Media reviews

Abstract

Dr. Maurizio Andolfi is Director of the Family Institute in Rome, Italy. He was trained in family therapy in the United States and now frequently returns to give seminars and demonstrations of his particularly gifted systems approach in the treatment of families, and in supervision of family therapists. Dr. Joel Bergman, a member of the senior faculty at the Ackerman Family Institute, reviews two of Andolfi's videotapes dealing with the supervisory process, and illustrated by actual clinical material.

The mirroring and reduplication of patterns often occurs when systems interface. Family dynamics repeat themselves across generations, and therapists and therapeutic teams easily become enmeshed in the powerful intricacies of family systems. The work of Andolfi highlights the importance of using the therapist's self-experience to illuminate and effect change in the family interactions, and the awareness of the contextual complexities of the supervisory process provides further possibilities for more enlightened intervention.—I. A.     

Continuing education and training

Abstract

For over three quarters of a century Milton H. Erickson made an astonishing impact on all who met him and on all who were his patients. Unlike with many innovators, his recognition by colleagues did not wait for his death in 1980. For decades before people crowded to meet him, to be treated by him, and to learn from him. He was superbly fitted to be a clinician and a healer, thus it was his human and therapeutic qualities that were honored at a recent symposium at the Canterbury Group Family Institute in Great Neck, New York. The proceedings of that occasion are reported here by Laurie Klein Evans, Executive Director of the Institute.

I have already mentioned Erickson's unique position as a master healer. Also, during his lifetime and since his death, his work has inspired a prolific outpouring of theoretical contributions from colleagues and students. Haley has acknowledged his great debt to Erickson; the work of Bandler and Grinder, and of Selvini-Palazzoli, and the recent book by Keeney, Aesthetics of Change, all draw heavily on his practical applications and his natural wisdom in their fashioning of theoretical understandings, which range from paradox to field and system theory and cybernetics. It is small wonder, then, that as these theoretical advances continue, anecdotal and story-telling tributes also appear to bring further substantiation from the source of these exciting hypotheses.

—I.A.     

Media reviews

Abstract

To Have and to Hold: A Film about Men Who Batter Women, by Mark Lipman. New Day Films, Franklin Lakes, NJ, 1982. 16mm color film: $350.00 purchase price, $35.00 rental. 3/4″ videocassette: $300.00, purchase only.     

Continuing education and training

Abstract

Great attention has traditionally been paid to the problems of engagement in family therapy, and to initial moves by the therapist to establish a contract and clearly define the working relationship and goals. Additionally, the early tasks of assessing the areas of family difficulty and of grasping the family dynamics are usually given prominent attention. The course of therapy during that “middle phase” has too often been neglected; yet, it can be one of turbulence, of confusion, and of abrupt discontinuations, or circular redundancies. In the conference reported here, Dr. Carlos Sluzki gives a broad view of that hazardous terrain, and with theoretical and clinical clarity shares the long experience of a noted theoretician and teacher with others who also travel on that therapeutic journey.

The conference chairpersons, George J. Meyer and Robert Scherb have also provided us with succinct and interesting summaries of the seven workshops which followed Dr. Sluzki's presentation.     

Implicit and Explicit Gender Stereotypes at the Bargaining Table: Male Counterparts’ Stereotypes Predict Women’s Lower Performance in Dyadic Face-to-Face Negotiations

Sex Roles - In every major occupational group and at every level of educational attainment, U.S. women earn less than men (Carnevale et al. 2018). Besides a component explained by objective factors...     

The differential effects of emotional salience on direct associative and relational memory during a nap

Relational memories are formed from shared components between directly learned memory associations, flexibly linking learned information to better inform future judgments. Sleep has been found to facilitate both direct associative and relational memories. However, the impact of incorporating emotionally salient information into learned material and the interaction of emotional salience and sleep in facilitating both types of memory is unknown. Participants encoded two sets of picture pairs, with either emotionally negative or neutral objects paired with neutral faces. The same objects were present in both sets, paired with two different faces across the sets. Baseline memory for these directly paired associates was tested immediately after encoding, followed by either a 90-min nap opportunity or wakefulness. Five hours after learning, a surprise test assessed relational memory, the indirect association between two faces paired with the same object during encoding, followed by a retest of direct associative memory. Overall, negative information was remembered better than neutral for directly learned pairs. A nap facilitated both preservation of direct associative memories and formation of relational memories, compared to remaining awake. Interestingly, however, this sleep benefit was observed specifically for neutral directly paired associates, while both neutral and negative relational associations benefitted from a nap. Finally, REM sleep played opposing roles in neutral direct and relational associative memory formation, with more REM sleep leading to forgetting of direct associations but promoting relational associations, suggesting that, while not benefitting memory consolidation for directly learned details, REM sleep may foster the memory reorganization needed for relational memory.     

Assessing teaching opportunities in a residential treatment facility

Seventeen living units in a residential treatment facility for developmentally disabled persons were assessed to determine the availability of teaching opportunities during the course of a normal day's routine. Teaching opportunities exist when the environment is arranged so that residents can participate in the ongoing activities. The teaching opportunities are identified within components that are recognizable activities that occur routinely and have a functional purpose. An assessment form was constructed as a means for documenting teachng opportunities. Assessments were conducted continuously from early morning through evening activities. The results of the assessments suggested that two approaches to resident care were in operation at the facility: one was characterized by a traditional care/custodial model, the other was characterized by a teaching model. On units where the number of teaching opportunities available was high, there was a smaller percentage of unstructured time, i.e., blocks of time when opportunities to engage in structured activities were not available to the residents.     

Arranging a residential environment for the developmentally disabled to generate and maintain verbal behavior

A specialized residential unit was assembled at a state residential facility for mentally retarded residents in order to provide services for individuals who lacked functional speech but who were capable of learning manual signs. Program development focused on four areas. First, a routine was designed to engage residents in functional training activities throughout the day. Second, opportunities to teach signed verbal behavior within all components of the routine were identified. Third, structured training sessions were developed to augment training within normal daily living activities. Fourth, multiple staff training strategies were initiated. Initial outcome data indicate that signing skills of both staff and residents improved.