Family therapy in israel: A review of therapy done under unusual circumstances

Major issues affecting family therapy practice in Israel are discussed. Issues making family therapy in Israel unique include historical topics such as the legacy of the Holocaust, the emergence of the family therapy movement from the cradle of the kibbutz; and more recent events such as constant wars, the specter of terrorist threat, and coping with the everyday pressures of life in Israel—stress, loss, and bereavement. Future trends in family therapy in the Israeli context include the peace process and the adjustment it requires from families living in the West Bank and the Golan Heights. The advent of peace and normalization will force family therapists to grapple with issues until now not given the attention they require by a country always on the brink of war, including family violence, feminist issues and patriarchal family orientations, single-parent families, and cultural diversity.The authors would like to acknowledge the help of Israel Charny, Yael Geron, Tzipi Glick, Ruth Malkinson, Judith Wertheimer, and Susan Zeidel.     

Using a threat of divorce for maintaining family homeostasis within families in extreme distress (FED)

This paper describes a phenomenon of using a threat to divorce by families in extreme distress (FED) as a way of maintaining family homeostasis; that is, using a threat to divorce but never really implementing it. By relating to processes, such as social exchange and attachment, that often take place in the decision-making of divorce, we try to understand why those families choose to use the threat, thereby explaining this phenomenon. Using components of defining family boundaries, excitement and power struggle, we are thus able to better understand the existence of the phenomenon among FED.     

Stories and metaphors as interventions with headache sufferers

Stories and metaphors can serve as an effective intervention with chronic headache sufferers. Stories and metaphors can serve as an effective intervention with chronic headache sufferers. The aim of the intervention is to promote sufferers' self confidence, increased resiliency, improved communication with others in the family, and the identification of previous promises, pledges, or commitments made to others in their family system.     

Trust and the collection,selection, analysis and interpretation of data: A scientist’s view

Trust is a critical component of research: trust in the work of co-workers and colleagues within the scientific community; trust in the work of research scientists by the non-research community. A wide range of factors, including internally and externally generated pressures and practical and personal limitations, affect the research process. The extent to which these factors are understood and appreciated influence the development of trust in scientific research findings.     

Adolescent depressed mood and young adult functioning: A longitudinal study

The present study examined two aspects of depressed mood in adolescence: (1) stability across the adolescent years and (2) ability to predict functioning in young adulthood. Participants included 82 Caucasian individuals (46 females and 36 males) who were assessed one time per year for 4 consecutive years during adolescence (mean age at initial assessment = 13.5 years) and again during young adulthood (mean age = 19). The results indicated that depressed mood, as measured by the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), remained relatively stable across at least 3 consecutive years of data collection during adolescence. In addition, adolescent CDI scores predicted young adult functioning in each of four areas: prosocial competence, self-esteem, externalizing problems, and internalizing problems.This study was supported, in part, by the William T. Grant Foundation and the University of Georgia's Institute for Behavioral Research.     

Hiring family therapists for a research project via videotaped interviews: A brief report

The authors describe an interview procedure devised for use in hiring therapists for a research and demonstration project in which the employers viewed videotaped interviews of applicants responding to a standard set of questions posed by an on-site researcher/interviewer. The approach is considered potentially useful for agencies to use in hiring therapists with a systemic orientation.     

Gender identity and family relationships: Perspectives from incestuous fathers

The purpose of this study was to understand how incestuous fathers constructed their gender identities and family relationships and to determine how these perceptions were linked to incest. Analysis of intensive interviews with 20 incest offenders suggested that incest occurred in context of entitlement stemming from masculine gender constructions and family experiences which lead to conflicts regarding control and intimacy and a build up of failure. Case illustrations and implications for clinical practice are addressed.     

Aiding the parolee adjustment process: A systemic perspective on assessment

Addressing the mental health needs of inmates and parolees is a complex process. The authors have found a family systems approach useful in conceptualizing the complexities of the adjustment process faced by parolees. The inmate/parolee is embedded in a number of complex systems that present difficulties related to boundary maintenance, hierarchy struggles, and family-of-origin loyalties. The authors suggest crucial areas for assessment and some common dysfunctional systems dynamics that are encountered.