Influences and processes in theoretical orientation development: A grounded theory pilot study

A grounded theory approach was used to establish a model of the influences and processes that are involved in the theoretical ori-entation development of licensed marriage and family therapists. The findings of the study indicate that the process involves an interaction between ten categories of influence subsumed under personal and the professional domains. While identifying the influ-ences and their larger domains, the authors also explore how each of the categories is influential based on participant interviews. Im-plications for supervision, training, and professional development are discussed. Whether a therapist identifies with a primary model (e.g., structural, narra-tive, MRI), an integrative perspective, or takes an eclectic stance, theoreti-cal orientation development is a process in which all marriage and family therapists (MFTs) engage. Literature within the psychotherapy field suggests that a clinician’s theoretical orientation affects practitioner satisfaction (Vasco, Garcia-Marques, & Dryden, 1993) and the type of treatment a client receives (Arthur, 2000). Despite the effect of clinical theory on the practice of psy-chotherapy and, perhaps even more significantly, on the field of marriage and family therapy (MFT) (Sprenkle & Blow, 2004), relatively few studies have examined aspects of the process of theoretical orientation development in either field. While the process of theory development is complex, the MFT field has a vested interest in examining this process, given its implications for training, professional development, and the continued evolution of the field in general