German Unification as a Turning Point in East German Women's Life Course: Biographical Changes in Work and Family Roles

In order to explore the effects of German unification on the life course of East German women of three age cohorts, 36 biographical interviews were conducted. The purpose of the research was to examine whether unification meant a complete break with the German Democratic Republic's (GDR) standard biography in terms of a voluntary acceptance of West German patterns, or a modification of old patterns based on necessity. Results demonstrate that the historical moment of 1989/90 (the Wende or turning point) has changed the life plans of the three cohorts of women in East Germany in different ways, depending on its timing in their life course. The life patterns of the youngest cohort differ most significantly from the standard biography of the GDR woman in that family formation is postponed and employment prioritized over family. Rather than being a complete break with tradition and a voluntary adoption of Western norms, this means a modification of the life course, because the desire to combine work and family continues to dominate.     

After the Fall of the Wall: The Impact of the Transition on East German Women

This article addresses the impact of unification on East German families and on the situation of women in the East. The main hypothesis is that women are the losers of German unification, not only in terms of their decreasing participation in the labor force, but also in terms of their weakened position in partnerships and their increasing responsibilities in the domestic sphere. The findings are based primarily on personal interviews of different types of families. The first part of the article describes respondents' recollections of their everyday lives during the days of the former DDR (East Germany) and analyzes the specific family structures and relations between family members that prevailed. It focuses on the domestic division of labor and discusses the impact of high female employment on gender roles in the family and in the socialist society. The second part deals with the effects of German unification on families in East Germany.     

Family therapy in Macau: development,challenges and opportunities

Family therapy in Macau is in its early stages of development. The Satir model and structural family therapy were the first two therapies introduced. Later on, solution‐focused brief therapy and narrative therapy were also introduced. Macau has been undergoing dramatic socioeconomic changes since the relaxation of the gambling licenses. In sociocultural terms this has led to significant changes: the so‐called ‘dealer's complex’, gambling, drug abuse and youth deviance have become more prevalent. To address complicated family problems, various counselling institutes and training centres were established to conduct family therapy. However, there are still some limitations and challenges that must be addressed in order to have a thriving family therapy profession in Macau.     

The Inclusion of Fathers In Family Therapy: A Research Based Perspective

This paper summarizes the results of research on the role of fathers in families and family therapy with particular reference to preparation for fatherhood, father involvement in family life as a protective factor, fathers' deviant behaviour as a risk factor, fathers' communication and coping styles, fatherhood and different types of marriages, and the effects of the workplace on fathers' behaviour within the family. Available research suggests that, with respect to problem formation, the behaviour of fathers may serve as either a risk factor or as a protective factor. With respect to problem resolution, fathers may be a powerful therapeutic resource or seriously compromise effectiveness of family therapy. The implications of research for clinical practice are discussed.     

Structural family therapy with Mexican-American family systems

Characteristics of traditional Mexican-American families with consequent family rules that affect these family systems are discussed along with selected clinical cases. The specific cases discussed involve: (1) interactions with family of origin in intercultural marriages, (2) intracultural differences in levels of acculturation and traditional family rules, and (3) extended family impact in response to severe life crisis. The development of therapeutic processes from structural and strategic family therapy approaches, which reflect appreciation for cultural differences and strengths, is suggested.This material was presented at the annual meeting of the Texas Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, January, 1994, San Antonio, TX.     

The Present State and Future of Symbolic-Experiential Family Therapy: A Post-Modern Analysis

Symbolic-experiential family therapy (SEFT) is facing an important phase in its development. With the death of Carl Whitaker, it is not certain in which direction SEFT will be headed. This paper describes some of the challenges that SEFT presently faces and what can be done to surmount them. It is proposed that SEFT theorists and therapists concentrate on the post-modern components of the theory. By moving in a post-modern, constructionist direction, SEFT will be developing with a current trend in family therapy, allowing SEFT to continue as an important family therapy model.     

Child-oriented family therapy in China: A cross-cultural application of integrative family therapy targeting children aged 4–10

This article describes child-oriented family therapy (COF), a family therapy approach to early psychological and behavioral problems that is widely applied in northern Europe and has been adopted by countries with different cultures, such as Germany and China. This article explains the theoretical background, setting, characteristics, development and effective factors of this method and explores relevant research. In addition, the application of this method in China and reflections on its applicability to families in different cultures are presented. A clinical case is provided to illustrate the core therapeutic principles of COF. Since the application of COF interventions to families with children in Asian cultures remains understudied, the widespread availability of COF and adaptation to local conditions could facilitate training and research achievements in this field.     

Family Therapy with East Indian Immigrant Parents Rearing Children in the United States: PARENTAL CONCERNS,THERAPEUTIC ISSUES,AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The paper focuses on East Indian immigrant parents and some of the post-immigration difficulties they experience in their attempts to rear culturally East Indian children within the United States cultural context. Concerns specific to parenting children in the US, and therapeutic issues East Indian immigrant parents bring to therapy are presented and discussed. Effective therapy with East Indian immigrant families requires that therapists be flexible in their therapeutic approaches with these families, and become more knowledgeable about the varieties of East Indian families, their cultural beliefs, values, and norms. Recommendations for culturally effective therapy are offered.David A. Baptiste, PhD, is Senior Psychologist, New Mexico Corrections Department, and in the private practice of Marital and Family Therapy, 2709 Sim Ave. Las Cruces, NM 88005 (DAB2709@aol.com).*The author is an immigrant from Guyana, South America, an Indian diaspora country. The experiences and observations discussed here are culled from 30 years of clinical practice in several US locations with a variety of East Indian Families from the Indian subcontinent and other diaspora countries.     

焦虑障碍的系统式家庭治疗

焦虑障碍是最常见的心理障碍之一.其具有症状重、病程慢、复发率高、社会功能明显缺损等特点,给个人、家庭和社会造成了巨大的负担.家庭环境因素在焦虑障碍的发病、转归和预后方面都起到重要作用.本文介绍了国内外关于焦虑障碍患者家庭特点和家庭互动模式的研究结果.系统式家庭治疗作为一种家庭治疗模式,具有其独特的治疗理念和方法,国内外研究结果表明系统式家庭治疗用于焦虑障碍具有良好疗效.今后,还应该运用更加多元化的研究方法探讨中国焦虑症家庭动力学特点和家庭功能,并采用更加严格的随机对照设计,进一步证实系统式家庭治疗对焦虑障碍的治疗效果.     

Live Supervision in Family Therapy and Social Facilitation Effects: A Case Study with Physiological Measures

In this case study a family therapy trainee is treating a family during a live supervision session while wearing a blood-pressure monitor. The data are used to illustrate the paradox inherent in live supervision from a social facilitation theory standpoint: While the peer group is considered essential to the process of supervision by some models, the presence of observers and coactors is hypothesized to give rise to negative social facilitation effects which may inhibit the acquisition of complex skills and prolong the training phase of the professionalization process.     

Work and Family Balance Among Dual-Earner Working-Class Mexican-Americans: Implications for Therapists

The ability to balance work and family demands can affect marital satisfaction, family cohesion, and job satisfaction. While most research in this area has utilized middle-class Anglo-American samples, the present investigation examined dual-earner, working-class Mexican- Americans. Positive relationships were found between work-family balance and satisfaction with marriage, family life and jobs with gender and acculturation showing moderating effects on some variables. Family therapists should be cognizant of the impact of work- family demands on marriage and family functioning even when working class minority families do not offer these issues as presenting problems.     

Family Therapy in France: A Brief Overview

The major issues in contemporary family therapy in France are described: Difficult beginnings, the practice of family therapy today, training and professionalisation, organization for family therapy, journals and publishing, and perspectives for family therapy in France.A psychiatrist, Head of Hospital Psychiatric and Mental Health Center near Paris (Ville Evrard. France 93330) and a family therapist     

The Voices of Therapists and Children Regarding the Inclusion of Children in Family Therapy: A Systematic Research Synthesis

In 1970, Nathan Ackerman challenged the field of marriage and family therapy to actively involve young children in the family therapy process. How has the field of marriage and family therapy responded to his challenge? Using a systematic research synthesis to review and critique the non-empirical and empirical literature in the area of children in family therapy, the author discovered that the field of marriage and family therapy has not responded to Ackerman's challenge in the way he may have hoped for nearly three decades ago. A summary of the literature's findings is provided and recommendations for future research, as well as implications, for the field of marriage and family therapy are discussed.     

The Satir Model: Yesterday and Today

This article represents an attempt to update the reader by bringing into focus some of the more important components of the Satir model. The intrapsychic aspect of therapy is explained in the form if an iceberg metaphor. The use of the Satir family map, or genogram, is illustrated for use in individual and family therapy. Also, the various steps of a Satir model therapy session are listed. The Satir model has developed into a brief, transformational change model while keeping the earlier theoretical base intact.     

Response to commentary: is collaboration a viable target for family therapists?

In response to Zimmerman's commentary, ‘Is collaboration a viable target for family therapists?’ we explore more conventional perspectives of therapeutic collaboration featured in the family therapy literature, including Zimmerman's commentary. In particular, we critique essentialist and universal formulations that portray the client–therapist relationship to be inherently unequal as inconsistent and limiting. We conclude by addressing what appear to be some misunderstandings in Zimmerman's commentary and clarify what we see as differences between his ideas and our stance on collaboration and power in family therapy.     

Selective mutism in children: A structural family therapy approach to treatment

When children refuse to speak in some social settings, but can understand and speak in other settings, the diagnosis of selective mutism must be considered. A review of the literature describes the disorder, the various types of mutism, and related family dynamics. A family systems approach to treatment using structural family therapy is suggested. The case history presented illustrates one type of mutism as well as the family rules and hierarchy which appeared to be maintaining it. Structural and strategic family systems theory techniques that were used to move the family toward resolution of this problem are discussed.Diane Wolf Tatem, MA, MS, completed graduate work in marriage and family therapy at New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM. She is employed at Life Management Center of El Paso's Child Development Services and also has a private practice in marriage and family therapy in El Paso, Texas. Robert L. DelCampo, PhD is a professor of family science at New Mexico State University and maintains a private practice with Associates for Marriage and Family Therapy in Las Cruces, NM. Please address all correspondence to Dr. DelCampo at Box 3470, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, 88003-3470.Appreciation is expressed to Dr. Charles Huber, New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, for his insightful critique of the final draft of this paper. This paper was presented at the Texas Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Annual Conference, January 25–29, 1995 in Dallas, TX.     

箱庭疗法应用于家庭治疗的理论背景与临床实践

心理咨询与治疗领域出现了整合的趋势,将箱庭疗法应用于家庭治疗是这一趋势下的成功尝试。箱庭疗法应用于家庭治疗的理论背景是家庭治疗与游戏治疗的整合以及箱庭疗法在团体治疗中的应用。箱庭疗法应用于家庭治疗的临床实践包括家庭评估、家庭治疗、夫妻治疗、家庭治疗师督导,这些临床实践的开展为儿童青少年心理咨询与治疗方法的发展提供了有益的启示。     

The WebQuest: An Illustration of Instructional Technology Implementation in MFT Training

This teaching case illustrates the innovative application of an instructional technology modality, the WebQuest, in family therapy training. It describes what a WebQuest involves, and how it can be used as a tool for developing critical thinking and application of contemporary marriage and family therapy (MFT) theory to social and global issues. The authors discuss the results of the survey and focus groups conducted to assess the value of this assignment from the students’ perspectives. Results indicate that its application in a family therapy theories course fostered students’ awareness of global issues impacting family life, integration of family therapy theories to serve children and families, creativity in developing their own intervention models, and ability to discuss and integrate knowledge from different knowledge bases and perspectives.     

Intensive specialised multi-family therapy for multi-stressed families: Therapeutic alliance as predictor for effectiveness

The effectiveness of intense specialised multi-family therapy (ISMFT) for 111 multi-stressed families, and the therapeutic alliance as a possible predictor of outcome, were examined. A repeated measures design was used, where changes in all ISMFT phases (preparation, multi-family therapy and follow-up) were assessed and compared for both mothers and fathers. Evidence was found for improved family functioning after the therapy period, which was maintained at 3 months follow-up, although the multi-stressed families still functioned in the problematic range. The therapy did however not decrease parenting stress, or did so only temporarily. Observations of the therapeutic alliance with the System for Observing Family Therapy Alliances (SOFTA) scales indicated that high therapist engagement was related to positive therapy outcomes, both at the start of therapy and later. High family engagement also predicted therapy effectiveness, but only at the start of therapy. The present study shows that solution-focused multi-family therapy at least seems to provide the first step in alleviating problems in multi-stressed families.     

‘The experiencing of experience’: a Pragmatic reassessment of Rogerian Phenomenology

This paper draws on a study that asked twenty family users about their first session of family therapy. Analyses of the interviews indicated that families entered therapy with a pre-existent knowledge about therapy, which did not always chime with those of professionals and which positioned speakers in ways which governed their expectations and perceptions of therapy. This paper, therefore, is concerned with the acquisition and deployment of knowledge: specifically, the knowledge involved in being a user of family therapy. Three key discourses were identified through this analysis: medical, counselling and consumerist. We aim to illustrate how these discourses served as a resource for members of the family in constructing therapists, therapy and themselves in relation to their experience. The examination of the rhetorical, ideological and practical effects of the positions chosen and the objects constructed, in terms of how speakers wanted to present themselves, with what enhanced or diminished status as patients, shows users actively engaging with the power of therapeutic institutions. Users’ accounts suggest that while most speakers felt anxious about the prospect of therapy, there were clear differences in overall satisfaction/dissatisfaction with the experience according to the synchrony between speakers’ construction of the therapist, and themselves as client/patients. Those who seemed to take a traditional view of therapy within a medical discourse valued therapists who offered diagnosis and a cure; those who sought and experienced a counselling relationship with the therapist found their experience to be constructive in terms of enhanced self-knowledge. We believe that the research findings discussed in this paper have implications for family therapists in accommodating to parental and child positions to maximise the effectiveness of therapy and so minimise drop-out.