The use of altruism and forgiveness in therapy

This study investigates the relative likelihood of psychotherapists promoting altruism and forgiveness as therapeutic agents as compared with other techniques. One hundred and five therapists were asked to rate the relative likelihood of fostering altruism, forgiveness, direct expression of feelings, vicarious ventilation of feelings, and self-reinforcement in response to treating four presenting problems where a fictitious client had been hurt by another. Results indicated that, for the most part, altruism and forgiveness were likely to be promoted significantly less often than the other three therapeutic alternatives by the therapists sampled. The association of altruism and forgiveness with religious values and their disassociation from selftheory are posited as possible explanations for the findings.     

The development of a family forgiveness scale

The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable instrument to measure forgiveness in the intergenerational family. In the final scale the contructs were defined as: (1) realization, (2) recognition, (3) reparation, (4), restitution, and (5) resolution. A detailed four-step procedure was used to provide the scale with construct, content and predictive validity. This paper describes a four-stage process to develop the scale, data supporting the validity and reliability of the scale, and the final version of the instrument.     

An empathy-humility-commitment model of forgiveness applied within family dyads

Forgiveness is described as requiring empathy for the offender, the humility to see oneself as being as fallible and needy as the offender, and courage to commit publicly to forgive. Research supports the model in individual therapy and psychoeducational groups in which the forgiver does not have to confront the offender. Family therapy, in which partners, parent–child dyads or siblings must confess their need for forgiveness and forgive face to face provides special challenges. Processes of forgiveness – empathy, humility and commitment – are understood to be the same as in any interpersonal forgiveness context; that is, they are thought to occur within dyads. Techniques compatible with several varieties of family therapies are summarized for applying the model in family therapy to encourage family members to forgive.     

Research as a family therapy intervention technique

The utilization of the research process as an intervention has recently been described in the family therapy literature. However, it is important to draw a distinction between research as intervention and research as a unique family therapy intervention technique. From a family systems perspective, research as an intervention technique may make therapy more palatable for some families. A case study is presented in which this technique created the context for change for a family involved in a chronic illness research project.The author would like to thank Dr. Wendy L. Watson for her participation as a member of the clinical team and Drs. Fabie Duhamel and Wendy L. Watson for their helpful critiques on earlier drafts of this paper.Supported by a grant from the Albert Foundation for Nursing Research.     

Discovering forgiveness through empathy: implications for couple and family therapy

This article explores the concept of forgiveness in the context of couple and family therapy. Forgiveness is described as a complex psychological and relational process that is more a discovery via understanding and empathy than an act of will. Empathy is related to emotional intelligence, and the developmental and relational benefits of both are discussed. A rationale for viewing forgiveness in a contextual (family of origin), historical and relational attachment paradigm is offered. Relevant clinical cases illustrate the process of forgiveness as discovery in the context of an empathic relational environment where ambivalence is anticipated and respected.     

The use of structured experiences in family therapy

Structured experiences such as sculpting, psychodrama, rôle-play and growth games are frequently used in family therapy. This article puts forward a framework for the use of structured experiences which can be used in the context of a family session to ensure that the family will gain the maximum learning and change. Use of the framework is illustrated with examples from practice.     

Myths of brief family therapy task intervention

The steps of brief treatment promoted by Watzlawick, Weakland and Fisch (1974) and Haley (1976, 1987) elude the novice family practitioner, especially in deriving end-of-the session task interventions from earlier assessment. The gap between the suggested procedure and the beginning clinician's results is just starting to surface in brief therapy research. This paper compares the above authors' interactional and problem-solving approaches, contextualizing their theories in light of training issues emerging from preliminary research. The ensuing myths of brief family therapy task intervention typically espoused by the neophyte are thus demystified, making what experience teaches more accessible.     

The use of a double-blind drug trial in family therapy to demedicalize a problem

A family therapy approach to a problem that had led previous clinicians to diagnose and treat a child as 'hyperkinetic', is described. The resistance to change that the preceding diagnosis had inculcated, is described. A method of overcoming this resistance by active involvement of the family in a double-blind trial of the drug treatment, was devised and used concurrently with a structural form of family therapy.     

Unraveling the role of forgiveness in family relationships

Testing the idea that the process of forgiveness is intrinsically different across diverse relationships, this study examined the role of forgiveness in different family relationships. In 2 laboratory sessions 1 year apart, 114 families (each including 2 parents and 1 child) completed a new measure of family forgiveness and many individual-level, relationship-level, and family-level variables that have been previously linked with forgiveness. After validating the measure of family forgiveness in cross-sectional analyses, investigators performed longitudinal analyses to examine the role of forgiveness in each family relationship over the 1-year interval. Results indicated many important positive consequences of forgiveness on individual traits, aspects of each family relationship, and general family environment. However, there were also important asymmetries in associates of forgiveness across parent-child and parent-parent relationships, demonstrating the relationship-bound nature of forgiveness.     

Communication flow and change theory within a family therapy supervision model

This article portrays a model of family therapy clinical supervision using change theory that is most appropriate for use with the videotape, audiotape, case presentation and debriefing from the live session. The most powerful tool during this process is that of communication and assessment of change theorys tools of confidence and conviction. The concepts presented are meant to add an additional dimension to family therapy supervision in cooperation of other theories, not as an end in themselves.Special thanks to Ms. Geri Koncilja of the Informational Technology Center at Colorado State University, Pueblo for illustration and graphic assistance.     

The use of children's drawings in multiple family group therapy

This paper describes the advantages, difficulties and techniques of including young children in multiple family group therapy (MFGT). Multiple family group therapy consists of weekly sessions where three or more families meet conjointly with a therapist or cotherapists. Clinical vignettes demonstrate how to use children's drawings with parents to improve family communication. The efficiency of MFGT is compared to family therapy or individual therapy. The effective use of this modality with some children under 10 years is discussed.This research was supported in part by Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration Psychiatry Education Branch Grant MH 13882 from the National Institute of Mental Health.     

Friends in family therapy: use of a neglected resource

This article describes a rationale and methodology for expanding the therapeutic system to include clients' friends. Relevant literature and clinical research validate the resourcefulness of friends in dealing with the problems and developmental struggles from childhood to young adulthood. Examples are used to illustrate how consultation with friends can bridge generation gaps, provide positive peer pressure, foster increased perspective-taking and empathy for all members of the family, challenge family enmeshment, provide support for the client in the therapeutic process, and provide helpful child-management suggestions to parents based on the friends' experiences.     

The use of interpreters in family therapy with deaf persons

The paper discusses the use of interpreters in family therapy with deaf person families. Issues from the perspective of the therapist, the interpreter, and the family are presented.Portions of this paper were presented at the annual meeting of the Texas Association for Marriage and Family Therapy in San Antonio, TX.     

Co-creating change within a child protection system: integrating art therapy with family therapy practice

This paper considers family art therapy intervention using a partnership developed between an art therapist and a family therapist within a child protection system. The aim of this co-working relationship is to bring together skills that can amplify the child's voice within the family, using art as a means of extending the family story. The use of metaphor adds to the repertoire of skills available when working with families, and offers a particular form of communication in which children can more easily engage. By co-working, we also bring together our personal and professional stories, creating multiple ideas and ways of seeing and taking account of differences in the life experiences of individual families.     

Incorporating family therapy into asthma group intervention: a randomized waitlist-controlled trial

Asthma psychoeducational programs have been found to be effective in terms of symptom-related outcome. They are mostly illness-focused, and pay minimal attention to systemic/familial factors. This study evaluated a novel asthma psychoeducation program that adopted a parallel group design and incorporated family therapy. A randomized waitlist-controlled crossover clinical trial design was adopted. Children with stable asthma and their parents were recruited from a pediatric chest clinic. Outcome measures included, for the patients: exhaled nitric oxide (eNO), spirometry, and adjustment to asthma; and for the parents: perceived efficacy in asthma management, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale anxiety subscale, Body Mind Spirit Well-being Inventory emotion subscale, and Short Form 12 health-related quality of life scale. Forty-six patients participated in the study. Attrition rates were 13.0% and 26.0% for the active and control groups, respectively. Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed a significant decrease in airway inflammation, as indicated by eNO levels, and an increase in patient's adjustment to asthma and parents' perceived efficacy in asthma management. Serial trend analysis revealed that most psychosocial measures continued to progress steadily after intervention. Significant improvements in both symptom-related measures and mental health and relationship measures were observed. The findings supported the value of incorporating family therapy into asthma psychoeducation programs.     

The use of family myths as an aid to strategic therapy

The concept of family myth can be used by the therapist to help organize the wealth of information provided by a family in therapy. Rituals, symbols and metaphors can be viewed as structurally related components within the family myth system which enable the therapist to interpret non-literal, analogic communications as a coherent yet primarily symbolic, narrative about the family's shared perceptions of its functioning. The concept of myth is explored in relation to mythology, the family therapy literature, and a case study. Several strategic intervention strategies are proposed which utilize the family's own metaphors, symbols and rituals to re-edit the family myth. Re-editing the myth on a symbolic level should be associated with improved system functioning, including more concrete areas of the family's life.     

Consuming as a family: Modes of intergenerational influence on young adults

• Parents inevitably shape their young children's consumption during early years; does this influence endure as the offspring mature? We explore this phenomenon—known as Intergenerational Influence (IGI)—with survey data from 265 young adults and their parents for four product categories. Our specific focus is on two research questions: (1) By what modality is IGI transferred, and (2) does family relationship quality (FRQ) moderate IGI outcomes? Results show IGI to be present in differing degrees across products—more for utilitarian and, likewise, shared products, less for individually consumed and stylistic products. As to modality, we explore active indoctrination by parents versus passive learning by mere observation by the offspring, and find the latter to be the dominant mode. We also find a strong moderating role of so that all IGI outcomes are stronger among high FRQ than among low FRQ families. Of import to theory as well as practice, these findings confirm and extend current literature on IGI and suggest directions for future research.

Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The cost of treating substance use disorders: individual versus family therapy

This study examined the cost of substance use disorders treatment in a large healthcare organization. A survival analysis demonstrated that family therapy utilised the least number of sessions (M = 2.41) when treating substance use disorders followed by individual therapy (M = 3.38) and mixed therapy (M = 6.40). Family therapy was the least costly of the three types, at $124.55 per episode of care for a client, with individual therapy costing $170.22 and mixed therapy $319.55. The ratio of family therapists utilising family therapy was more than three to one compared to other licensed professionals. The percentages of clients coming back for more than one episode of care are fewest for family therapy (8.9%) followed by mixed therapy (9.5%) and individual therapy (12.0%).