College of Professional Education

As professionals, therapists should be prepared to work with a diverse population. The purpose of this study was to explore predictors of American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy Clinical Members’ comfort level in working with gay and lesbian individuals, couples, and families. Results indicated that therapists’ scores on the Support for Lesbian and Gay Human Rights Scale predicted their comfort level in working with gay and lesbian individuals, couples, and families. The challenge for training programs is to assist therapists-in-training and supervisors with self-exploration and to increase opportunities for interactions with gays and lesbians.

This study used the lens of contextual therapy to explore the influence of parental infidelity on adult children’s perceptions of relational ethics in their relationship with their partners. A predominantly female sample (N = 411) completed a survey about trust, fairness, and loyalty within their current romantic relationship. Results showed a significant relationship between fathers’ infidelity and lower levels of horizontal relational ethics, and participants’ own participation in infidelity partially mediated the relationship between fathers’ infidelity and horizontal relational ethics. The relationship between mothers’ infidelity and relational ethics was not significant. Recommendations for clinical practice and future research are discussed.