Increases in delinquency and violence over the past decade are often rooted in a number of interrelated social problems that may originate within the family structure. The focus of this publication is the effectiveness of family intervention programs and chronicles one type of intervention, the Functional Family Therapy (FFT). FFT draws on a…

In the current therapeutic climate it is essential for mental health professionals to address biological and health issues along with social and psychological issues in their care delivery. The increasing economic and professional need for integrative treatment has necessitated the trend toward biopsychosocial approaches to maximize treatment…

This paper explores the history of deconstruction and discusses the use of the theories it involves within the author's work in family therapy situations. Jacques Derrida's term, deconstruction, has achieved widespread use among psychotherapists. This derives largely from the influence of Michael White, who has interpreted it in a Foucauldian way…

It is widely accepted that an increase in delinquency and violence is rooted in a number of interrelated social problems such as child abuse, alcohol and drug abuse, and youth conflict and aggression. Family strategies and interventions have been designed in an attempt to strengthen the role of the family within the community as a means to combat…

Identifies several of the most important forms of recent and current family research and family therapy that are important to clinicians. Suggests that the reunion of clinical and research interests signifies a new growth of the family therapy field. (Author/JAC)

Reviews recent empirical outcome literature on family therapy, with special attention to the link among presenting symptom, assessment of system dynamics, and effective outcome. Offers a research design which links symptom via functional system consequence to family process and to therapy outcome. (Author/WAS)

Compares the ways in which behavioral and family systems theories conceptualize family problems and explains maintenance and change processes within the family system. Systems and behavioral theories share functional views of problem behaviors and interactive sequences. Discusses areas of potential integration of the two perspectives. (Author)

Criticizes systems theory for providing an inappropriate model of the family. Proposes that the family should be conceived of as a matrix of interlocking experiences. (RJC)

Examines a theoretical framework in which therapeutic forgiveness is conceptualized as a four-station process of insight, understanding, giving the opportunity for compensation, and overt forgiving. Discusses definition of forgiveness and how the framework is applied to family therapy. (JBJ)

Provides a model of understanding and evaluating manualized treatments by beginning with a review of the theory and data-driven principles upon which one treatment, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), is based. As a point of illustration, several principles of PCIT, such as reinforcement, punishment, and stimulus control, are highlighted, and…

Proposes a dialectical model representing gender discourse in families. A brief review of literature in sociology, psychology, and gender studies focuses on three dialectical issues: nature versus culture, similarity versus difference, and stability versus fluidity. Deconstructing gender theories from a postmodern feminist perspective, the authors…

This book provides a comprehensive overview of a number of popular approaches to family therapy, pointing out the similarities and differences in various approaches. It opens with a brief overview of family therapy models. The following eight chapters discuss eight separate models of therapy: (1) Communication/Validation Family Therapy; (2)…

One of marital and family therapy's key contributions to counseling is its use of systems theory; that is, studying a phenomenon in relation to its context. This paper addresses several contexts which will influence marriage and family counseling: (1) the future of psychotherapy; (2) marriage and family counseling's projected future; and (3) the…

This article describes a practical approach to treating addictive families, designed to help them repair the damage, create more satisfying lives, and prevent long-lasting deleterious effects, commonly associated with "co-dependency" and "children of addicts." This approach is grounded in a developmental model of family recovery which was devised…

Presents a general model for the assessment of the problem maintenance process for family problems. Case studies demonstrate the model's use with symptomatic spouse, symptomatic child, and conflictual couple problems. Implications of the model for clinical practice are also discussed. (Author/JAC)