家族療法
In a seminal work in the field, by Margaret Arcus, Jay Schvaneveldt and J. Joel Moss, the "Handbook of Family Life Education" offers several definitions by scholars as the field has evolved over time, dating back to 1962. Unlike family therapy, family life education works on a prevention model, teaching families to enrich family life and to prevent problems before they occur. Family therapy intervenes primarily after problems set-in. Research from the Rand Corporation (from Rand research report "Early Childhood Interventions: Proven Results, Future Promise") and the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis (in its report "Early Childhood Development: Economic Development with a High Public Return") shows that family problems are less damaging for people—and less expensive for society—when they can be tackled by prevention. Family life education recognizes that all families can benefit from education and enrichment programs, not only those experiencing difficulties.