Treatment of Encopresis Using Modifications to Michael White's Approach

Abstract

This case study describes the efforts of one family therapy team to implement the “map for therapy” developed by Michael White to treat encopresis. Whereas the team discovered that White's map was useful in charting a general course for treatment, they also discovered the necessity of devising some novel interventions when therapy moved beyond the boundaries of the map. This article reports on implementation of the map, as well as the “detours”. The team concluded that detours will often be necessary, though the precise nature of these will depend on the idiosyncratic patterns of the particular family and family-helper systems.