Training in family therapy: perceptual, conceptual and executive skills.

This paper presents a comprehensive and detailed outline of family therapy skills to aid in providing a more precise focus in the training of clinicians in family therapy. The skills are based on an integrated treatment model within a systems framework. Four major functions performed by a family therapist are separated and are further differentiated into general therapeutic competencies. Specific perceptual, conceptual, and executive skills are described in the form of instructional objectives and are listed under each competency. Occasional clarifying notes or examples are cited along with particular skills. Clinicians and trainees should find this outline a useful guide in skill development.     

Designed experience: a multiple, goal-directed training program in family therapy.

A family-therapy training program, one of three main branches of the "Boston model," is described in detail. Salient features of the program include planned integration of a multiplicity of experiential and cognitive learning modes; grounding in a unified, theoretical framework that is neither eclectic nor limited to a single school of thought; focus on nonpathological process in families; and systematic structuring in terms of specific, articulated, training objectives. The goal-directed design process by which training units are developed is explained.     

'Oh Rose, thou art sick!' Anti-individuation forces in the film American Beauty

The film American Beauty is used as a vehicle to explore difficulties in the individuation process, to look at a particular aspect of couple relationships in which mourning is avoided, and to make a general comment about the relationship between film and psychological experience. The thesis of the paper is that the individuation process is both an intra-psychic experience and an inter-psychic one which relies on relationships with external figures to enable development. The adult couple relationship is taken as one of the key areas of emotional life for the individuation process and as an area that can best show up false starts, successes, or even retreats in psychological development. Using the poetry of William Blake and the work of Michael Fordham, I show a process of anti-individuation going on in the relationship between the characters of Lester and Carolyn Burnham in the film.     

Tyranny and freedom: looking at ideas in the practice of family therapy

This article comments upon recent "second-order" family therapy concerns about the nature of the therapeutic relationship, and explores how ideas held by therapists may rule and restrict therapeutic conversations. Ideas are examined in the light of how adherence to them might open space (free) or close space (tyrannize) with respect to the therapeutic relationship. The authors propose a philosophical viewpoint, a methodology, and practical suggestions for therapists wishing to maintain a stance of relative freedom with respect to ideas in their work with clients.     

Failure, mistakes, regret and other subjugated stories in family therapy

This paper discusses the notions of failure and mistakes in family therapy, arguing that there are insufficient accounts in the literature which reflect the untidiness and disorder of everyday practice. The idea of dominant and subjugated stories is invoked to map the influence of notions of failure upon family therapy practice. It is argued that our practice would benefit if more accounts of our work routinely included stories of failure, mistakes and regret.     

Towards a family-centred therapy. Postmodern developments in family therapy and the person-centred contribution

The project for recent developments in family therapy has been to reject scientism and the potential for oppression within the modernist stance, in favour of more respectful collaborative practices. However, scientific certainty is being replaced by philosophical obscurity and there is a risk of missing the obvious in the recognition that, since successful family life is a function of love and respect, these qualities should be modelled in the therapeutic relationship. This paper argues that the humanistic tradition has been neglected and that the person-centred approach has an important contribution to make to the development of a family-centred therapy.     

Reductions in criminality subsequent to group, individual, and family therapy in adolescent residential and day treatment settings.

The complete population of adolescents in a residential and day-treatment program over a 4-year period, 532 youths, served in two studies. Along with residential and day-treatment settings, predictive variables of interest were the number of hours spent in group, individual, and family therapy. A total of 227 adolescents qualified for Study 1 which found a reduction of rates of criminal charges from pre- to posttreatment. Study 1 also found that hours in group therapy explained the most variance in the reduction in rates of criminal charges, followed closely by hours in individual therapy. Hours in family therapy was not a significant predictor. A total of 430 adolescents qualified for Study 2, which found that residential treatment was associated with greater reductions in adult correctional commitments than day treatment. Implications stress the need for further research examining the relationships between therapeutic components of residential treatment and behavioral outcomes.     

Live supervision in the postmodern era of family therapy: Issues,reflections, and questions

This article asserts that the family therapy field is approaching an epistemological shift from structuralism and positivism to postmodernism and relativism. The confluence of these movements: feminism, constructivism/constructionism, and cultural relativism is cited as a major impetus for the shift. Live supervision is examined within the context of this transformation, with a discussion of implications for the future.     

Now you see it, now you don't: feminist training in family therapy

This article describes the state of feminist training in family therapy. Methods of assessment include questionnaires to all programs accredited by COAMFTE in universities and institutes and to leading institutes not accredited; interviews with editors of the Journal of Feminist Family Therapy; interviews with many who pioneered the feminist critique in family therapy; inspection of two major national conferences; and a search of publications. Although most program directors describe their programs as feminist and judge their training to be sufficient, their report contrasts with the perspectives of many of the journal editors and pioneers, with the small amount of training in gender issues at national conferences, and with the small number of publications. The authors offer discussion of the findings and recommendations.     

Ethnic matching and treatment outcome with Hispanic and Anglo substance-abusing adolescents in family therapy.

This study examined treatment outcomes of 86 highly acculturated Hispanic and Anglo substance-abusing adolescents in functional family therapy, testing the hypothesis that ethnic matching of therapist and client is related to better treatment outcomes for clients. Adolescents reported on their substance use pre- and posttreatment on a timeline follow-back interview. Ethnically matched Hispanic adolescents demonstrated greater decreases in their substance use compared with Hispanic adolescents with Anglo therapists. Ethnic match status was not related to treatment outcome for Anglo clients. Thus, the matching hypothesis was supported for Hispanic clients only. The results underscore the importance of greater ethnic diversity among therapists and better cultural competency training for Anglo therapists. More research is needed on individual differences in the effects of ethnic matching.