Development Of Family Therapy Research Articles

Book reviews

S. Walrond‐Skinner (Ed.), Developments in Family Therapy, Theories and Applications since 1948S. Box, E. Copley, J. Magagna and E. Moustaki (Eds). Psychotherapy with Families—an Analytic ApproachJudith Lask and Bryan Lask, Child Psychiatry and Social WorkA. Gurman and D. Kniskern (Eds), Handbook of Family Therapy Kalman Flomenhaft and Adolph E. Christ (Eds), The Challenge of Family Therapy. A Dialogue for Child Psychiatric Educators Alan S. Gurman (Ed.), Questions and Answers in the Practice of Family Therapy

Recent developments in family therapy: a review.

Since its beginning some 25 years ago, family therapy has become a widely used madality. The field is developing its own theoretical foundations, training institutions, and body of outcome research; the authors review some of the changes, especially those of the last two or three years. One major development is the growing differentiation of family therapy models and techniques; related are increasing attempts to delineate selection criteria and to provide empirical data for special matches of problems and treatments. The field has moved from its early preoccupation with schizophrenia to concern with new target populations, such as families disrupted by divorce. Family therapy is also being used more often in the treatment of hospitalized patients and of substance abusers. The outcome research is growing in extent and sophistication; the positive results indicate a continuing prominent role for this modality.

Alcoholics Anonymous and Family Therapy*

Alcoholism affects the family of the alcoholic as well as the individual problem drinker. Change in drinking behavior is often brought about by change in the alcoholic's family members. There has been a natural evolution in the alcoholism field of self‐help groups for mates and children of alcoholics. This development has paralleled the recent growth and development of family therapy as a major mode of psychotherapeutic intervention. Yet, crossfertilization of ideas and intervention strategies between the two fields has been slow in occurring. Arguments over whether one uses family therapy or A.A. and Al‐Anon persist. This paper focuses on ways in which family therapy and the A.A. self‐help groups add to, rather than detract from, one another. A note of caution about the misuse of family therapy when alcoholism is present is also provided.1

Toward a Biblical Framework for Family Therapy

The development of family therapy has brought a major change in the way many people in the helping professions view behavioral problems. This paper presents some of the central concepts of family dynamics and therapy, followed by a consideration of biblical concepts of the family and its functioning. The two models have large areas of congruency, particularly in considering the structure of the family, the proper conduct of interpersonal relationships, individual responsibility, and the importance of the concept of family to individual well-being. Proper application of biblical guidelines will bring about change in family members in psychologically and spiritually healthy ways.

Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Models: Blending Gestalt and Family Therapies

Family therapy is primarily focused upon interpersonal or transactional issues. Its major contributions have been in the development of communication analysis, communication opening techniques, and in illuminating group responsibility in the creation of an identified patient. Work with individual or subsystem boundaries has received far less attention. Gestalt therapy is particularly well suited for short term work on intrapersonal and boundary issues (Hatcher and Himelstein, 1976). The focus of this paper is to show how the selective integration of the two approaches provides a significant, new dimension in the development of family therapy.