Counselor Trainee Early Family Structure and Current Intergenerational Family Relationships: Implications for Training

Abstract

An investigation of counselor trainees' recollections of early family structure and current intergenerational relationships found that trainees who remained relatively free from "triangling" patterns with parents reported significantly greater spousal intimacy, more individuation from parents, and less triangulation with children and spouses, than did trainees that were consistently "triangled" with parents. Additionally, trainees who reported both a clear and more-or-less equal position of parental authority in their family of origin were able to maintain an intimate yet autonomous relationship with parents and satisfying relationships with their spouses or significant others. Based on these results, implications for counselor training are discussed.