Professionals Who Work with Couples and Families in Turkey: Demographic Characteristics, Educational Background and Clinical Practices

Abstract

Marriage and family therapy is a rapidly developing profession in Turkey. Over the last couple of years the number of family therapy (or family counseling) trainings have been increasing, but the standardization is still missing. For the enhancement of this profession, it is important to first acquire knowledge regarding the current state of those who practice. This study is designed to better understand the characteristics and clinical practices of clinicians who work with couples and families using an online survey distributed to web-based psychology groups and to the graduates of family therapy training programs. The survey includes five categories: demographic characteristics, training, clinical practices, clientele characteristics, and professional development and competency. 204 clinicians participated in the study and the results are discussed comparatively with previous studies that were conducted in Turkey and the U.S. and in terms of its implications for training and policy development.