The family therapy journals in 1997: a thematic review

This review considers papers that were published within the principal family therapy journals for the year 1997. The clearest themes that emerged were on the nature of love, gender and collaborative approaches.     

The family therapy journals in 1999: a thematic review

This paper reviews the principal family therapy journals for the year 1999. Of the themes that emerged, 'reaching out' with systemic practice, developing a political edge, gender issues and developments in theory will be discussed. The paper concludes with a resumé of the research reported in these journals for the review period.     

The family therapy journals in 2000: a thematic review

This article reviews the principal English-language (non-British) family therapy journals for the year 2000. Articles are clustered around various common themes that include spirituality, creativity and inventiveness, therapy with gay and lesbian clients and 'community practice'. It concludes with a resumé of the research reported in these journals for the review period.     

The family therapy journals in 2001: a thematic review

This article reviews the principal English–language (including British) family therapy journals for the year 2001. Articles are clustered around various common themes which include marital therapy and cultural competency. There is also a discernible interest in working with populations that have received less attention from family therapists such as substance misusers. Within this literature there is also a trend to 'import' ideas and methods from other therapeutic traditions. Important research papers are noted from within these categories, rather than having a separate section. As this is the fifth in a series of reviews, a 'look back' at trends within the family therapy literature concludes the paper.     

The family therapy journals in 2002: a thematic review

This article reviews the principal English-language (including British) family therapy journals for the year 2002. A number of common themes and threads predominate within these journals. Articles relating to these themes are reported under distinct headings. These themes were: responding to 9/11; marital therapy and diversity practice. Significant research papers are incorporated into the relevant heading. This is the final thematic review undertaken by the current author.     

Client-centred therapy and family therapy: a review and commentary

This article sets out to redress the relative neglect of the client-centred tradition within family therapy. A review of the limited literature emanating from both client-centred therapy and family therapy is provided, supported by a commentary. An argument is made for the relevance of client-centred principles in responding to contemporary concerns about disrespectful practice.     

Marital and family therapy supervision: A relational-attachment model

Drawing from attachment theory, this article presents a collaborative marriage and family therapy supervisory model which both advocates and demonstrates a relational and an educational construct for facilitating the supervisory process. Issues concerning cognition and anxiety management are addressed in the context of attachment theory and stages in the supervisory process are identified. Cognitive, emotional, and social development are linked to attachment theory and discussed in the context of supervision.     

A gender-informed model of couple and family therapy: Relationship enhancement therapy

The key elements of gender-informed couple therapy are discussed with an emphasis on the significance of empathy and dialogue and the structuring of a context in which both can occur. Relationship Enhancement therapy, a psycho-educational and client-centered approach developed by Guerney (1977) is described and illustrated as one method of operationalizing a constructivist-systemic approach to couple therapy in which a conversation toward profound changes in gender relationships can take place.     

A family therapy workshop: a review of a two-year experiment in a Social Services Department

As family therapy ceases to be regarded as a passing fashion, and becomes recognized as a real therapeutic force, the need for new forms of support and supervision is becoming ever more apparent. This paper describes and evaluates the supervisory system for family therapy set up by an Area Group in a Local Authority Social Services Department and plans to do so in a way which has practical application for workers in a variety of settings.     

Essay on feminist family therapy: A review ofWomen in families: A framework for family therapy andThe invisible web: Gender patterns in family relationships

Monica McGoldrick, Carol M. Anderson, and Froma Walsh (Eds.). (1989).Women in families: A framework for family therapy. New York: W. W. Norton.     

One articulation of the structural family therapy model: a biobehavioral family model of chronic illness in children

This article presents the Biobehavioral Family Model (BBFM), which, as a general systems model, has the advantage of being conceptually neutral with respect to health versus pathology, and promotes integration of individual, family and social levels of theory. The BBFM provides a heuristic theory of pathways by which family patterns of interaction and individual family member physiological function influence one another. The BBFM also can be extrapolated to the clinical domain, providing a developmental biopsychosocial approach to assessment and intervention in childhood chronic illness or disability. A case illustration demonstrates clinical application.     

Intregrating family therapy into in-patient paediatric settings: a model

This paper describes the integration of structural family therapy and systemic consultation into an in-patient paediatric unit. Two case examples illustrate the approach used. It is concluded that six stages are involved in the successful integration of a systemic approach: planning and convening an initial staff meeting, developing a structural hypothesis, enlisting hierarchical support in the ward system, holding the family meeting, reconvening the professional team and disengaging the family and ward system.     

Milan systemic family therapy: a review of ten empirical investigations

Ten empirical investigations of Milan Family Therapy (MFT) are reviewed in this paper. The studies include both single and comparative group outcome trials; investigations of therapeutic process; clinical audit and consumer satisfaction surveys. Substantive findings and methodological issues are discussed in the light of family therapy and individual psychotherapy research generally. Findings indicate that MFT may lead to symptomatic change in two-thirds to three-quarters of cases and to systemic change in half the treated cases. Engagement of fathers may be important for positive outcome. Technical aspects of MFT, such as the use of screens and teams, may lead to client dissatisfaction in some cases. MFT-based consultation may be effective in resolving therapeutic impasses. Coupled with short-term residential placement, MFT may reduce the risk and complexity of cases as rated by referring social workers.     

The participation of children and adolescents in family counselling: The German experience

This paper reflects the experiences of young people in child guidance and family counselling. For this purpose, first the institutional background of these counselling services in Germany is outlined. The fact that the adolescents concerned feel partly excluded and insufficiently integrated into the counselling process is illustrated through qualitative analysis of the experiences 17 young people had during their counselling process. These empirical findings are critically discussed in terms of the institutional conditions and methodical approaches which counteract the involvement of the actual addressees of the counselling service. The paper concludes that professionals need to attend more to facilitating the participation of young people.     

A thematic review of the family therapy journals of 1998

This review considers papers within the principal family therapy journals for the year 1998. The clearest themes that emerged were a considerable reflection on the influence of constructionism on the field, issues around femininism and family violence and techniques of working with children.     

The family as its own reflecting team: a family therapy method

Social research has suggested that people, in general, tend to overestimate their skills and abilities. Interestingly, research has found that peers are better predictors of a person's behaviour than self‐assessment, suggesting that others know us better than we know ourselves. Family therapists should be aware that family members might not give accurate accounts of themselves. In order to overcome this problem, therapists should incorporate peer assessments into therapy. Reflecting teams and videotaping do incorporate peer assessments, yet these methods can be impractical. This article describes a method of family therapy using enactments as a means of setting up the family as its own reflecting team. The method suggests that the family and therapist switch roles several times during the enactment, and then encourages a discussion on the peer observations on how each person addresses a problem in the family. Case examples illustrate how feedback from peers promotes insights.