Andrea Wittenborn and Kendal Holtrop edited the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy decade review issue - the discipline's flagship journal - on the efficacy and effectiveness of couple and family therapy interventions. Wittenborn and Holtrop are professor and associate professor, respectively, in the Couple and Family Therapy Program in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies.

“It is our hope that this issue provides clinicians the tools they need to improve the mental health of people they treat in their communities,” Wittenborn said. 

This once-in-a-decade review assesses the efficacy and effectiveness of couple and family interventions for conditions such as anxiety, depression, suicide, substance use, ADHD, child disruptive behavior problems and relationship conflict. 

“The empirical literature is constantly evolving and it can be difficult for clinicians to discern the best practices for improving mental health,” Holtrop said. “The Journal of Marital and Family Therapy decade review is recognized as the most reliable source of information on empirically supported couple and family interventions for mental health and behavioral problems.”

Holtrop explained that close relationships play a role in the development and maintenance of mental and behavioral disorders. Decades of research show that relationship dynamics can be changed or harnessed to alleviate mental health symptoms. 

To read more, visit hdfs.msu.edu