Have you ever wondered how a Family Therapist can work with you to help care for your clients and patients?

Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs) are trained and licensed in Kansas to assess, diagnose, and treat mental disorders.  MFT training enables clinicians to work effectively with a variety of clients (i.e. individuals, couples, and/or families).  Family Therapy is focused on helping family members adjust their interaction patterns to support a member’s mental health and medical health conditions.

Working from a biopsychosocial perspective, an MFT addresses the interplay among the biological and psychosocial processes influencing a patient’s ability to effectively manage a physical illness.  The effects of a mental or medical condition reverberate throughout the family often making it difficult for a patient to comply with prescribed treatments.

MFTs are interested in a team approach collaborating to assess, diagnose, and monitor progress.  MFTs work with physicians, psychiatrists, social workers, and psychologists to provide patients with comprehensive mental health and medical care.

Assessment and Diagnosis

Integrated throughout our work with patients to assess, diagnose, and treat mental disorders, we first work with our patients and their families to determine if their mental health condition is best explained as the result of a medical condition.  A routine referral to physicians is made for a medical assessment to determine if a medical condition is responsible for the presenting psychosocial issues.

Medication Management

MFTs work with and refer patients who have mental health conditions that research has revealed could be improved through the use of psychotropic medications.  MFTs help patients to determine if the benefits of taking the medication outweigh possible side effects.  While the physician or psychiatrist is responsible for prescribing and managing the medication, the MFT, who sees the patients more frequently (usually during weekly or bi-weekly sessions), can assess for resulting improvements in or complications of their mental health.

Medical Treatment Compliance

MFTs work with patients and their families to address issues that affect the patient’s ability to manage a medical condition.    MFTs encourage patients to report back to their physician when they are experiencing side effects and may benefit from a medical follow-up.  Physicians often refer clients to MFTs when a patient struggles to manage a chronic medical condition.  Examples of such referrals occur when the patient experiences the following:  difficulties managing diabetes or psychosocial complications following heart surgery.