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    Therapist's experience of, and attitudes towards, barriers to the completion of therapeutic homework tasks in children, adolescents and families : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2006) Shinkfield, Gregg
    Homework is a widely used therapeutic tool, employed by clinicians from a range of training backgrounds and across a variety of theoretical orientations. Theoretical and empirical support suggests that homework is an effective component of treatment for clients from a variety of populations presenting with a host of different disorders. Yet despite support for these assignments, few studies have directly investigated factors that may potentially interfere with the process of completing homework assignments. The present thesis aimed to address this gap in our knowledge by gathering survey data from a sample of 144 Marriage and Family Therapist regarding their attitudes and experience of homework barriers that have occurred in their clinical practice. Data obtained found support for the regular occurrence of twenty-one specific types of barriers. It was also revealed that a subset of "generic" factors frequently occurred across all client groups. The clinical implications of these barriers are discussed.
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    A grounded theory of the role of family in recovery and healing from child sexual abuse : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2005) Morrison, Lana Jane
    This thesis presents an exploration of therapist perceptions of the role of family in recovery and healing from Child Sexual Abuse (CSA). Consistent with the individualistic focus of Western society, the international body of literature tends to focus on intrapsychic effects and processes of CSA rather than emphasising the ecological and systemic influences which interact with CSA events. Consistent with the New Zealand Ministry of Health's calls to be more inclusive of family in mental health issues, this investigation attempted to provide new understandings of CSA from an ecological and systemic perspective. A grounded theory methodology was utilised. This incorporated the analysis of therapist data collected from a combination of focus groups, key informant interviews and a national survey. The core social process which emerged was "Belonging, Estrangement and Reintegratio". This model of recovery and healing in sexually abused families recognises the impact that abuse and neglect has across generations of a family, the evolving nature of their relationships before, during and after the sexual abuse event(s), and the impact these relationships have on the healing journey. Parallel to the core social process were a number of contextual variables which interacted with therapist practices. These factors influenced how practitioners conceptualise and work with sexually abused families. For the most part, these variables were barriers to including family in the recovery process. It is hoped that the themes which emerged from this investigation will further inform practice in the field by identifying ways in which therapists can successfully incorporate and address contextual family factors to facilitate recovery and healing. It is also hoped that this investigation will alert organisations to the ecological barriers which therapists encounter and which hinder their ability to incorporate family factors in their practice.
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    Therapists' perceptions of family therapy : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1996) Phillips, Lesley Anne
    Family therapy in New Zealand is practised by people with a wide variety of training and experience. Twelve therapists from diverse academic and professional backgrounds were interviewed about their perceptions of family therapy. Analysis of the interviews using a Grounded Theory approach found that therapists used a variety of ways of distinguishing family therapy from other therapeutic approaches. They stressed the importance of adequate initial and ongoing preparation. Therapists' descriptions of the therapy process included the different ideas about therapy held by therapists and clients (and the resolution of these differences); metaphors of action and danger; and the varied outcomes of family therapy. Discussion of the social and professional ecology of family therapy illustrated some of the constraints under which it was practised.
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    New Zealand and Australian marriage and family therapy practitioners : paradigm adherence, practitioner profiles and clinical practice : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2002) Mealla Arauz, Alexandra
    A partial replication of a study conducted in the United States (Booth, 1996) on the theoretical perspectives of marriage and family practitioners using the Paradigm Adherence Scale (PAS), and a survey on demographic characteristics and clinical practice were conducted with New Zealand and Australian marriage and family therapy practitioners. The PAS measures adherence to the three main paradigms associated with marriage and family therapy (psychological, systems and social constructionist). The Australasian marriage and family therapy practitioners in the sample (N=88) were slightly more females than males, mainly middle-aged (48.6 years), and engaged equally in both private and public practices. Participants came from a diversity of mental health disciplines including social work, psychology, counselling and psychotherapy. They had been practising marriage and family therapy for 11.69 years on average, conducting short-term therapy (an average of 9.45 sessions) and treating a wide range of serious problems. Results from the PAS indicated that the largest proportions of participants adhered primarily to a combination of the three paradigms (43.2%) or to a social constructionist paradigm (39.8%). It was found that both the post-graduate and current or most recent supervisors' preferred paradigm predict participants' strength of adherence to a particular paradigm. Some methodological limitations were discussed. The study provided interesting insights into the training and practice of New Zealand and Australian practitioners and provides a baseline for future research, making it possible to describe the developments of marriage and family therapy in Australasia.
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    Multisystemic treatment (MST) of antisocial behaviour in youth : the role of the family in facilitating change : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2004) Curtis, Nicola Mary
    The current dissertation includes three studies that examined (a) the overall effectiveness of Multisystemic Treatment (MST) achieved in previous outcome studies, (b) the effectiveness of MST with antisocial youth in New Zealand, and (c) a range of variables and their ability to predict MST treatment outcomes. Study 1 adopted meta-analytic strategies to evaluate the overall effectiveness of MST in comparison to other treatment approaches or usual services in the treatment of antisocial behaviour in youth. The meta-analysis integrated the results from seven primary and four secondary MST outcome studies involving 708 participants. Results indicate that across different presenting problems and samples, the average effect of MST was d = 0.55; across both instrumental and ultimate outcome measures, youth and their families treated with MST were functioning better and offending less than 70% of their counterparts who received alternative treatment or services (Curtis et al., 2004). Study 2 used a one-group pre- to post-treatment design to evaluate the efficacy of MST in New Zealand with 65 antisocial youth and their families. Results show that significant pre- to post-treatment improvements occurred in many of the instrumental and ultimate indicators of treatment outcomes. Gains were either maintained at or evident by the 6- and 12-month follow-up intervals. Study 3 examined data collected from participants in Study 2 to explore a range of variables hypothesised to predict the effectiveness of MST in New Zealand. Results show that parent and youth stages of change were significantly related to improvements in ultimate outcomes (i.e., school attendance and decreased frequency and severity of offending behaviour) at post-treatment. With regard to decisional balance, parent perceptions of youth motivation and improved family relations (pros) were positively related to their youth's readiness to change. Findings related to therapist availability indicate evidence of a potential sleeper effect in that the benefits of therapist contacts during treatment appear not to have been fully realised until follow-up periods. No valid associations were found between adherence ratings and treatment outcomes. Implications of these results for the continued refinement and dissemination of MST are discussed.