This text will provide a comprehensive overview of traditional and evolving theoretical models of family therapy and intervention techniques. The objective of this text is to enable a student to gain beginning proficiency as a family therapist along with understanding the impact of a client's race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender issues, age, socioeconomic status, disability, and differences from the “traditional” family on family assessment and intervention. The book has six goals, as follows: (1) acquaint students with the theoretical underpinnings of various approaches to assessing and intervening with families (2) assist students in understanding the similarities, differences and strategies of change among the major models of family therapy (3) introduce the student to the current available research on the effectiveness of different approaches to family intervention (4) help students assess family functioning from a life cycle perspective and make a valid plan, taking into account client's race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender issues, age, socioeconomic status, disability, and differences from the “traditional” family (5) help students develop techniques and strategies related to stages of the intervention in family therapy (6) enable the student to critique the appropriateness of the theoretical models and its intervention techniques according to family developmental factors as well as the particular needs of the family. Features: (1) Comprehensive coverage of familty therapy theory and research 2) Presentation of clinical process issues unique to family therapy (3) Inclusion of family live cycle and developement issues and the impact on family assessment and treatment planning (4) Interventions in diverse family structures (5) Interventions with special family issues such as substance abuse, domestic violence and poverty (6) An emphasis throughout on helping students to develop beginning competencies in family therapy practice (7) Numerous case examples

This new Handbook of Family Therapy is the culmination of a decade of achievements within the field of family and couples therapy, emerging from and celebrating the dynamic evolution of marriage and family theory, practice, and research. The editors have unified the efforts of the profession's major players in bringing the most up-to-date and innovative information to the forefront of both educational and practice settings. They review the major theoretical approaches and break new ground by identifying and describing the current era of evidence-based models and contemporary areas of application. The Handbook of Family Therapy is a comprehensive, progressive, and skillful presentation of the science and practice of family and couples therapy, and a valuable resource for practitioners and students alike.

Now in its fifth edition, The Practice of Family Therapy comes at a time when traditional approaches to psychotherapy have given way to multidimensional strategies that best serve the needs of diverse groups who are grappling with the many challenges unique to family therapy practice. With expanded coverage of different models, along with new developments in evidence-based and postmodern practices, this integrative textbook bridges the gap between science and systemic/relational approaches, as it guides the reader through each stage of family therapy. Part I lays the groundwork by introducing the first-, second-, and third-generation models of family therapy, teaching the reader to integrate different elements from these models into a systemic structure of practice. Part II explores the practical application of these models, including scripts for specific interventions and rich case examples that highlight how to effectively work with diverse client populations. Students will learn how to make connections between individual symptoms and cutting-edge family practices to respond successfully to cases of substance abuse, trauma, grief, depression, suicide risk, violence, LGBTQ families, and severely mentally ill clients and their families. Also included are study guides for each model and a glossary to review main concepts. Aligned with the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards’ (AMFTRB) knowledge and content statements, this textbook will be key reading for graduate students who are preparing for the national licensing exam in marriage and family therapy.

This volume reflects the achievements in developing new concepts and models of family therapy and new approaches to special clinical issues and problems during the 1980s. Chapters by experts such as Boszormenyi-Nagy, Everett, Guttman, Lankton, Liddle, McGoldrick, Madanes, and Walsh offer insight into a variety of areas including systems theory, cybernetics, and epistemology; contextual therapy; Ericksonian therapy; strategic family therapy; treating divorce in family therapy practice; ethnicity and family therapy; and training and supervision in family therapy.

Integrative, research-based, multisystemic: these words reflect not only the state of family therapy, but the nature of this comprehensive handbook as well. The contributors, all well-recognized names who have contributed extensively to the field, accept and embrace the tensions that emerge when integrating theoretical perspectives and science in clinical settings to document the current evolution of couples and family therapy, practice, and research. Each individual chapter contribution is organized around a central theme: that the integration of theory, clinical wisdom, and practical and meaningful research produce the best understanding of couple and family relationships, and the best treatment options. The handbook contains five parts: • Part I describes the history of the field and its current core theoretical constructs • Part II analyzes the theories that form the foundation of couple and family therapy, chosen because they best represent the broad range of schools of practice in the field • Part III provides the best examples of approaches that illustrate how clinical models can be theoretically integrative, evidence-based, and clinically responsive • Part IV summarizes evidence and provides useful findings relevant for research and practice • Part V looks at the application of couple and family interventions that are based on emerging clinical needs, such as divorce and working in medical settings. Handbook of Family Therapy illuminates the threads that are common to family therapies and gives voice to the range of perspectives that are possible. Practitioners, researchers, and students need to have this handbook on their shelves, both to help look back on our past and to usher in the next evolution in family therapy.

Family therapy is a rapidly expanding field. This book introduces a range of concepts, skills and applications from a systemic approach. The first part sets out the theory and examines relationship types, the family life cycle, interactional sequences and different models of change. The next section puts the theory into practice. It describes verbal and non-verbal techniques which are used to elicit information and initiate change. The last part considers some of the necessary conditions for the successful integration and application of this approach in social work practice, illustrated by detailed case examples. A series of graduated exercises is designed to encourage readers to explore the theory and practice of family therapy in their own agencies.

The latest theory, research, and practice information for family therapy The last twenty years have seen an explosion of new, innovative, and empirically supported therapeutic approaches for treating families. Mental health professionals working with families today apply a wide range of approaches to a variety of situations and clients using techniques based on their clinically and empirically proven effectiveness, their focus on specific individual and relational disorders, their applicability in various contexts, and their prominence in the field. In this accessible and comprehensive text, each chapter covers specific problems, the theoretical and practical elements of the treatment approach, recommended intervention strategies, special considerations, supporting research, and clinical examples. The contributors provide step-by-step guidelines for implementing the approaches described and discuss particular issues that arise in different couple, family, and cultural contexts. Handbook of Clinical Family Therapy covers treatment strategies for the most common problems encountered in family therapy, including: Domestic violence Adolescent defiance, anxiety, and depression Trauma-induced problems Stepfamily conflicts ADHD disruption Substance abuse in adults and adolescents Couple conflict and divorce Chronic illness A detailed reference for today's best treatment strategies, the Handbook of Clinical Family Therapy brings together the top practitioners and scholars to produce an innovative and user-friendly guide for clinicians and students alike.