Exploring the Base for Family Therapy Edited by Nathan W. Ackerman,Frances L. Beatman,and Stanford N. Sherman

General systems theory and group psychoanalytic psychology are utilized to present a typology of consultation requests that face the liaison psychiatrist in a general medical ward. These theories are also used to suggest interventions that enable the liaison psychiatrist to accomplish the dual purpose of providing useful consultations to the medical staff and training them in the psychological care of their patients without becoming trapped in the contradictory demands of the pressured medical-ward setting. Examples of psychosocial-medical rounds are presented illustrating three different kinds of consultation requests and specific intervention strategies.