bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
FAMILY RESEARCH AND FAMILY THERAPY: A REUNION?*
Authors: Wynne Lyman C.
Published: June 2007

This decade is witnessing the re‐establishment of research in family therapy as an intrinsic component of the field. It is instructive to recall that family therapy actually had its most significant beginnings in the context of family research in the 1950s and that, three decades ago, family therapy and family research were fundamentally fused. In this paper, several of the most important forms of recent and current family research and family therapy research that are important to clinicians are identified, and it is suggested that this reunion of clinical and research interests signifies a new phase in the growth of the family therapy field.
SEX ROLE CONSIDERATIONS AND BEHAVIORAL MARITAL THERAPY: EQUAL DOES NOT MEAN IDENTICAL*
Authors: Margolin Gayla , Fernandez Vivian , Talovic Sharon , Onorato Robin
Published: June 2007

Despite the egalitarian position espoused in behavioral marital therapy, little attention has been paid to sex role issues and female‐male differences. This paper explores advantages and disadvantages of behavioral marital therapy vis à vis the treatment of women and men. Features of behavioral marital therapy implicated as important in the consideration of sex role issues include underlying assumptions of egalitarianism, assumptions of external causality, and orientation toward action, as well as specific procedures such as goal setting, behavioral exchange and training in communication and problem‐solving skills. Each of these features is evaluated with respect to clinical considerations as well as to research findings on female‐male differences in marriage. The paper concludes with recommendations as to how behavioral marital therapy could become more sensitive to sex role issues.
CLINICAL PROCESS RECORDING IN FOCAL FAMILY THERAPY*
Authors: Furniss Tilman , Bentovim Arnon , Kinston Warren
Published: June 2007

A method for systematically recording the process of family therapy (the Focal Therapy Record Sheet) is described, based on the focal approach developed in earlier papers by the authors. It demands a conceptual distinction between assessment of families and treatment techniques and embodies continuous evaluation of family improvement according to specific criteria. A detailed case illustration showing the Sheets completed for each of 14 sessions after two diagnostic interviews is provided, together with an anecdotal‐style account. The value of the instrument for teaching purposes, in routine clinical work and for research is discussed.
DIVORCE THERAPY OUTCOME RESEARCH: A SUBSTANTIVE AND METHODOLOGICAL REVIEW
Authors: Sprenkle Douglas H. , Storm Cheryl L.
Published: June 2007

Empirical studies related to divorce therapy are reviewed both substantively and methodologically. There is strong evidence for the superiority of mediation to traditional adversary methods for custody and visitation disputes. Conciliation counseling appears to increase the number of reconciliations in the short‐term. Other conclusions must remain very tentative. Overall, the methodologies of the 22 studies are weak; however, there are wide variations in quality. Investigations of divorce mediation utilized the best designs and studies of separation techniques the worst. What we know and what we need to know about divorce therapy is answered critically and suggestions are made for future research and practice.
FAMILY STRUCTURES OF ASSAULTIVE ADOLESCENTS
Authors: Madden Denis J. , Harbin Henry T.
Published: June 2007

This study compared 17 assaultive adolescents and 12 nonassaultive adolescents on a measure of family structure which assesses the family's perceptions of the authority hierarchy and the amount of closeness and distance between family members. The results demonstrated that the experimental group significantly more often perceived the presence of a reversal in the generational hierarchy of authority. The authors discuss the meaning of these results as they relate to violent teenagers and their family interactions.
CYBERNETICS OF BRIEF FAMILY THERAPY
Authors: Keenev Bradford P. , Ross Jeffrey M.
Published: June 2007

A cybernetic view of brief family therapy is presented. The article includes an historical discussion of the key ideas underlying brief family therapy, a cybernetic model of therapeutic change and a clinical case for exemplification.
ONE PERSPECTIVE ON THE MILAN SYSTEMIC APPROACH: PART II. DESCRIPTION OF SESSION FORMAT, INTERVIEWING STYLE AND INTERVENTIONS*
Authors: Tomm Karl
Published: June 2007

The Milan method of working with families includes a number of unique innovations. Among these are a pattern of creative teamwork that clearly separates the cognitive constructions of the therapist in contrast to the belief systems of the family, a style of interviewing that releases information latent in the family, and some novel interventions that facilitate the family's capacity to discover its own non‐symptomatic solutions.
FOUR USEFUL INTERVENTIONS IN BRIEF FAMILY THERAPY*
Authors: de Shazer Steve , Molnar Alex
Published: June 2007

At the Brief Family Therapy Center we have developed some interventions that have repeatedly been found useful. Once a generalizable intervention is designed for a particular case and found effective, the team attempts to replicate by using it in other appropriate situations. When a pattern of usefulness emerges, it is time to think about and study what is going on that makes the intervention useful. The purpose of this paper is to describe four such interventions, the situations in which to use them or not use them, and our thinking about what is going on in each example.
PREDICTING DIVORCE AT MARITAL THERAPY INTAKE: WIVES' DISTRESS AND THE MARITAL STATUS INVENTORY*
Authors: Crane D. Russell , Newfield Neal , Armstrong Duane
Published: June 2007

The Marital Status Inventory (MSI), a measure of divorce potential was given to couples in six independent samples. Scores from the five clinical sites and one marital enrichment sample (N = 241 couples) were used to provide adequate reliability, discriminant validity and predictive validity data. Compound probability for the five clinical sites supports the contention that, overall, wives' are more distressed than their husbands. The MSI was also able to identify couples who later divorced. However, the Guttman properties of the MSI, previously identified, were not replicated. Clinical implications of the higher wives' scores for prediction of divorce and marital therapy are discussed.
THE FAMILY FIRO MODEL: A MODEST PROPOSAL FOR ORGANIZING FAMILY TREATMENT
Authors: Doherty William J. , Colangelo Nicholas
Published: June 2007

This paper presents a model for organizing family issues and family treatment. Schutz's FIRO model is offered as a framework for organizing family issues into inclusion, control and affection categories. Following Schutz's theory of group development, we propose that inclusion, control and affection constitute a logical hierarchy of core issues to be dealt with in treating multiproblem families‐inclusion first, then control, and then affection (intimacy). Furthermore, we propose that the FIRO model can be used to organize theories of family therapy. We attempt to demonstrate that different family therapies are best suited for one of the three core issues of family interaction. We advocate an “intelligent eclecticism” based on the premise that when an issue is appropriately matched with a therapy, therapeutic effectiveness should be enhanced. We also discuss implications of our Family FIRO model for clinical practice.
THE EFFECTS OF PARENTAL LOSS ON THE FORMATION OF INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS*
Authors: Hepworth Jeri , Ryder Robert G. , Dreyer Albert S.
Published: June 2007

Effects of parental loss on subsequent intimate relationships were studied with a sample of young married couples and with a sample of college students. Compared to those with no parental loss, young adults with parental loss tended to exhibit one of two patterns: avoidance of intimacy, or accelerated courtship. Persons with parental death exhibited both of the described patterns, but tended as a group to be more hesitant about intimate relationships. Persons with parental divorce generally indicated accelerated courtship patterns. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.
A SYSTEMIC TREATMENT APPROACH TO WIFE BATTERING
Authors: Cook David R. , Frantz‐Cook Anne
Published: June 2007

This article places the problem of wife battering or domestic abuse in a systemic framework. Literature that bears most directly on a systemic understanding and treatment of wife battering is reviewed. A comprehensive approach to treatment as it might be utilized by marriage and family therapists is outlined and a case example is presented.
THE FEMINIST CRITIQUE IN EPISTEMOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE: QUESTIONS OF CONTEXT IN FAMILY THERAPY
Authors: Taggart Morris
Published: June 2007

Family therapy's neglect of social context as a factor in its continuing distortion of women's issues has led feminist critics to wonder if systems‐based psychotherapy truly serves women. Rather than heralding the demise of family therapy, however, the feminist critique is here taken to open up concerns central to the epistemological discussion underway in the field. At first, these have to do with the functions of “punctuation,”“boundary” and “closure” in systemic epistemology. Later, the central question becomes that of the place given to context in systems epistemology generally, as well as family therapy in particular. Several implications of a more lively interest in context for family therapy's work are explored. These are discussed with respect to women's issues, clinical epistemology, and the challenge to raise novel questions in family therapy.
THE POLITICS OF FUNCTIONAL FAMILY THERAPY: A FEMINIST CRITIQUE*
Authors: Avis Judith Myers
Published: June 2007

This paper examines the political processes inherent in Functional Family Therapy (FFT). It argues that this model of family therapy takes a covert political stance which reinforces traditional gender roles in both family and therapist. Of particular interest are FFT's affirmation of existing interpersonal functions in the family, as well as suggested therapist use of self. The implications of this stance are discussed, as well as recommendations for change.
ENRICHMENT OUTCOME RESEARCH:A META‐ANALYSIS OF PREMARITAL, MARITAL AND FAMILY INTERVENTIONS
Authors: Giblin Paul , Sprenkle Douglas H. , Sheehan Robert
Published: June 2007

The findings from a meta‐analysis of 85 studies of premarital, marital, and family enrichment, representing 3,886 couples or families are presented. Metaanalysis is a method for statistically aggregating and evaluating empirical findings. Findings from the study are discussed in terms of overall enrichment effectiveness as well as salient program, subject, design, measurement, and analysis characteristics. The enrichment studies yielded an average effect size of .44, which indicates that the average person who participates in enrichment is better off following intervention than 67% of those who do not. The most powerful factors related to outcome were measurement variables rather than those related to program content, structure, leadership, or participant characteristics. Implications of these findings are discussed.
EMOTIONALLY FOCUSED COUPLES THERAPY: AN OUTCOME STUDY*
Authors: Johnson Susan M. , Greenberg Leslie S.
Published: June 2007

In a within‐subjects design in which couples acted as their own controls, assessment was completed at four times: at the time of intial contact, after an eight‐week waiting period, after eight sessions of Emotionally Focused Marital Therapy, and at an eight‐week follow‐up. Couples reported no significant changes on measures of dyadic adjustment, intimacy, target complaint reduction and goal attainment after the waiting period, but significant changes were found after treatment.
ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME: A PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF THE EFFECTS ON GAY COUPLES AND COUPLING
Authors: Carl Douglas
Published: June 2007

The AIDS epidemic brings with it a great many changes in attitude about life and lifestyles. Among gay men this seems to mean an increased consideration about coupling and the nature of coupled relationships, along with parallel struggles around the issues of sex and intimacy. In addition, the disease has forced large numbers of people to deal with death long before the normal time. This paper discusses the impact of AIDS on the early stages of gay coupling as well as the final stage of death.
INDIVIDUATION FROM THE FAMILY OF ORIGIN AND PERSONAL ADJUSTMENT IN LATE ADOLESCENCE
Authors: Fleming Wm. Michael , Anderson Stephen A.
Published: June 2007

The present study explored the relationships between late adolescents' self‐reported personal adjustment and individuation from their families of origin. Individuation was defined as adolescents' subjective perceptions of how psychologically enmeshed they were in the transactional processes of fusion and triangulation within their families of origin. The results indicated a significantrelationship between adolescents' perceived involvement in their family's patterns of fusion and self‐esteem, mastery, college maladjustment and the number of reported health problems. Perceived involvement in the family triangulation process was significantly related to adolescents' perceptions of self‐esteem and mastery. The implications of the study's findings and directions for future research are discussed.
TOWARDS A GENERAL MODEL OF PSYCHOTIC FAMILY GAMES*
Authors: Selvini Mara Palazzoli
Published: June 2007

The author presents the results of six years of clinical research on 114 families with psychotic children. The aim was to build up a general model of the interactional organization of these families, apparently so different from one another, which could successfully guide therapeutic interventions. For the moment the research has suggested that the psychotic breakdown of a child is theendpoint of a process in six stages. The description of the process begins with a specific couple's interaction, called “stalemate,“ in which the child, who will become psychotic, actively interferes in an effort to modify the situation. The failure of his/her attempts coincides, at the sixth stage, with his/her resorting to a psychotic behavior.
TAKING IT PERSONALLY: ISSUES OF PERSONAL AUTHORITY AND COMPETENCE FOR THE FEMALE IN FAMILY THERAPY TRAINING*
Authors: Reid Elizabeth , McDaniel Susan , Donaldson Constance , Tollers Martha
Published: June 2007

The supervision and training of women requires thinking and planning about how to address issues women bring to the training process as a result of sex‐role typing. Dependent behavior and attitudes are interactional problems that need to be overcome in a training process that leads to competency and creativity for therapists. Strategic supervision can benefit women by increasing their self‐reliance, sense of personal authority, and competence.
Family Cohesion And Control: A Multitrait‐Multimethod Study*
Authors: Dickerson Victoria C. , Coyne James C.
Published: June 2007

This study assessed the convergent and discriminant validity of widely used various measures of family cohension and control using a multitrait, multi‐method approach. Forty‐two families, who had at least one adolescent and who were currently receiving family therapy, completed self‐report measures of cohesion and control and engaged in Reiss' Card Sort Procedure. Ratings of the families' cohesiveness were also obtained from the families and their therapists. We were only partially successful in demonstrating convergent validity and discriminant validity for the family trait of cohesiveness across measures and methods, and even less so for family control. There was a general lack of relationship between self‐report measures and either the therapist rating of family cohesion or the family's performance on the Card Sort Procedure. Our results cast doubt on the construct validity of some of the best measures of family functioning currently available. Implications of this are discussed.
BUILDING ON PRETREATMENT CHANGE TO CONSTRUCT THE THERAPEUTIC SOLUTION: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY
Authors: Weiner‐Davis Michele , de Shazer Steve , Gingerich Wallace J.
Published: June 2007

This paper reports the authors' “accidental” discovery that change in the problem situation frequently occurs prior to the first session, and that clients can often recall and describe such changes, if prompted. The authors describe one technique for eliciting reports of pretreatment change from clients, and discuss the results of an informal survey of 30 families who responded to this intervention. Rather than discounting pretreatment change as a “flight into health,” it can be framed in Batesonian terms as a “difference that makes a difference.”
INTEGRATING INDIVIDUAL AND SYSTEMS APPROACHES: STRATEGIC‐BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
Authors: Duncan Barry L. , Parks M. Bernadine
Published: June 2007

The existing literature on the integration of family and individual approaches, largely analytic in orientation, consists of models which, for the most part, are not brief in application. An alternative, brief model is presented which integrates an individual, cognitive‐behavioral approach with a strategic approach at both pragmatic and theoretical levels. The Strategic‐Behavioral model justifies the selective use of behavioral frames in strategic therapy and offers guidelines for their selective application.
RELATING PROCESS TO OUTCOME IN MARITAL THERAPY
Authors: Johnson Susan M. , Greenberg L. S.
Published: June 2007

Although there are a growing number of outcome research studies in marital therapy, there is a complete absence of research on change processes, and how such processes relate to outcome. This study attempts to analyze the process of change in the “best” sessions of Emotionally Focused Marital Therapy (EFT) (Greenberg & Johnson, 1986). Client performance in therapy was rated on depth of experiencing and the quality of interpersonal interactions. The occurrence of particular change events arising from the theoretical principles of EFT was also noted. Results confirmed hypotheses that higher levels of experiencing and more autonomous and affiliative interactions characterized “best” sessions of couples who were successful in therapy. The implications for treatment are discussed.
OBJECT RELATIONS AND THE FAMILY SYSTEM IN BULIMIA: A THEORETICAL INTEGRATION
Authors: Humphrey Laura Lynn , Stern Steven
Published: June 2007

This paper presents an integration of object relations theory and family systems theory in the conceptualization of bulimia. It is based primarily on Winnicott's construct of the maternal “holding environment,” and Klein's formulation of ego deficits at the level of part‐object relations, as they apply to the family as a whole. We propose that in bulimic families there are transgenerational developmental deficits and adaptations which determine the level and quality of intrapsychic experience within individuals, as well as the interpersonal relationships and dynamic functioning of the larger family system.
MARITAL PARADIGMS: COMPATIBILITY, TREATMENT, AND OUTCOME IN MARITAL THERAPY
Authors: Nugent Michael D. , Constantine Larry L.
Published: June 2007

Marital paradigms comprise the guiding images that serve as reference models for a couple's relationship. Such individualized images can be understood as variations on a small set of basic themes. An understanding of clients' marital paradigms can help foeus treatment on the most appropriategoals usingapproaches and techniques that are most effective for a particular couple. An unselected group of 103 couples seen in systems‐oriented marital therapy were reviewed, to identify outcome and treatment issues as a function of marital paradigm. Based on outcome criteria that took marital paradigm into account, 92% of 38 cases where both partners identified with the same basic paradigm were judged to be treatment successes, while only 60% of the cases where the partners identified with different paradigms could be considered successful outcomes. Clinical approaches based on experience with marital therapy conducted within a paradigmatic framework are presented.
The Relationship Of Family Theory To Family Therapy*
Authors: Grunebaum Henry
Published: June 2007

This paper deals with the knowledge and thinking of the therapist, who is the link between theory and therapy. Based on the self‐analysis of a single family consultation interview, the various theories employed and the decision points are described. It is suggested that therapists can espouse many theories or single ones, but are always confronted with difficult decisions. Some features of the field of family therapy which foster an overevaluation of science and certitude are discussed.
AVOIDING A COMMON PITFALL IN COMPULSORY SCHOOL REFERRALS
Authors: Colapinto Jorge
Published: June 2007

When a family is compulsorily referred by the school for therapy, treatment failure often ensues if the family therapist, ignoring the probability of a powerful conflict between family and school, focuses prematurely on family dynamics. An alternative approach to such cases is proposed, based on questioning the “function of the symptom” notion, acknowledging the parents' predicament vis‐à‐vis the school problem, and conceptualizing therapy as the development of better teamwork.
STRATEGIC‐BRIEF THERAPY: AN INSIGHT‐ORIENTED APPROACH?*
Authors: Duncan Barry L. , Solovey Andrew D.
Published: June 2007

The role and importance of insight to the change process has been debated for many years. Strategists have given a significant amount of attention to discrediting insight and in the process have not considered its strategic advantages. This article will clarify the role of insight in strategic therapy and make distinctions between therapist‐ascribed meaning (reframing) and interpretation, as well as client‐ascribed meaning and insight. It will be argued that insight‐oriented and strategic therapists share much in common and that insight, perhaps contrary to the current view, indeed has a role in the practice of strategic therapy.
FAMILY PATTERNS ASSOCIATED WITH ANOREXIA NERVOSA*
Authors: Grigg Darryl N. , Friesen John D. , Sheppy Margarette I.
Published: June 2007

A family systems perspective was used to explore familial transactional patterns related to anorexia nervosa. Father, mother and daughter, interpersonal assessments of parental initiative and daughter responsive behaviors as reported on Benjamin's (1974) Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB), were combined to serve as data for a hierarchical cluster analysis. Out of the 22 families with an anorexic child and the 22 matched control families, 7 family groups with unique family dynamics differentiating one from another emerged out of the clustering procedure. Prototypic family profiles were established and examined using Benjamin's (1984) program Figure (FIG) to explicate central features of the family transactional relationships. With no single family pattern characterizing the families of the anorexic daughters, the study challenges earlier family theories that postulated a single anorexogenic family system, and supports a broader, more complex view of anorexics and their families.
THERAPEUTIC COMPLIMENTS: SETTING THE STAGE FOR SUCCESSFUL THERAPY
Authors: Wall Mark D. , Amendt John H. , Kleckner Trudy , Bryant R. duRee
Published: June 2007

Compliments are often viewed primarily as a linear event in which one person expresses approval or admiration of another. Far less attention has been given to the circular nature of compliments and the manner in which they enhance the positions of both the giver and the receiver of the compliment. Therapeutic compliments have proven to be highly effective means of motivating clients, while at the same time increasing therapeutic leverage. This article proposes that compliments should be purposefully given, and that the type of compliment should vary with the stage of therapy and the intended response of the client to the compliment.
MASTER'S DEGREE PROGRAMS IN MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY: AN EVALUATION OF ADMISSION AND PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS*
Authors: O'Sullivan Michael J. , Gilbert Richard Karman
Published: June 2007

Current legal and professional guidelines related to master's‐level training programs in marriage and family therapy are reviewed. The admission and program requirements of 50 California‐based programs are then evaluated in light of these standards. The data indicate that the reality of these training programs often departs significantly from the ideals and suggested standards of the field. It is recommended that the various national and state organizations interested in promoting quality marriage and family training programs collaborate with program representatives to establish more explicit and rigorous expectations for master's‐level training.
PROBLEM SOLVING SELF‐APPRAISAL AND COPING EFFORTS IN DISTRESSED AND NONDISTRESSED COUPLES*
Authors: Sabourin Stéphane , Laporte Lise , Wright John
Published: June 2007

The present study sought to investigate the relationship between problem solving self‐appraisal (i.e., perceived confidence, personal control, approach‐avoidance), specific coping efforts (negotiation, optimistic comparisons, advice seeking, emotional discharge, selective ignoring, and resignation) and marital distress. Seventy‐five couples completed the Problem Solving Inventory, the Marital Coping Questionnaire, and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. When compared to nondistressed spouses, distressed spouses showed less problem solving confidence, a tendency to avoid different problem solving activities, and poor strategies to control their behavior. In addition, three coping efforts‐optimistic comparisons, negotiation, and resignation–differentiated distressed from nondistressed spouses. However, the results of multiple regression analysis suggest that specific coping efforts are more important than problem solving self–appraisal in predicting marital satisfaction. These findings are discussed in terms of the role of cognitive factors in marital dysfunction.
FAMILY THERAPY AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH*
Authors: Moon Sidney M. , Dillon Deborah R. , Sprenkle Douglas H.
Published: June 2007

Qualitative research is becoming accepted by the scientific community as a viable way to explore and understand socialscience phenomena. The purpose of this paper is to describe the essential features of the qualitative research paradigm and to encourage further development of that paradigm in the field of family therapy. First, typical characteristics of qualitative research designs are delineated; these characteristics are illustrated with two extended examples from the qualitative research literature in the field of education. Next, possible applications of the qualitative paradigm to research issues in the field of family therapy are discussed. Finally, potential pitfalls that could inhibit the development of qualitative family therapy research are examined. It is hoped that this paper will serve as a stimulus for the development of qualititative research in the field of family therapy.
A FAMILY SYSTEMS ANALYSIS OF DSM‐111‐R
Authors: Denton Wayne
Published: June 2007

It is proposed that one reason family therapist do not find DSM‐III‐R more useful is that the implicit scientific paradigms of DSM‐III‐R and family therapy are incompatible. Family therapy is identified with the assumptions of general systems theory, while DSM‐III‐R is identified with the assumptions of the medical or objective/descriptive model. An essential difference between DSM‐III‐R and family therapy is that DSM‐III‐R views symptoms as arising from processes occurring within individuals, while family therapy views symptoms as arising from processes occurring within gamily systems. Alternative approaches to classification are suggested which would be more compatible with the approach of family therapy.
PREDICTING MARITAL THERAPY DROPOUTS*
Authors: Allgood Scot M. , Crane D. Russell
Published: June 2007

The purpose of this study was to predict therapy dropouts using data gathered at marital therpay intake. Intake data included standardized assessments and demographic information. The sample consisted of 474 couples who were seeking marital therapy and who attended at least one therapy session. Seventy‐two couples met the dropout criteria, and a random sample of equal size was drawn from the rest of the couples for the analyses. Data from these two groups of couples were analyzed with multiple regression and discriminant analysis formulas. Three variables‐having less than two children, having a male intake clinician, and a presenting problem relating only to one spouse‐were significant predictors in accounting for couples who would drop out of therapy. In the best model, high phobic anxiety scores for husbands and a presenting problem relating to parenting, along with the other three variables, produced a model that accurately classified 82% of the couples who dropped out of therapy.
PARENTAL DEATH AS A PRECIPITANT OF MARITAL CONFLICT IN MIDDLE AGE*
Authors: Guttman Herta A.
Published: June 2007

When a long‐standing marriage suddenly becomes conflictual, one precipitant can be the recent death of the parent of one of the partners. The bereaved spouse can identify with the deceased parent, attacking or withdrawing from his or her partner; or he/she can become irrationally angry because the partner cannot replace an idealized parent.

The main goal of therapy is to facilitate the bereaved partner's mourning of the dead parent. Choosing an effective therapeutic method depends on the couple's capacity for mutual empathy and support and their need for insight. Without marital therapy, unrecognized mourning may contribute to the breakdown of long‐standing marriages.
REVIEWS
Authors: Piercy Fred P.
Published: June 2007

Book reviewed in this article:

PROFESSIONAL BOOKS: trepper, T. S., & Barrett, M. J. Systemic treatment of incest: A therapuetic handbook

PROFESSIONAL BOOKS: de shazer, S. Clues: Investigating solutions in brief therapy.

PROFESSIONAL BOOKS: O'Hanlon, W., & Weiner‐Davis, M. In search of solutions: A new direction in psychotherapy.

PROFESSIONAL BOOKS: Whittaker, J. K., Kinney, J., Tracy, E. M.,& Booth, C. (Eds). Reaching high‐risk families: Intensive family preservation in human services.

PROFESSIONAL BOOKS: Yuan, Y‐Y. T., & Rivest, M. (Eds.). Preserving families: Evaluation resources for practitioners and policymakers.

PROFESSIONAL BOOKS: Maglin, N. B., & Schniedewind, N. (Eds.). Women and step‐families: Voices of anger and love.

SELF HELP BOOKS: Lew, Mike. Victims no longer.

SELF HELP BOOKS: Davis, L. The courage to heal workbook.

SELF HELP BOOKS: Weinhold Barry K., & Weinhold, Janae B. Breaking free of the co‐dependency trap.

GENERAL INTEREST BOOKS: Rubinstein, H. The oxford book of marriage

Videotapes: Family Systems Therapy with an individual: Condusting the frst two sessions

Videotapes: School's Out.
ETHICS AND STRATEGIC THERAPY: A PROPOSED ETHICAL DIRECTION
Authors: Solovey Andrew D. , Duncan Barry L.
Published: June 2007

Although ethical criticisms have been leveled against strategic therapy for some time, the current intensification of such criticisms indicates the need for continued dialogue about ethical strategic practice. This article presents ethical directions in two broad areas often seen as inherent in the strategic approach: (a) conscious deception and (b) intervention outside client awareness. Emerging from a discussion of the clinical implications of a constructivist view and a meaning system vocabulary of client change, five ethical presuppositions are exemplified. The ethical concerns of manipulation, power, and control are also discussed.
A CONVERSATION ANALYSIS OF A SOLUTION‐FOCUSED MARITAL THERAPY SESSION*
Authors: Gale Jerry , Newfield Neal
Published: June 2007

This study is a qualitative exploration of the therapeutic process occurring in a solution‐focused therapy session. A complete one‐session solution‐focused marital therapy case conducted by Bill O'Hanlon was analyzed using conversation analysis. Conversation analysis is a method of data analysis that describes how language is used to elicit new constructions of reality; it offers descriptive categories useful to both clinicians and researchers. Through intense examination of the communications of the therapist, wife, and husband, nine categories of linguistic strategies used by O'Hanlon in his pursuit of solution‐focused conversation are developed. Implications of these strategies for the field are discussed.
A RECONSIDERATION OF THE FAMILY‐OF‐ORIGIN SCALE
Authors: Gavin Leslie A. , Wamboldt Frederick S.
Published: June 2007

Recent studies published in this journal have debated the merits of the Family‐of‐Origin Scale (Hovestadt, Piercy, Anderson, Cochran, & Fine, 1985), a measure designed to tap the psychological health of one's family of origin. The present study is an investigation of the psychometric properties and overall utility of this measure. Although we agree with much of the recent criticism of the FOS, we suggest that with changes, primarily in interpretation, the instrument remains useful. Taking this measure as an example, we discuss problems inherent in the use of individual self‐report data as indicators of family systems constructs.
REVIEWS
Authors: Piercy Freed P.
Published: June 2007

PROFESSIONAL BOOKS: Prata, G. (1990). A systmic harpoon into family games: Preventive interventions in therapy.
THE MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF BATTERED WOMEN IN FAMILY THERAPISTS' OFFICES: MALE PRIVILEGE COLLUDING WITH MALE VIOLENCE
Authors: Kaufman Gus
Published: June 2007

Family therapy has not served battered women well. Men use battering to silence women; a woman, once abused, is unlikely to speak honestly in a situation where doing so invites re‐abuse. Therefore we rarely perceive, label or deal effectively with male violence toward women, a major source of marital disruption. To stand with the oppressed, we must learn to detect the possibility of abuse, separate the couple, and refuse to collude with criminal acts.
VALUES IN CONFLICT: CHALLENGES TO FAMILY THERAPISTS' THINKING
Authors: Bograd Michele
Published: June 2007

Our familiar and comfortable family therapy theories were not designed to deal with violence and may help maintain our collective avoidance. Our formulations appear to make violence more manageable than it is and demonstrate our naivete. The limitations of therapeutic neutrality are explored as are the dangers inherent in some of our interventions. Effective amelioration of family violence requires linkages to larger systems.‐Editor.
MARRIAGE, DEPRESSION, AND COGNITION: UNRAVELING THE GORDIAN KNOT‐REPLY TO ETTINGER ET AL.
Authors: Snyder Douglas K. , Heim Susan Creekmore
Published: June 2007

Heim and Snyder (1991) explicitly applied a multidimensional assessment and data‐analytic strategy to predict husbands' and wives' depressive symptoms from measures of marital disaffection, overt marital conflict, appraisals of relationship prognosis, characterizations of the spouse, and causal attributions. For both genders, the best single predictor of depression was a measure of marital disaffection—accounting by itself for approximately one third of the variance in subjects' depressive symptoms. Additional attributional predictors of depression for married women indicated the need for therapists to support wives' assertive expression of relationship concerns and confrontation of husbands' behaviors contributing to their distress. We reiterate the complex and recursive relationships among marital difficulties, depression, congnitive processes, and their antecedents and consequences and encourage focused research on components of this intricate puzzle.
THE STRUCTURE OF FAMILY PARADIGMS: AN ANALYTICAL MODEL OF FAMILY VARIATION
Authors: Constantine Larry L.
Published: June 2007

The theory of family paradigms provides an integrative framework for under‐standing and systematizing the diverse ways that families organize and make sense of family life. Using formal methods of analysis based on logical and geometrical arguments, the priecise implications of models of family types can be investigated and compared. The paradigmatic framework can thus be refined and extended to form a more rigorous theoretical grounding for family typologies is explored and a miltidimensional model is derived the geometry of which is equivalent to, but more succinctly captures, the underlying structure of uariation in family para‐digms. In Part II, the resulting model is interpredtd and explored in terms of implications for family theory, theory construction, and family therapy. Clarifying the basic dimensions of the paradigmatic framework also permits more precise exploration of interrelationships among related models of family types, which can be understood as reduced models derivable from the complete geometry of the paradigmatic framework.
PROBLEM FAMILIES AND THE CIRCUMPLEX MODEL: OBSERVATIONAL ASSESSMENT USING THE CLINICAL RATING SCALE (CRS)
Authors: Thomas Volker , Olson David H.
Published: June 2007

The validity, reliability, and curvilinearity of the Clinical Rating Scale (CRS) from the Circumplex Model were evaluated and the ability of the scale to discriminate between proble/clinical families and nonclinical families was tested on family cohesion, family adaptability, and family communication. Two groups of problem families were compared with two control groups. The study tested the main curvilinear hypothesis of the Circumplex Model that nonclinical families will have more Balanced system types than problem/clinical families. Conversely, problem/clinical families will have more Extreme system types than nonclinical families. Using the CRS, this hypothesis was strongly supported. Family satisfaction was used as a measure to investigate group differences further. As hypothesized, the two control groups had high levels of satisfaction, and the two problem family groups had significantly lower levels of family satisfaction. Overall, the CRS discriminated well between problem families who had more Extreme types on cohesion and adaptability and lower on communication and satisfaction than control families. Investigating different family structures (single‐parent, blended, and traditional two‐parent families) confirmed these findings. The study provided strong support for the curvilinear hypothesis that problem families are more frequently Extreme on both ends of the family cohesion and adaptability dimensions. It also revealed that the CRS has excellent validity and reliability.
AN ETHNOGRAPHY OF COUPLE AND THERAPIST EXPERIENCES IN REFLECTING TEAM PRACTICE
Authors: Sells Scott P. , Smith Thomas Edward , Coe Mary J. , Yoshioka Marianne , Robbins John
Published: June 2007

Couple and therapist perspectives about the use and process of reflecting team practice were analyzed using ethnographic research. A domain analysis was performed on postession interviews from both couples and therapists, and on field notes from each therapist. Seven couples and five therapists were interviewed at least twice over a 4‐month period concerning their reactions to and perceptions of reflecting team practice. Six domains concerning reflecting team practice emerged from the analysis: (a)benefits of its use, (b) effects of gender, (c)recommended use, (d) contraindicated use, (e) the importance of creating spatial separateness between couple and team members, and (f) sequences of communication between the couple and team members that elicit change. The latter two domains described the process of reflecting team practice (i.e., steps in how it is used and how it is implemented). The role of ethnog rahy in reflecting team practice and in family therapy research is discussed.
ETHNOGRAPHIC CONTENT ANALYSIS OF COUPLE AND THERAPIST PERCEPTIONS IN A REFLECTING TEAM SETTING*
Authors: Smith Thomas Edward , Sells Scott P. , Clevenger Theodore
Published: June 2007

An ethnographic content analysis was used to examine couple and therapist perspectives about the use and value of reflecting team practice. Postsession ethnographic interviews form both couples and therapists were examined for the frequency of themes in seven categories that emerged form a previous ethnographic study of reflecting teams (Sells, Smith, Coe, Yoshioka, & Robbins, 1994). The study demonstrated that quantitative numerical data and qualitiative narrative data can examine the same phenomenon from multiple perspecrives and allow for greater accuracy and stability in study findings. Ethnographic content analysis is briefly cosntrasted with conventional modes of quantitative cosntent analysis to illustrate its usefulness and rationale for discovering emergent patterns, themes, emphases, and process using both inductive and deductive methods of inquiry.
HOW PERSONAL CAN TRAINING GET?
Authors: Aponte Harry J.
Published: June 2007

Training on the person of the therapist calls for trainees to deal with their personal issues in relation to the therapy they do. Growing controversy about dual relationships has the field wondering where to draw the line between training and therapy. This paper offers a distinction between dual qualities and dual relationships to clarify the issue. An illustration of clinical training with qualities of therapy demonstrates an effort to maintain proper boundaries in training on the person of the therapist.
FACILITATING INTIMACY: INTERVENTIONS AND EFFECTS
Authors: Dandeneau Michel L. , Johnson Susan M.
Published: June 2007

The Present study investigated by effects of two sets of marital interventions taken from Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and Cognitive Marital Therapy (CMT) on level of marital intimacy, dyadic trust, and dyadic adjustment. It was hypothesized that both EFT and CMT would have a positive effect on levels of intimacy, trust, and adjustment as compared to a wait‐list control group and that there would be a differential effect in favor of EFT as compared to CMT. Thirty‐six couples free of marital distress and seeking to enhance theor intimate relationship were randomaly assigned to EFT, CMT, or a wai‐list control group. Therapists' interventions were monitored and found to be faithfully implemented. Groups were equivalent on demographic variables and the quality of the therapeutic alliance. Both EFT and CMT group posttest means were found to be significantly higher than controls on the self‐report measures of intimacy, Observational measures of intimacy revealed differential effects in favor of EFT as comopared to CMT at posttest. At a 10‐week follow‐up, EFT group means were significantly higher than CMT on self‐reported intimacy and adjustment.
FACTOR STRUCTURE OF THE FAMILY‐OF‐ORIGIN SCALE: DOES THIS SCALE MEASURE WHAT ITS CREATORS SAY IT DOES?
Authors: Kline Christopher D. , Newman Isadore
Published: June 2007

The factor structure of the Family‐of‐Origin Scale (FOS) was examined. The FOS is a 40‐item instrument devised to measure perceptions of health in the family of origin. Subjects were 162 gay and bisexual males. A confirmatory factor analysis was employed to examine the similarities of the factor structure obtained in the present study with those proposed theoretically by the test authors. The results supported the notion that the FOS is comprised of a single underlying construct that may be represented by bipolar items. It was concluded that the findings do not support the theoretically proposed factor structure of the FOS and that the value of the FOS is suspect.
A REVISIONIST RENDERING OF STRUCTURAL FAMILY THERAPY
Authors: Simon George M.
Published: June 2007

The popular view of structural faimly therapy sees the structural diagnosis of faimiles and lying at the heart of this therapeutic approach. This article challenges that view. It argues that the practive of structural family therapy is driven not by structural diagnosis but by two fundamental assumptions about human and family functioning: the assumption of comptence and the assumption of uniqueness. Consequences of this revisionist view are explored in two areas: (a) the area of the dialogue within the family therapy field regarding the emerging tradition of second‐order therapy and (b) the area of training in structural family therapy.
HEALTH CARE REFORM IN THE UNITED STATES: IMPLICATIONS FOR TRAINING AND PRACTICE IN MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY
Authors: Crane D. Russell
Published: June 2007

Americans are spending 12‐14% of their income on health care, and costs are rising about 11‐12% per year. These increases are fueled by many social problems and are not limited strictly to health matters. Many alternatives have been examined to limit the rapidly increasing costs. The long‐term results of these efforts are likely to be a reduction in health care benefits for many and the continued development of a two‐tier system of health care. This article addresses the place of mental health care in general and marriage and family therapy in particular in the emerging system. Suggestions for training and practice for the new health care system are given.
PREMARITAL SEXUAL COERCION: TREATMENT ISSUES FOR FAMILY THERAPISTS
Authors: Killian Kyle D. , Busby Dean M.
Published: June 2007

Premarital sexual coercion is conceptualized as nonconsensual sexual activity between two persons who are not married to each other but who are involved in an intimate relationship with one another. Factors and consequences associated with premarital sexual coercion are presented. Three possible clinical scenarios are discussed, and a case example is presented to highlight the importance of several therapeutic issues, including the need for individual sessions with the victim in order to provide crisis intervention and assess her safety and willingness to continue the relationship.
A NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR TEACHING/LEARNING MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY
Authors: Gale Jerry , Dotson Damond , Huber Mark , Nagireddy Chandra , Manders Jenny , Young Kathy , Carter H. Barry
Published: June 2007

A computer technology known as Group Support Systems (GSS) was pilot tested in a doctoral marital and family therapy (MFT) course to explore its usefulness in teaching/learning marital and family therapy. GSS allowed participants to combine face‐to‐face interaction with dialogue structured by GSS on personal computers. Through linked computers, each participant contributed to group discussions both simultaneously and anonymously. GSS was used to discuss a videotape, to conduct two role plays, and to write this paper. GSS was found to improve brain‐storming, enhance collaboration, reduce hierarchical status among participants, increase self‐reflection, create a trusting environment, and promote group‐supported active learning. Recommendations for further MFT teaching, research, and application of GSS are presented.
THE CULTURAL GENOGRAM: KEY TO TRAINING CULTURALLY COMPETENT FAMILY THERAPISTS
Authors: Hardy Kenneth V. , Laszloffy Tracey A.
Published: June 2007

Training programs committed to the development of culturally competent family therapists must discover ways to raise cultural awareness and increase cultural sensitivity. While awareness involves gaining knowledge of various cultural groups, sensitivity involves having experiences that challenge individuals to explore their personal cultural issues. This article outlines how the cultural genogram can be used as an effective training tool to promote both cultural awareness and sensitivity.