ABSTRACT
The author presents the first of its kind therapist use of self-developmental framework across one's career as a couple and family therapist. The framework consists of four developmental stages from beginning couple and family therapist to master level. Important developmental tasks that couple and family therapists must master at each stage in order to advance to the next use of self-developmental stage are presented. Couple and family therapists are introduced to three important therapeutic instruments to use in their work with couples and families, they are: the session rating scale, the outcome rating scale, and the therapeutic brilliance scale. The session rating scale offers couple and family therapists session-by-session feedback from clients on the quality of the therapeutic alliance with them. The outcome rating scales provides important feedback to the therapist if change is happening in the clients' individual lives at school or at work, in their couple or family relationships, and in their relationships with friends. The therapeutic brilliance scale helps therapists to keep track of their successes in session achieving both the clients' and their learning goals, particularly seizing opportunities in sessions that benefitted the clients. For supervisors and trainers, they will find these instruments to be beneficial to them in monitoring their couple and family therapist supervisees' movement toward achieving their learning goals and professional development.
