks?

For 2019, eight new topical interest networks are launching. They are:

• Couples and Intimate Relationships
• Family Therapists in Healthcare
• Family Therapists in Schools
• MFTs Working in Trauma
• Queer and Trans Advocacy Network
• Systemic Therapy Across the Lifespan
• Telehealth and Technology
• Working with Military Personnel and their Families

How were these topics selected?

In late 2017, AAMFT members were surveyed to find out what topics they were most interested in seeing developed first as interest networks. From that survey, 15 topics emerged for exploration. In the first quarter of 2018, staff hosted focus group calls with members on each topic to help identify the current environment for the topic in our profession, the needs for support that existed within the sub-specialty, and what members within each topic might be interested in taking on a leadership role in developing an interest network.

Self-identified volunteer leaders then worked to develop applications that consisted of proposed topics, member benefits, and budgets for each interest network. After approval by the Component Evaluation Committee (CEC), these volunteer leaders worked with staff to establish the framework for each network.

Throughout the process, hundreds of member MFTs and those in training contributed valuable input and ideas on how to advance our profession within this program.

What type of benefits are being offered by the TINs?

Each group offers a dedicated online network where you can connect with similarly-interested MFTs, have discussions about emergent issues related to the topic, and share resources.

Additional planned benefits vary from interest network to interest network based upon the identified needs from the focus group conversations. They range from educational development opportunities to resource development and research discussions to advocacy. Many of the plans of the networks have been built with a flexible structure to incorporate the input of those who join! Descriptions of the intended goals for each group are available to members at aamft.org/engage.

How can I join a topical interest network?

Members can join any engagement program (topical or geographic) in two very easy ways!

Option 1: During your annual renewal process, simply check the boxes for the engagement programs you are interested in joining for the year!

Option 2: For those who are mid-renewal cycle or want to join today, simply visit aamft.org/engage. Next to each program is a join button that you can click on to directly add the program to your membership.

Having trouble adding an engagement program? Simply call 703-838-9808 during regular business hours and speak with an AAMFT Membership Specialist who can assist you!

What if I’m really interested in a topic but it isn’t covered yet?

Each spring, applications for new engagement programs will be considered by the Component Evaluation Committee at their meeting. Keep an eye on the eNews later this fall as we provide information on the application process for spring 2019!

Simple Practice: AAMFT's New Affinity Partner

AAMFT has a new partnership with SimplePractice, one of the fastest-growing, highest-rated, and most innovative practice management systems on the market. Their robust system is easy to use for therapists, with several options to customize, and the company was founded by a therapist trained in marriage and family therapy. 

AAMFT members receive a free 30-day trial AND your first two months for the price of one!

How has SimplePractice proved to be the best practice management platform for health and wellness professionals?
We’ve empowered over 20,000 health and wellness professionals to start, run and grow private practices across the US and the world. Through first-hand understanding of health and wellness practices by our co-founder, Howard Spector, we’ve build a platform that’s tailored to meet the specific challenges clinicians face. With over $1 billion in revenue collected through the SimplePractice platform, we are the leading choice for small business owners committed to health and wellness work in their communities.

What’s the inspiration behind SimplePractice?
To put it simply, we’re inspired by the work health and wellness professionals do and we want to help them start, run, and grow their businesses.

Trained as an MFT, SimplePractice co-founder Howard Spector set out to start his own private practice. At that time, he could not find software that was both flexible for his unique needs as a therapist while still keeping him in control of important tasks like client communication, scheduling, and billing. Drawing on his years of experience leading software teams and running his own small businesses, Howard set out to create a platform that was unique for him and his peers. He teamed up with co-founder Ralph Zimmermann, a technologist with deep experience in security and mobile applications.

With a multidisciplinary approach they focused on smart design, HIPAA compliance, and automations specific to health and wellness in order to create a system that keeps you in control of every aspect of your business while still providing the flexibility you need to run your unique health and wellness practice from anywhere: desktop, tablet, and smartphone. Today SimplePractice is a team of technologists, designers, engineers, accountants, entrepreneurs, writers, therapists, an SLP, and more, all working to support our customers and build the best possible tools for private practice owners to start, run, and grow their health and wellness businesses.

Any challenges the company has faced and been able to overcome?

Everyday we face the same challenge as other small businesses: deciding how to prioritize our resources. Time and effort are finite, and everyday we’re forced to prioritize what we work on and build. Since we’ve launched, we’ve focused on speaking with and listening to our community of customers in order to understand the best way we can serve the health and wellness community.