The Families and Health SIG General Body Meetings allow for collaboration in scholarship, education/training, practice, and policy for interdisciplinary professionals interested in promoting a family-centered approach in healthcare. Our General Body Meetings offer webinars and community engagement opportunities among professionals in the field.

Single Session Therapy (SST) has shown promising results in improving mental health outcomes in fast-paced, resource-limited settings. But what happens when we move beyond the individual and engage the entire family unit? This session introduces the concept of Family-Centered Single Session Therapy (FCSST)—a framework that blends the core strengths of SST with principles of family-centered care to address both relational and clinical needs within integrated care.

We’ll explore the current evidence supporting SST and family engagement, discuss clinical contexts where this model may be most effective, and introduce participants to the foundational components of FCSST. Attendees will leave with ideas they can bring back to their own settings—and a preview of what’s to come in the full in-person session at CFHA’s 2025 Annual Conference in October.

This webinar will be held on Tuesday, September 9th at 2pm ET // 1pm CT // 12pm MT // 11am PT.

Speaker: Dr. Melissa Welch, PhD, LMFT

Associate Program Director, FSU Family Medicine Residency at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast

Dr. Melissa Welch is a licensed marriage and family therapist and the Associate Program Director of the Florida State University Family Medicine Residency Program at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast in Walton County, Florida. With nearly a decade of clinical experience, she has worked extensively with individuals, couples, and families across a range of medical and mental health settings.

Dr. Welch’s academic and clinical work centers on the integration of family systems principles into healthcare. Her research has focused on advancing family-centered care and identifying opportunities to enhance family engagement in the primary care setting. She is also a qualified supervisor in the state of Florida and is passionate about training future clinicians to deliver compassionate, collaborative, and evidence-informed care.

Dr. Welch brings a relational, biopsychosocial-spiritual lens to her work in medical education, where she supports residents in developing the behavioral and communication skills essential for whole-person care.

SIG Meetings are a CFHA Member Benefit. Learn more about becoming a CFHA Member.