Mental-Health Therapists Share Attitudes about CAM and Massage

The first study to examine beliefs and attitudes held by marriage-and-family therapists (MFCCs) toward complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has found that out of all CAM therapies they are most enthusiastic about massage.

For this study, the National Institute of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine’s list was used to determine what constitutes CAM. That list includes massage, chiropractic, mind/body interventions, energy therapies, acupuncture, herbs, diet and lifestyle changes.

The type of practice the respondents were most knowledgeable about and interested in were, with the most popular first: 1) manual healing/touch therapies, particularly massage; 2) mind-body practices; and 3) diet, nutrition and lifestyle choices. Herbal medicine was an area familiar to some, whereas biological and pharmacological treatments and bioelectromagnetic applications were each mentioned only one time.

Overall, the study found that MFCCs are open to learning about CAM and suggesting that patients seek out CAM therapies, but also hold a cautious attitude toward unproven therapies and toward making sure they stay within their own scope of practice.

MFCCs learn about CAM in a variety of ways, including workshops, seminars or other training, graduate school or work, the researchers stated. “Nearly as frequently mentioned were experiences within the families of the respondents and personal use. Colleagues and friends were a third avenue, whereas clients were mentioned least frequently as a source of information.”

Four hundred twenty-four clinical members of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy completed written questionnaires; an additional 54 telephone interviews were conducted by researchers.

“The Relationship Between Marriage and Family Therapists and Complementary and Alternative Medicine Approaches: a Qualitative Study” was conducted by researchers at from Saint Louis University, in Missouri, and Appalachian State University, in North Carolina. Results were published in the January 2006 issue of the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy.