MedWorm: Family Therapy

Attachment-based family therapy for adolescents with suicidal ideation: a randomized controlled trial. - Diamond GS, Wintersteen MB, Brown GK, Diamond GM, Gallop R, Shelef K, Levy S.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:35:12 +0100

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT) is more effective than Enhanced Usual Care (EUC) for reducing suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms in adolescents. METHOD: This was a randomized controlled trial of suicidal adolesc... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

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Is there a place for individual subjectivity within a social constructionist epistemology?

Journal of Family Therapy — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The epistemological turn towards social constructionism has become well established within the field of family systemic therapy. Social constructionism has provided therapists with a theoretical rationale for the concentration upon the social context within which individuals and families live their lives. This is a philosophical position that pushes to the margins the positivist premise that individuals have fixed and measurable personalities in favour of a discourse which proposes that the person is encountered differently within different social contexts. Prompted by the growing interest in systemic practice with individuals and by the rediscovery of the psychoanalytic canon within family therapy literature, the adequacy of this position is examined and an attempt is made to open up a sp...

Family and social networks after bereavement: experiences of support, change and isolation

Journal of Family Therapy — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The role of family and social support networks on grief experiences following the death of a family member in a road traffic accident is explored. Twenty-one bereaved informants were interviewed and the data analysed using grounded theory methodology. We outline the ways in which a crash fatality impacts upon familial and social relationships. The data clearly demonstrate that although the death of a loved one precipitated closer familial and social bonds in some instances, it was more common that those relationships deteriorated and collapsed. Implications for service delivery, grief education and research are discussed. (Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

Letter Writing as an Intervention in Family Therapy With Adolescents who Engage in Nonsuicidal Self-Injury

The Family Journal — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:42:56 +0100

Family therapy can be an important component of a comprehensive treatment plan when counseling adolescents who engage in nonsuicidal self-injury. The authors provide a rationale for the use of letter writing as a therapeutic intervention when counseling families in which an adolescent engages in nonsuicidal self-injury. Descriptions of types of therapeutic letters are provided and illustrated in a case example. (Source: The Family Journal)

Family Therapy With Latino Families: An Interview With Patricia Arredondo

The Family Journal — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:42:56 +0100

In this interview, Patricia Arredondo shares with us her scholarship and expertise working with Latino families. Patricia talks about multicultural competencies, multicultural development as well as diversity assessment when working with Latino families. Dr. Arredondo has published widely on these topics and is the coauthor of Counseling Latinos y la Familia (2006). Her leadership as the President of the American Counseling Association, Division 45 Society for Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues and the National Latina/Latino Psychological Association among others shows her commitment to our field. Her interview offers critical perspectives for the family therapy field in the area of diversity and specifically when working with Latino families. (Source: The Family Journal)

Book Review: Froma Walsh Spiritual Resources in Family Therapy (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford, 2009. 412 pp. $45.00. ISBN 978-1-60623-022-0

The Family Journal — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:42:56 +0100

(Source: The Family Journal)

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The efficacy of Structural Ecosystems Therapy for HIV medication adherence with African American women.

Journal of Family Psychology — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:30:04 +0100

A systemic family therapy intervention, Structural Ecosystems Therapy (SET; Mitrani, Szapocznik, & Robinson-Batista, 2000; Szapocznik et al., 2004), has been shown to promote adaptation to living with HIV by reducing psychological distress and family hassles. This investigation examines the effect of SET on HIV medication adherence relative to a person-centered condition and a community control condition. Medication adherence was assessed on 156 trial participants. Results of a 2-part model showed that SET was significantly more likely to move women to high levels of adherence (defined as at least 95% adherence) than a person-centered therapy. Family hassles were also significantly reduced by SET, though the effect of SET on medication adherence did not appear related to this change in fam...

Cool Art Therapy Intervention #9: Family Sculpture

Psychology Today Relationships Center — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:55:33 +0100

When psychologists or marriage and family therapists hear the term "family sculpture," an expressive technique invented by experiential family therapists David Kantor, Fred Duhl, and Bunny Duhl often comes to mind. They think of a nonverbal method whereby a family member is asked to physically place other family members in positions in relation to one another-- a three dimensional, in vivo arrangement of actual people. Virginia Satir, psychotherapist and author of the classic Peoplemaking, also had each family member "sculpt" the other in a similar way. Satir believed that it was easier for families to accurately see their situations rather than just talk about them. Contemporary drama therapists as well as dance/movement therapists who often use expressive means to facilitate intera...

Hispanic youth: violence and aggression ecological influences

The Journal of Pediatrics — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:35:02 +0100

To the Editor: The focus on social influences of Hispanic youth is intriguing because they are an underrepresented ethnic group in family therapy research literature. Although Ferguson et al report that their results cannot be generalized across ethnic groups, Szapocznik et al has facilitated 25 years of research specifically with antisocial delinquent Hispanic youth. (Source: The Journal of Pediatrics)

Driving styles among young novice drivers-The contribution of parental driving styles and personal characteristics.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:19:17 +0100

Authors: Miller G, Taubman-Ben-Ari O As part of the effort to ascertain why young drivers are more at risk for car crashes, attention has recently turned to the effects of family, including the intergenerational transmission of driving styles from parents to offspring. The current study sought to further understanding of the nature and aspects of the family influence with the help of Bowen's family systems theory. In Phase 1 of the prospective study, 130 young driving students completed questionnaires tapping personal and personality measures, and their parents completed driving-related instruments. In Phase 2, a year after the young drivers had obtained their driver's license, they were administered the same questionnaires their parents had previously completed. The results show signi...

Principles for defining adverse events in behavioral intervention research: lessons from a family-focused adolescent drug abuse trial.

Clinical Trials — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:40:03 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Based on the events reported in this trial, the efforts for monitoring and categorizing adverse events appeared justified and appropriate. The strategies and principles described in this paper may be useful for those developing safety plans for behavioral intervention research, and to family therapy researchers for assessing the safety of behavioral family interventions. Clinical Trials 2010; 7: 58-68. http://ctj.sagepub.com. PMID: 20156957 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Clinical Trials)

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Reasonable Hope: Construct, Clinical Applications, and Supports

Family Process — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

To read this article's abstract in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, please visit the article's full-text page on Wiley InterScience (http://interscience.wiley.com/journal/famp). Hope may be the most laden shorthand term of all time. Everyone wants it; few know how to articulate what it is. Although family therapists frequently work to restore hope with hopeless families, they have contributed little to the abundant literature on hope. I present a new conceptualization of hope[mdash]reasonable hope[mdash]that reflects how family therapists think and practice. By subscribing to reasonable hope, clinicians enhance their ability to offer accompaniment and bear witness to clients. I describe clinical practices that, informed by reasonable hope, also facilitate its cocreation. Finally, I sugge...

Male Emotional Intimacy: How Therapeutic Men's Groups Can Enhance Couples Therapy

Family Process — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Men's difficulty with emotional intimacy is a problem that therapists regularly encounter in working with heterosexual couples in therapy. The first part of this article describes historical and cultural factors that contribute to this dilemma in men's marriages and same-sex friendships. Therapeutic men's groups can provide a corrective experience for men, helping them to develop emotional intimacy skills while augmenting their work in couples therapy. A model for such groups is presented, including guidelines for referral, screening, and collaboration with other therapists. Our therapeutic approach encourages relationship-based learning through direct emotional expression and supportive feedback. We emphasize the development of friendship skills, core attributes of friendship (connection,...

Avoiding Colonizer Positions in the Therapy Room: Some Ideas About the Challenges of Dealing with the Dialectic of Misery and Resources in Families

Family Process — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Some authors have argued that certain acts of family therapists[mdash]despite their best intentions[mdash]may represent a form of colonizing the family. When acting as a colonizer, a therapist is understood as becoming overly responsible for the family and focusing too strongly on change. In so doing, the therapist disrespects the family's pace, and neglects their own resources for change. This paper aims to highlight the need for therapists to be hypersensitive both to the resources of families entering therapy as well as to the impact of prevailing ideologies on their own positioning in the session. The kind of sensitivity advocated here is dialectical in the sense that every family is understood as having potentials promoting dynamism, happiness, and well-being as well as potentials con...

Erratum: Correction to "Family Therapy in the Forbidden City: A Review of Chinese Journals From 1978 to 2006"

Family Process — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

(Source: Family Process)

Family therapy helps suicidal teens

Health News - UPI.com — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:22:44 +0100

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say suicidal thoughts and depression were reduced more quickly in teens treated with family therapy than in others. (Source: Health News - UPI.com)

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Family Therapy Helps Suicidal Teens

About.com Depression — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Teens with suicidal thoughts and elevated depression had a stronger and faster reduction in their symptoms when treated using family therapy as opposed to standard treatment in the community, according to a new report in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The researchers studied 66 children between the ages of 12 to 17 who sought treatment in primary care settings or emergency rooms with severe suicidal thinking and depression symptoms. Parental participation in the study was required, with parents being viewed "not as the problem, but as the curative medicine," according to study author Guy S. Diamond, Ph.D., director of the Center for Family Intervention Science of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "Most treatment models mainly work with the ...

Family Therapy Helps Teens With Suicidal Thoughts

Health News from Medical News Today — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 09:00:00 +0100

Adolescents with suicidal thoughts and elevated depression had stronger and faster reduction of symptoms when treated with family therapy than with standard treatment in the community. Researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia reported these findings this month in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Suicide is the third leading cause of death in American adolescents, accounting for more than 1,300 deaths in youths between the ages of 12 and 18 in 2005... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Family Therapy Helps Teens With Suicidal Thoughts

Pediatrics News From Medical News Today — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 09:00:00 +0100

Adolescents with suicidal thoughts and elevated depression had stronger and faster reduction of symptoms when treated with family therapy than with standard treatment in the community. Researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia reported these findings this month in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry... (Source: Pediatrics News From Medical News Today)

Teens With Suicidal Thoughts - Family Therapy Helps Best

Disabled World — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 23:01:00 +0100

An Educated Consumer is Our Best Customer - Choosing a Psychotherapist

Psychology Today Personality Center — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 23:43:00 +0100

This was the slogan of a well-known clothing store in the New York City area for many years. It seems to me that it's also the best possible way for anyone to approach psychotherapy. There are many different kinds of therapy available these days: cognitive behavioral therapy (cbt), dialectical behavioral therapy (dbt), psychoanalysis psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy, coaching, body-mind therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR), and of course medication, to name only a few. There are also many modalities, including family therapy, group therapy, couples therapy and individual therapy. So it is crucial that a client go into therapy with at least some ideas about what she needs and what the different approaches have to offer.Being a selective consumer of p...

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Looking beyond the clinic

Journal of Family Therapy — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:28:48 +0100

(Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

Creating space for preferred identities: narrative practice conversations about gender and culture in the context of trauma

Journal of Family Therapy — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This paper describes a narrative approach to work with the effects of extreme trauma and forced migration. It describes an approach to work across cultures in cases in which the culturally informed dominant discourses have shaped the effects of the trauma on those that survived them. The paper sets out the stories of two women as exemplars of the complexities of such practice. Examples of the main forms of narrative practice conversations are given and the work is developed through considerations of ways in which therapists can work respectfully between cultures. (Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

Family therapists as front line mental health providers in war-affected regions: using reflecting teams, scaling questions, and family members in a hospital in Central Africa

Journal of Family Therapy — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This paper will illustrate the utilization of systemic family therapy services inside a hospital in a war-affected region of the Central African Republic. Through an international non-governmental organization (NGO), the author, a family therapist, provided counselling supervision and services to hospital staff and patients in an area of open conflict in the northern region of the country. In circumstances of chronic insecurity fuelled by both government and rebel forces, families displaced in this region are vulnerable to numerous health conditions and social problems. Family therapy techniques and ideas were used to work with individuals, couples and families presenting with health and social problems resulting from HIV-TB, infections, chronic malnutrition, acute poisoning and beliefs ab...

Family therapists in trauma-response teams: bringing systems thinking into interdisciplinary fieldwork

Journal of Family Therapy — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

We describe common clinical- and practice-related challenges, alongside practical strategies for effectively dealing with these challenges. We draw upon our experiences as family therapists trained in the field of trauma, and our work as field responders, supervisors and team leaders across a variety of local and large-scale disaster events and contexts. (Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

'Hearts on their sleeves': the use of systemic biofeedback in school settings

Journal of Family Therapy — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This article describes how a biofeedback device is used to 'externalize' internal physiological states. Heart rate monitors, emitting audible signals when a specific threshold is reached, are fitted to children and members of the family. This can help all those present to make connections between problematic behaviours and internal states of emotional/physical arousal. Devices may be worn for up to twenty-four hours and computer graph printouts of fluctuating heart rates can assist in contextualizing problematic interactions, particularly if other family members are also fitted with heart rate monitors. In this way biofeedback becomes 'systemic' as people are alerted to the interconnectedness of each others' states. Participants are not only helped to identify stressors leading to heighten...

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'I want to be listened to': systemic psychotherapy with a man with intellectual disabilities and his paid supporters

Journal of Family Therapy — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This paper contends that the systemic approach can be useful in working with adults with intellectual disabilities and their relational network, including paid care services. A practice example using a systemic approach with a man with intellectual disabilities and his paid supporters showed a movement from an internal description of the problem as existing in the man with intellectual disabilities to a focus on coordinating the relationship between the man and his paid supporters. The authors argue for the utility of the systemic approach in working with those who live and work in services for people with intellectual disabilities and who may not have had access to these kinds of conversation in the past. (Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

The Verdi Solution. By K. O'Hagan

Journal of Family Therapy — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

(Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

Relational Theory and the Practice of Psychotherapy. By Paul L. Wachtel

Journal of Family Therapy — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

(Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

Therapeutic collaboration and formalized feedback: Using perspectives from Vygotsky and Bakhtin to shed light on practices in a family therapy unit

Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:49:46 +0100

Patient-focused research points to the necessity of continuously monitoring process and outcome in psychotherapy to supply service users and their therapists with feedback as a way of avoiding no change and detrimental development. At the Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, therapists implement monitoring in an intensive family therapy unit inspired by postmodern and language-oriented forms of family therapy using the Session Rating Scale and the Outcome Rating Scale. Research generated descriptions of users’ experiences of these scales as conversational tools are reflected upon using concepts from the work of Vygotsky and Bakhtin. Mediation, dialogicality, voice, the zone of proximal development and the metaphor of scaffolding are offered as conceptualizations that exp...

Harm reduction therapy with families and friends of people with drug problems

Journal of Clinical Psychology — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This article describes and illustrates the ongoing development of a treatment for working with families and friends of drug users using harm reduction principles. The author was instrumental in applying harm reduction principles to substance abuse and has used these same principles to help families deal with the pessimism, pain, and grief that accompany their relationship to a person with an active substance abuse problem. The treatment involves learning decision-making processes based on both self-care and love for the substance abuser and is based on the values of harm reduction, caring, and incrementalism, rather than those of codependency, tough love, and abrupt behavior change. A long-term family therapy group and two family consultations illustrate the treatment and its applications....

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Being in- or out-of-sync: Couples' adaptation to change in multiple sclerosis.

Disability and Rehabilitation — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 06:58:21 +0100

Conclusions. Clinicians can use these data to assess possible relational strain in couples with MS and identify families who might benefit from referrals to family therapy or other relational support. PMID: 20001825 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Disability and Rehabilitation)

Working models of attachment to parents and partners: Implications for emotional behavior between partners.

Journal of Family Psychology — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:08:13 +0100

This study examined whether working models of attachment are associated with observed positive emotion, sadness, and anger during marital conflict. Individuals (n = 176) from a longitudinal study of families participated in the current cross-sectional study. Narrative interviews assessed the unique and combined contribution of attachment representations based on parents (adult attachment) and partner (couple attachment). The influence of partner’s attachment, depression symptoms, and sex of participant was also examined. Hierarchical linear models demonstrated that one’s couple attachment security predicts one’s observed positive emotion, whereas the partner’s couple attachment security predicts one’s observed negative emotion. Partner’s depression symptoms moderated the effect...

International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation 2010 Research Awards

ScanGrants feed — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100

The IOCDF is now accepting research proposals!The submission period for the 2010 Research Awards will be November 30, 2009 — February 12, 2010 at 5pm EST. Topics of InterestTo further its goal of "Effective Treatment for Everyone" the OCF wants to sponsor research on the following topics and areas (the list is not exhaustive, but is designed to sketch the parameters of research that the Foundation is interested in supporting). * Studies to determine wither modifications in already viable treatment regimens can improve the proportion of responders, and the degree, rapidity and permanence of response; * Research on enhancing treatments and developing additional therapeutic options; * Medications that have shown some efficacy in preliminary research either alone or as augm...

Anorexia Nervosa [CLINICAL SYNTHESIS]

FOCUS — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:29:53 +0100

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is characterized by restricted eating and a relentless pursuit of thinness that tends to present in females during adolescence according to DSM-IV (Table 1). Individuals with AN exhibit an ego-syntonic resistance to eating and a powerful pursuit of weight loss, yet are paradoxically preoccupied with food and eating rituals to the point of obsession. Individuals have a distorted body image and, even when emaciated, tend to see themselves as "fat," express denial of being underweight, and compulsively overexercise. Two types of eating-related behavior are seen in AN. In restricting-type anorexia (AN), individuals lose weight purely by dieting without binge eating or purging. In binge-eating/purging-type anorexia, individuals also restrict their food intake to lose weigh...

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Family Therapy and Cognitive Behavior Therapy Guided Self-Care for Adolescents With Bulimia Nervosa and Related Disorders [INFLUENTIAL PUBLICATIONS]

FOCUS — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:29:53 +0100

Conclusions: Compared with family therapy, CBT guided self-care has the slight advantage of offering a more rapid reduction of bingeing, lower cost, and greater acceptability for adolescents with bulimia or eating disorder not otherwise specified. (Reprinted with permission from American Journal of Psychiatry 2007; 164:591–598) (Source: FOCUS)

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Human-Animal Bonds I: The Relational Significance of Companion Animals

Family Process — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

This article briefly surveys the evolution of human-animal bonds, reviews research on their health and mental health benefits, and examines their profound relational significance across the life course. Finally, the emerging field of animal-assisted interventions is described, noting applications in hospital and eldercare settings, and in innovative school, prison, farm, and community programs. The aim of this overview paper is to stimulate more attention to these vital bonds in systems-oriented theory, practice, and research. A companion paper in this issue focuses on the role of pets and relational dynamics in family systems and family therapy (Walsh, 2009a). Vínculos entre animales y humanos I: La importancia de los animales de compañía en las relaciones La importancia de los víncul...

Human-Animal Bonds II: The Role of Pets in Family Systems and Family Therapy

Family Process — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

This article first notes the benefits of family pets and their importance for resilience. It then examines their role in couple and family processes and their involvement in relational dynamics and tensions. Next, it addresses bereavement in the loss of a cherished pet, influences complicating grief, and facilitation of mourning and adaptation. Finally, it explores the ways that clients' pets and the use of therapists' companion animals in animal-assisted therapy can inform and enrich couple and family therapy as valuable resources in healing. Vínculos entre animales y humanos II: El rol de las mascotas en los sistemas familiares y en la terapia familiar La gran mayoría de los dueños de mascotas consideran a sus animales de compañía como miembros de la familia, sin embargo, el rol de ...

Family Therapy in the Forbidden City: A Review of Chinese Journals From 1978 to 2006

Family Process — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

This article provides a glimpse into the development of family therapy in China, by reviewing family therapy articles written in Chinese and published in journals in China that are not, therefore, readily accessible to the international community. A content analysis of journals published between 1978 and 2006 revealed 199 family therapy articles in 109 Chinese journals. Most of the studies were conducted by psychiatry or medical professionals, and were based on general systems theory or a systemic family therapy model. The articles focused on the promotion of family therapy theories and interventions in China, but did not specify the application of theory to specific clientele or symptoms. After the year 2000, a threefold increase in the number of family therapy publications was noted. The...

A Virginia Tech MFT ethics class reflects on the shootings at Virginia Tech. - Piercy F, Banker J, Traylor R, Krug S, Castanos C, Cole E, Ciafardini AJ, Jordal C, Rodgers B, Stewart S, Goodwin A.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:22:44 +0100

The authors of this article include the professor and most of the students in a doctoral course on marriage and family therapy ethical and professional issues that met the semester that a disturbed student shot and killed 32 Virginia Tech students and facu... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

Postdoctoral Fellowship In Juvenile Forensic Psychology and Adolescent Inpatient Treatment

ScanGrants feed — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Location State of Washington, US Description The University of Washington and Child Study & Treatment Center invite applications for a one-year, postdoctoral fellowship in juvenile forensic psychology and adolescent inpatient treatment. This program is a training track within the University of Washington Forensic Mental Health Training Consortium.Training in juvenile forensic psychology includes conducting pre-adjudication evaluations for juvenile courts (including competency to proceed, mental state at the time of the offense, and risk assessments), coordinating the care of and providing psycho-educational services to juveniles adjudicated incompetent to proceed, consulting with attorneys, and, when possible, providing court testimony. Fellows participate in didactic seminars surveyi...

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Sequential Combined Treatment of Heroin Addicted Patients in Portugal with Naltrexone and Family Therapy

European Addiction Research : Last 20 articles — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Eur Addict Res 1997;3:138-145 (DOI:10.1159/000259167) (Source: European Addiction Research : Last 20 articles)

Medtronic Launches Global Clinical Trial Evaluating Outcomes From Comprehensive Attain Family Of Left-Heart Leads And Delivery Catheters

Medical Design Online News — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:01:00 +0100

Medtronic, Inc. today announced the first enrollment in the global Attain Success trial that will evaluate implant success, complication rates and procedure times in the market-released Attain Family of left-heart leads and delivery systems portfolio. Fifteen new Attain Family therapy delivery products were commercially released in the last two years, including 13 catheters and two Medtronic-exclusive left-heart leads - Attain StarFix and Attain Ability (Source: Medical Design Online News)

Child and Family Therapy Process: Concordance of Therapist and Observational Perspectives

Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:37:19 +0100

The objective of this study is to examine the characteristics of outpatient mental health services delivered in community-based outpatient clinics, comparing information obtained from two different sources, therapists serving children and families, and observational coders viewing tapes of the same treatment sessions. Videotaped therapy sessions were rated by therapists and independent coders regarding goals and strategies pursued during each session. Sixty-three sessions were taped of outpatient care provided to 18 children and their caregivers by 11 therapists. Children were 4–13 years old and families were receiving services at least in part due to reported child behavior problems, confirmed by ratings from the Child Behavior Checklist and Conners Parent Rating Scale—Revi...

Redbank House

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:06:06 +0100

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) 30(4): ii-ii (Source: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT))

Introducing Redbank

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) 30(4): 233-234 (Source: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT))

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Nothing is as Practical as a Good Theory: Bowen Theory and the Workplace -- a Personal Application

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) 30(4): 235-246 Abstract Bowen Family Systems Theory is most commonly used to understand and predict family process. It is also applied to other potentially intense relationship systems, especially the workplace. It has been used by workplace consultants and by individuals to understand, and to manage, their own workplace functioning. This paper will draw from several key Bowen concepts to analyse common workplace dilemmas and to suggest responses that may assist the functioning of the individual and the system. The author's own experience as a manager in a child and adolescent mental health programme will be used as the case study to illustrate the theory's application. (Source: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Thera...

Family Therapy for Kids Without Families: Working Systemically With Children and Young People in Residential Care

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

This article examines the systemic therapeutic model the clinic has developed in the last two years. In particular, the article seeks to explore the importance of `meaning making' in a diffuse parental system, particularly with regards to the term `family'. The complexities of working in this area and possible ways forward are illustrated with a closely worked case study. (Source: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT))

Interactive Family Music Therapy: Untangling the System

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

This article will illustrate the role Interactive Family Music Therapy has at Redbank House and includes case material. (Source: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT))

Is There a Place for Biopsychosocial Formulation in a Systemic Practice?

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

This article proposes that a biopsychosocial formulation can enhance systemic practice by: (1) holding clinicians accountable for their thinking; (2) facilitating a rigour and attention to detail that may prove useful when therapy falters; (3) opening up other possibilities for intervention; and (4) providing a way to engage with the dominant medical paradigm and support clients in negotiating their way through this system. Potential problems nevertheless arise when integrating a biopsychosocial formulation into a systemic framework. This article identifies these problems and presents ideas for how they can be managed in practice. (Source: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT))

`Putting Humpty Together Again': Working With Parents to Help Children Who Have Experienced Early Trauma

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

This article outlines the diverse effects of trauma and how they might present in school or childcare settings. It considers the role of the family in the development of children's emotion regulation, especially if trauma occurs in the context of the family, and how trauma affects family dynamics. A therapeutic approach is then outlined to help address the multiple areas of difficulty. Work with parents and the whole family is aimed at maintaining physical and emotional safety and building trust between parent and child. Work with the parents, teachers and the child individually is directed at helping the child develop emotion regulation and competence physically, cognitively and interpersonally. (Source: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT))

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Family of Origin Supervision in the Workplace: Impacts on Therapist and Team Functioning

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

This article will describe how this trial came about, the process adaptations required to make it possible and how some of the ethical dilemmas raised by this approach were addressed. Personal reflections from the team members will be shared, and our observations in terms of impact of this form of supervision on clinical functioning, team cohesion and service provision will then be discussed. In essence, we aim to provide an anecdotal account of our experience and ask the question, `Is supervision that focuses on the therapist's individual functioning as a product of their intergenerational patterns a valid use of resources in a clinical setting?' (Source: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT))

Reviews

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) 30(4): 315-317 Abstract Healing with Stories: Your Casebook Collection for Using Therapeutic Metaphors. George W. Burns (Ed.), Hoboken, NJ, Wiley, 2007. Soft cover. pp. 277 inc. index and references, ISBN 9780471789024. A$61.95. What is This Thing Called Love? A Guide to Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy with Couples. Sarah Fels Usher. London/NY, Routledge, 2008. Pp. 162. Paperback. ISBN: 978-0-415-43384-6. $58.00. (Source: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT))

Family Therapy for Adolescents with Poorly Controlled Diabetes: Initial Test of Clinical Significance

Journal of Pediatric Psychology — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:48:21 +0100

Conclusions BFST produced change in family conflict, a variable shown through previous research to relate to treatment adherence in adolescents with diabetes. The test of clinical significance represents an example of a method useful for pediatric research. (Source: Journal of Pediatric Psychology)

[Family management of cannabis in adolescent.]

Archives de Pediatrie — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Blecha L, Benyamina A, Reynaud M Cannabis is the most frequently used illegal drug in France. In 2007, the average age for a first use was 15.1 years. Most teenagers will limit their use to a few experiences or controlled use. However, for those who do become dependent, the lapse between the first use and dependence is brief (approximately 18 months) with an average of 28 months compared to tobacco (3-5 years) and alcohol (5-9 years). In light of this brief delay, it is crucial to quickly recognize adolescents who have problem cannabis use and to educate parents to warning signs and to teach them how to efficiently discuss the subject with their teenager. Multidimensional Family Therapy, Cognitive and Behavioral Family Therapy and Brief Strategic Family Therapy have shown thei...

Sibling Rivalry ≠ Sibling Abuse: Parents Beware!

Psychology Today Parenting Center — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:38:26 +0100

Sibling rivalry is considered a normal and routine part of family life these days. Bickering, teasing and fighting among siblings can be seen everywhere from school bus stops to our television sets.Sibling rivalry can and often does, however, slide into sibling abuse, with the potential to cause serious lifelong trauma and suffering. Sibling abuse takes many forms. Emotional torture, such as name-calling or taunting, is all too common between those who are familiar with one's weakest points. But sibling abuse can also involve physical abuse -- hair pulling, shoving, hitting, and even threats of bodily harm. Sibling abuse is a very serious problem in the US. The Department of Health and Human Services reported nearly 1 million cases of sibling violence in 2006. A recent Dr. Phil episode add...

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"The Differentiation of Self Inventory: Development and initial validation": Errata.

Journal of Counseling Psychology — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:03:08 +0100

Reports an error in "The Differentiation of Self Inventory: Development and initial validation" by Elizabeth A. Skowron and Myrna L. Friedlander (Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1998[Jul], Vol 45[3], 235-246). In the January 1998 edition of the Journal of Counseling Psychology (Volume 45, Number 3, p. 246), the key to the Appendix was printed incorrectly. Please see the attached errata for further information. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1998-04269-001.) Despite the importance of Bowen theory (M. Bowen, 1976,1978; M. E. Kerr & Bowen, 1988) in the field of family therapy, there have been relatively few studies to date examining its constructs or propositions. To fill this gap, a self-report instrument, the Differentiation of Self Inventory (DSI) has ...

Serum albumin in Down Syndrome with and without Alzheimer’s Disease

Irish Journal of Medical Science — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:58:38 +0100

Conclusions Down Syndrome is associated with a low serum albumin concentration, independently of the presence of liver disease. The advent of Alzheimer’s Disease in Down Syndrome is not associated with a further fall, and may be associated with a rise, in serum albumin concentrations. Content Type Journal ArticleDOI 10.1007/BF03169121Authors C. S. Clarke, Mater Misericordiae Hospital Dept. of Child & Family Therapy Eccles Street Dublin 7F. J. Bannon, University College Dublin Dept. of Statistics & Actuarial Science Ireland Journal Irish Journal of Medical ScienceOnline ISSN 1863-4362Print ISSN 0021-1265 Journal Volume Volume 174 Journal Issue Volume 174, Number 2 / April, 2005 (Source: Irish Journal of Medical Science)

University-Community Mental Health Center Collaboration: Encouraging the Dissemination of Empirically-Based Treatment and Practice.

Community Mental Health Journal — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100

This report asserts the importance of establishing effective collaborations between research-oriented universities and CMHCs in an effort to bridge the gap between empirically-based treatments and "real world" clinical practice. Furthermore, this report explains the establishment of a mutually informative and beneficial university-CMHC collaboration between the Disruptive Behavior Clinic at the University of Illinois-Chicago and the Community Mental Health Council (CMHC) on an evidence-based outpatient family therapy protocol for urban youth with behavior problems. Values and guidelines to facilitate evidence-based practice for fellow academic institutions are asserted. University-CMHC collaboration is an effective way to bring empirically-based practice to the "real world," front-line pra...

Spirituality of Our Lives: An Interview With Harry Aponte

The Family Journal — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:01:35 +0100

Dr. Harry Aponte is a leader in the field of couple and family therapy. He has made lasting contributions in many aspects of the profession, including working with low-income and minority families and exploring self-of-the therapist issues. The following interview, conducted in October 2007 by Sheena Horsford, focused on spirituality and meaning making. (Source: The Family Journal)

Family therapy

MayoClinic.com Full Feed — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 05:00:00 +0100

— Overview covers definition, benefits and what to expect from family-centered therapy. Sponsored by:Chemotherapy.com - http://www.chemotherapy.com (Source: MayoClinic.com Full Feed)

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Family illness narratives of inherited cancer risk: Continuity and transformation.

Families, Systems, and Health — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:41:15 +0100

Family narratives of genetic disease address multigenerational legacies of illness, guide expectations about future diagnoses and anticipated losses, and promote continuity and coherence. Yet contemporary families with histories of genetic disease face the challenge of integrating long-standing family illness narratives with technological advances in the detection and treatment of the identified disease. The authors recommend the use of narrative methods to (a) integrate multiple or competing perspectives into a comprehensive story of the illness experience, (b) accommodate historically based illness narratives to modern technological advances that enable novel trajectories, and (c) identify pathways to sustained physical and mental health through enhanced medical decision making. A case e...

Sexual and gender minority therapy and systemic practice

Journal of Family Therapy — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100

While there has been an increase in papers addressing working with lesbian and gay clients over the past two decades, this paper builds on this historical context to combine the latest developments in therapy with sexual and gender minority clients with principles of systemic theory and practice. Clear guidelines are provided on how to apply sexual and gender minority therapy within a systemic frame. Specific issues relating to sexual and gender minority couple and family work are addressed, with the provision of further suggestions and resources. (Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

Constructing 'the family' across culture

Journal of Family Therapy — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100

In this paper, which is based on a larger research study, I address the research question: How is 'the family' constructed and talked about in intercultural and intracultural systemic clinical sessions? I use the qualitative research method of discourse analysis to analyse transcripts from eleven intercultural and intracultural video-taped family therapy sessions. The participants in the research study were South Asian and White British clinicians and families. Through discourse analysis, I identified the 'Outsider[ndash]Insider discourse of family life' to describe the different ways in which families define the boundaries around 'the family'. The findings suggest that although 'the family' was constructed differently by South Asian and White British families, clinicians [ndash] regardles...

An exploratory study into how a sample of a British South Asian population perceive the therapeutic alliances in family therapy

Journal of Family Therapy — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100

There is currently little research on the therapeutic alliances in family therapy, and even less on those from minority ethnic backgrounds. This paper reports on how British South Asians attending family therapy perceive the alliances, and compares this to the constructs of a newly developed tool [ndash] the System for Observing Family Therapy Alliances. Nine participants were interviewed and thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data. The results suggest that certain aspects of the alliances may need more attention when working with this ethnic group. These are safety in front of the therapist and emotional connection to the therapist (including feelings towards the reflecting team and consideration of ethnically matching therapist and client). In general, the quality of the allia...

Thematic review of family therapy journals in 2008

Journal of Family Therapy — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100

In this paper the contents of the principal English-language family therapy journals, and family therapy papers from other journals published in 2008, are reviewed under the following headings: child-focused problems, adult-focused problems, couples, diversity, developments in systemic practice, training, research, and recent deaths of significant contributors to the field. (Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

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Interviewing Clients across Cultures: A Practitioners Guide. By Lisa Aronson Fontes

Journal of Family Therapy — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100

(Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

Collaborative Therapy with Multi-stressed Families – Second Edition. By William C. Madsen

Journal of Family Therapy — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100

(Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

Spiritual Resources in Family Therapy. By Froma Walsh (ed.)

Journal of Family Therapy — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100

(Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

Thank you to reviewers

Journal of Family Therapy — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100

(Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

Salient components of a comprehensive service for eating disorders.

World Psychiatry — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Authors: Halmi KA Eating disorders are challenging and difficult to treat, because of the necessity of a multidisciplinary treatment team for effective outcomes and the high mortality rate of anorexia nervosa. An adequate initial assessment and evaluation requires a psychiatric assessment, a medical history and medical examination, a social history and an interview of family members or collateral informants. A comprehensive eating disorder treatment team includes a psychiatrist coordinating the treatment and appropriate medical physician specialists, nutritionists, and psychotherapists. An adequate outpatient eating disorder clinic needs to provide individual psychotherapy with cognitive behavioral techniques specific for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, family therapy, pharmacolo...

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[Treatment of anorexia nervosa in young patients in a special care unit at Robert-Debré Hospital (Paris): Guidelines and practical methods.]

Archives de Pediatrie — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

[Treatment of anorexia nervosa in young patients in a special care unit at Robert-Debré Hospital (Paris): Guidelines and practical methods.] Arch Pediatr. 2009 Sep 30; Authors: Yon L, Doyen C, Asch M, Cook-Darzens S, Mouren MC There are no official guidelines for the treatment of anorexia nervosa in young patients. Some recommendations have been proposed by a group of British experts (N.I.C.E., 2004), based on results from controlled studies. Our inpatient care unit takes into account the different dimensions of anorexia nervosa in this subgroup of young patients and proposes an integrated approach including medical care, nutritional care, and psychological care, as suggested by the N.I.C.E. recommendations. We attempt to take into account variables that are unique to thes...

A preliminary analysis of narratives on the impact of training in solution-focused therapy expressed by students having completed a 6-month training course

Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Students who participated in a six month training course in SFBT reported significant changes in their relationships with clients. They reported increased trust in clients as people, increased confidence in their own professional role, and increased enthusiasm for working with clients. Students demonstrated an in-depth knowledge and understanding of solution focused principles and practice, enabling them to own their practice and respond creatively to individual clients. It is suggested that substantive training in solution focused brief therapy may help to enhance the professional role and cultural identity of participants, particularly those from a nursing background. Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) is a therapeutic approach utilized in a wide variety of settings. Its roots are in ...

Multisystemic Therapy Applied to the Assessment and Treatment of Poorly Controlled Type-1 Diabetes: A Case Study in the U.K. National Health Service

Clinical Case Studies — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

The objective of this article is to describe the case of a twelve-year-old girl with Type-1 Diabetes, who had a history of hospitalisation due to Diabetes Ketoacidosis (DKA) and had been placed into the child protection register. The report advocates an Understanding of the Social Ecological Model (Bronfenbrenner, 1976) in relation to assessing poor metabolic control, and examines the use of Multisystemic Therapy (MST) in treatment adherence. The assessment explores the beliefs within the child’s systems and subsystems. Formulating from a Systemic Perspective allowed for integrated Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Family Therapy and Systems Oriented intervention applied to the Microsystems’ beliefs. After treatment and at follow-up the child was removed from the Child Protection ...

Addiction is treatable

Psychology Today Addiction Center — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:16:20 +0100

Here we are deep in the middle of Recovery Month. As I’ve stated during the last couple of weeks, the whole purpose of Recovery Month is to focus on the fact that alcohol and drug addiction exists, and yet, it is very treatable. I think of Recovery Month as a time to showcase all of the great advances and treatments that have been discovered by scientific research over the last two decades. Why are these research findings important to promote? Because these scientific breakthroughs create a great deal of hope for the patients and families that this life-threatening disease affects. Just to make sure that you are aware of all of the Recovery Month activities in your area, here is the website that you can browse for activities both nationally and in your area (searchable ...

The Therapist's Imagination of Self in Relation to Clients: Beginning Ideas on the Flexibility of Empathic Imagination

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

This article offers beginning ideas about the significance of therapist's imagination of self in relation to her/his clients in the task of trying to understand their experience. In seeking to `understand' the experience of others, the therapist is able to move between an imagination of sameness/identification with the client/s, and an imagination of difference/`foreignness'. The family therapy orientation of curiosity and `not-knowing' relies on the imagination of self as different to our clients; more traditional understandings of empathic connection rely more heavily on the imagination of sameness/identification with clients. This article argues that flexibility in the therapist's use of self in moving between these positions allows an expanded capacity for therapeutic connectedness. Th...

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Surviving in Psychiatry as a Systemic Therapist

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) 30(3): 160-172 Abstract Although family therapy was born to deal with problems posed by severe mental disorders, systemic therapists today tend to drift away from the field of psychiatry. The author refers to his own experience in psychiatry to argue in favour of the presence of the systemic model within the field: systemic understanding might be precious to counterbalance the tendency toward too easy a reliance on bio-psychiatry and pharmacology. In turn, keeping close to psychiatry and to its problems can be useful to systemic therapists, by involving them in social and epistemological queries that are otherwise extraneous to professionals mainly devoted to private practice. (Source: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Famil...

Stemming the Tide of Trauma Systemically: The Role of Family Therapy

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) 30(3): 173-183 Abstract The initial section of this article describes the frequency with which people are exposed to various forms of traumatic stressors and the limitations of linear thinking in both assessing and treating the consequences of traumatic exposure as reported by the Institute of Medicine. The middle section of the article identifies the research and theory that supports the utility of systemic thinking and action in working with traumatised systems, especially families. The final section includes an outline of a protocol for family therapists and other systems-informed practices to help traumatised families and other systems. A critical part of the protocol is that it meets the standards of trauma-informed practic...

A Child and Adolescent Mental Health Day Program Working at the Edge of Chaos: What Complexity Science May Tell Us About Team, Family and Group Systems

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) 30(3): 184-195 Abstract The purpose of this article was to explore the potential application of the science of complexity to aspects of team, family and group systems. A child and adolescent mental health Day Program as a tightly knit multidisciplinary team closely interacting with family systems, provides an opportunity to illustrate concepts of this general scientific framework and offer potentially unique insights. In particular, the relevance of diversity and interconnectivity between parts of a system are highlighted. Ideas explored include team functioning, how change occurs in families and new ways of looking at groups. Furthermore, complexity provides support for intensive multisystemic interventions such as the Day Prog...

Key Systemic Ideas as Seen Through the Eyes of First-Year Trainees

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

This article offers an introduction to key systemic ideas as seen through the eyes of first-year trainees in a postgraduate systemic therapy course. Our aim is to present these ideas in user-friendly, accessible language, with examples to illustrate their use. The article is organised around three main themes: how a family system gets organised; how systemic work helps to effect change in families; and how a systemic therapist creates a context for change. Ideas covered include circular patterns, processes and questions, feedback loops, the importance of context, the interdependence of meaning and action, taking a meta-perspective, systemic hypothesising, neutrality, curiosity, second-order change, use of language and the position of the therapist. The article may be of particular interest...

The Hypothesis as Dialogue: An Interview With Paolo Bertrando

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) 30(3): 216-226 Abstract The following interview was conducted during the 29th Australian Family Therapy Conference, September 29 to October 3, 2008, at The University of Queensland, Australia. Paolo Bertrando, psychiatrist and systemic psychotherapist, was trained in Milan by Gianfranco Ceechin and Lugi Boscolo, with whom he collaborated in the 1990s. His present interests concern the dynamics of systemic therapy, the use of systemic therapy with individuals and the relevance of emotions for systemic practice. Michael Locke works as a consultant in practice development and service delivery systems at Centacare Catholic Family and Community Services, Brisbane. He has worked in both public and community based agencies utilising bo...

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Reviews

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) 30(3): 227-231 Abstract Fighting Your Dark Shadow: Managing Depression With Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. Therrie Rosevald and Tian P.S. Oei, illustrated (in full colour) by Marco Schmidt. Brisbane, depressionmanaged.com, 2007. PB. pp. 136. ISBN 978 0 646 47032 0. AU$24.95. (Ask for it by title in good bookshops, or order online at www.australianacademicpress.com.au ). Adolescent Therapy that Really Works: Helping Kids Who Never Asked for Help in the First Place. Janet Sasson Edgette, NY, Norton, 2006. PB, pp. 203, ISBN 9780393705003, A$29.95. Mastering Family Therapy: Journeys of Growth and Transformation. Salvador Minuchin, Wai-Yung Lee, George M. Simon, Hoboken, NJ, Wiley, 2006. 2nd Edn. PB. pp. 266. ISBN 9780471757726. A$59.9...

A Combined Therapy Model (Individual and Family) for Children With Sexual Behavior Problems

International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

This article describes one model from a variety of therapy methods used in the Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Sexual Aggression Among Children. The model combines family and individual therapy for children with sexual behavior problems. The frequency is of two successive individual sessions followed by one family session. The family sessions include the child and both parents, and in some cases siblings are also invited. The article specifies the importance of family therapy for this population and describes the context for appropriate interventions. It gives the characteristics of families whose children are having sexual behavior problems and who are suitable for therapy according to this model. The article deals, among other issues, with the importance of marking boundaries,...

"Alea Iacta Est" (a case series report of problem and pathological gambling).

Collegium Antropologicum — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Koić E, Filaković P, Djordjević V, Nadj S Gambling or gaming is a common term for a group of various games, activities and behavior that involve wagering money on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money, i.e., a player risks and hopes to get back what he/she had gambled, or to win more. When the player is unable to resist impulses to gamble, and gambling behavior harmfully affects him or the others, then he/she is suffering from the so called "pathological gambling", which is one of six categories of the "Impulse control disorders" in the International Classification of Diseases. Since, at present, there is no standardized program and approach to the problem of gambling in Croatia, and having in mind the arising ...

Family Therapy Cross-Fertilisation

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) 30(3): iii-iv (Source: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT))

Congenital Hand Differences

The Journal of Hand Surgery — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:57:10 +0100

This article explores recent developments for 6 common congenital hand differences, including polydactyly, syndactyly, camptodactyly, clinodactyly, trigger thumb, and cleft hand. These differences are challenging because the surgeon must understand the potential for both functional and social (ie, appearance) issues in order to provide ideal treatment for each child and family. Therapy or surgical correction plays a role for most of these children. Recent investigations have provided additional data on the expected outcomes following intervention. (Source: The Journal of Hand Surgery)

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American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy 2010 Call for Awards

ScanGrants feed — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Deadline for the awards is January 31, 2010 (or the next business day). Nominations must be received by January 31. Postmark dates will not be considered.Cumulative Contribution to Marriage and Family Therapy Research AwardThe award honors one member each year for continuous, meritorious and generative contribution to research in family therapy. AAMFT members may nominate other members for this award. The award consists of a plaque, up to $1000 reimbursement for travel reimbursement for the AAMFT Annual Conference during the year in which the award is received, and a conference fee waiver. How to apply: Nominators must submit a curriculum vitae of the person being nominated and a written statement in the form of letter of ways that the nominee meets one or more of the following criteria: (...

Book reviews.

British Journal of Hospital Medicine — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Authors: Re-Visioning Family Therapy: Race, Culture, and Gender in Clinical Practice (2nd edn); Oxford Handbook of Clinical Haematology (3rd edn) Ultrasound Guidance for Nerve Blocks: Principles and Practical Implementation. PMID: 19684543 [PubMed - in process] (Source: British Journal of Hospital Medicine)

Public service mental health practice and psychology: Historically at the cutting edge.

Psychological Services — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:15:33 +0100

Public service psychologists have led in the systematic use of new approaches to assessment, diagnosis, therapeutic interventions, and organizational management of mental and physical disorders. Outstanding examples include the MMPI and its successor developed at the University of Minnesota; elaboration of its 2-point code types and additional clinical scales at VA Medical Centers; David Wechsler’s work on intelligence and memory measurement at Bellevue Hospital, New York; early adoption of group therapy, early development of family therapy, token economies, and adult mental hygiene clinics; and finally the impetus for the development of accreditation in professional psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: Psychological Services)

Some Historical Conditions of Narrative Work

Family Process — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Written to honor the immense contribution of Michael White as a leader in the development of narrative therapy, this historical essay contrasts the origins of psychoanalysis, family therapy and narrative therapy. Changes in the understanding of therapeutic strategies, methods of training and supervision, styles of leadership, the involvement of audiences in the therapeutic and training processes, and conceptions of the nature of the mind are described. A style of direct demonstration of methods, especially of the formulation of questions, is important in narrative work. The central master-role of the therapist in analysis and family therapy is replaced in narrative work by eliciting local knowledge, and the recruitment of audiences to the work. This is consistent with narrative therapy's "...

Looking both at and through the mirror

Journal of Family Therapy — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

(Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

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Multicultural Training Applied in Clinical Practice: Reflections From a Euro-American Female Counselor-in-Training Working With Mexican Immigrants

The Family Journal — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

The clinical experience of a Euro-American female counselor-in-training providing bilingual family therapy services to Mexican immigrants is described. Cultural themes encountered when applying academic discourse to clinical work are raised in the context of case studies in which the student therapist works from a postmodern client-as-expert therapeutic stance. Strategies and techniques that helped the student counselor adapt Eurocentric counseling theories and processes into culturally congruent interventions with Mexican immigrant clients are detailed. In an effort to increase discussion regarding the implementation of culturally responsive counseling skills, implications for training based on this cross-cultural internship experience are discussed. (Source: The Family Journal)

An Interview With Alan J. Hovestadt: AAMFT Past President and Long-Time Marriage and Family Counselor Educator

The Family Journal — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Alan J. Hovestadt, EdD, is the immediate past president of the 24,000 member American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and a long-time IAMFC member who served as an IAMFC founding board member when American Counseling Association (ACA) first granted International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors (IAMFC) divisional status. Recently, Dr. Hovestadt was one of seven recipients of the prestigious American Counseling Association's Presidential Award and was honored at the 2008 ACA Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii. Given Dr. Hovestadt's prominence within both AAMFT and IAMFC and his long-time marriage and family counselor educator identity, the authors' believed that an interview with Dr. Hovestadt would be of significant interest to The Family Journal readerships. T...

Book Review: The Politics of the Personal in Feminist Family Therapy: International Examinations of Family Policy. (2005). Anne M. Prouty Lyness (Ed.), New York: The Haworth Press, Inc., 184 pp., ISBN-13 #: 978-0-7890-3400-7. Reviewed by Caroline Perjessy

The Family Journal — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

(Source: The Family Journal)

Book Review: Doing Family Therapy: Craft and Creativity in Clinical Practice. (2007) (2nd ed.). Robert Taibbi (Ed.), New York: The Guilford Press, 278 pp., US$26.00, ISBN #978-1-59385-477-5. Reviewed by Tammy Shaffer

The Family Journal — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

(Source: The Family Journal)

Book Review: The Politics of the Personal in Feminist Family Therapy: International Examinations of Family Policy. (2005). Anne M. Prouty Lyness (Ed.), New York: The Haworth Press, Inc., 184 pp., ISBN-13 #: 978-0-7890-3400-7.

The Family Journal — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

(Source: The Family Journal)

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Book Review: Doing Family Therapy: Craft and Creativity in Clinical Practice. (2007) (2nd ed.). Robert Taibbi (Ed.), New York: The Guilford Press, 278 pp., US$26.00, ISBN #978-1-59385-477-5.

The Family Journal — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

(Source: The Family Journal)

Family therapy finding room to wriggle and room to breathe in mental health contexts

Journal of Family Therapy — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 11:29:14 +0100

(Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

Integrating family therapy in adolescent depression: an ethical stance

Journal of Family Therapy — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

This article reviews the evidence-based literature for adolescent depression including family therapy approaches. It suggests an integrative treatment approach that includes individual psychological treatment like CBT, medication where required and a family therapy intervention is supported by the literature. The focus of the latter is psychoeducation, building resilience and hope, enhancing communication, reducing relational conflict between parents and adolescents and addressing attachment and relationship issues. A systemic framework for integrating family therapy in the evidence- based treatment of adolescent depression is described. This is based on an ethic of hospitality towards different languages of therapy, which is illustrated by a detailed example from family therapy practice. ...

Establishing family inclusive acute inpatient mental health services: a staff training programme in Somerset

Journal of Family Therapy — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

This article describes the delivery of a whole-team training initiative to promote family inclusive working in all acute inpatient units in Somerset. The three-day staff-training programme is described and training outcomes are reported. Staff reported a significant increase in confidence in their skills for working with families, and a pre- and post-training case note audit showed an increased consideration of the needs of families. This was accompanied by a modest increase in the average number of family meetings. Obstacles to family inclusive ways of working on inpatient units are described, and strategies to overcome these are discussed. (Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

Therapeutic factors in a systemic multi-family group treatment for major depression: patients' and partners' perspectives

Journal of Family Therapy — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

This study investigated helpful and disturbing factors in multi-family groups with hospitalized, depressed patients and their family members. Both patients and their partners reported the occurrence of different therapeutic factors such as the cohesion of the group, different observational processes, and guidance from the therapist. The frequency of the therapeutic factors seemed to increase for both the patients and their partners as the group sessions progressed and several differences in reported therapeutic factors were found between the patients and their partners. A number of therapeutic factors such as modelling and guidance from the therapist were found to be related with improvement of depressive symptoms of the patient. The results help to provide some insight into which processe...

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Family interventions in psychosis: a scale to measure therapist adherence

Journal of Family Therapy — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

This study reports the inter-rater reliability of a new scale: Family Intervention in Psychosis-Adherence Scale (FIPAS). This measure is designed to assess therapist adherence to the Kuipers et al. (2002) family intervention in psychosis treatment manual. Reliability ratings were based on a sample of thirteen audiotapes drawn from a randomized controlled trial of family intervention. The results indicated that the majority of items of the FIPAS had acceptable levels of inter-rater reliability. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the training and monitoring of the effectiveness of practitioners for family interventions in psychosis. (Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

Understanding the impact of an Assertive Outreach Team on couples caring for adult children with psychosis

Journal of Family Therapy — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Carers play an essential role in the lives of people suffering from mental health problems. Caring is very often a relational activity carried out by family members. Assertive Outreach (AO) services ought to be particularly well placed to support carers, but their impact upon families is not well understood. We set out to understand the intervention of AO services from a family perspective, and in particular to explore its meaning from the perspectives of pairs of carers. Three pairs of carer-parents participated in six individual open-ended interviews. Transcripts were analysed from an interpretative phenomenological perspective. All three families described a series of distressing crisis experiences prior to their relationship with AO. Carers had felt painfully excluded from their parent...

What do carers of people with psychosis need from mental health services? Exploring the views of carers, service users and professionals

Journal of Family Therapy — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

(Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

What Is This Thing Called Love? A Guide to Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy with Couples. By S. F. Usher

Journal of Family Therapy — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

(Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

Aggressive behaviour in adolescent psychiatric settings: what are risk factors, possible interventions and implications for nursing practice? A literature review

Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0100

This study was aimed to identify the risk factors of aggressive behaviour in adolescents (13[ndash]18 years), and to describe available intervention strategies. The findings are evaluated on the basis of their implications for nursing practice. Aggressive behaviour in adolescent psychiatric settings is a neglected research area. The consequences of aggressive behaviour on nurses, other patients and the therapeutic environment can be profound. For the development and implementation of innovative intervention strategies aimed at preventing aggressive behaviour in adolescent psychiatric patients, knowledge of risk factors and evidence-based interventions for aggressive behaviour are of the utmost importance. A systematic search of PubMed, Cinahl, PsychINFO and Cochrane Systematic Reviews (199...

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All in the Family: Integrating Attachment and Family Systems Theories

Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100

This article brings together ideas from attachment and systemic family therapy. There is both growing interest among systemic practitioners in the conceptual and empirical base of attachment theory and also the need for attachment theory to expand dyadic patterning to include its context in family functioning. We propose the Dynamic-Maturational Model (DMM) as being the most compatible and useful variant of attachment theory. With its emphasis on the functional nature of behavior, a dynamic view of development and change, and a focus on multiple attachments and representational systems, the DMM fits systemic concepts well. We propose that many apparent discrepancies between the theories will disappear if careful distinctions are made between observed behavior, functional explanations, and ...

Brief Strategic Family Therapy for Adolescent Drug Abusers: A Multi-Site Effectiveness Study. - Robbins MS, Szapocznik J, Horigian VE, Feaster DJ, Puccinelli M, Jacobs P, Burlew K, Werstlein R, Bachrach K, Brigham G.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 04:57:01 +0100

Brief strategic family therapy (BSFT) is a manualized treatment designed to address aspects of family functioning associated with adolescent drug use and behavior problems (Szapocznik, Hervis, & Schwartz, 2003). Within the National Institute on Drug Abuse'... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

Ways to Approach the High-Functioning Alcoholic in Your Life

Psychology Today Addiction Center — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:02:13 +0100

Recently, I have received numerous emails and blog comments from the loved ones of high-functioning alcoholics (HFAs) who are unsure how to deal with the HFA in their life. Loved ones of HFAs are often confused about how to approach these individuals because there is often a lack of tangible losses to point to, but instead emotional consequences. HFAs typically do not realize the extent to which their drinking affects others. The fact that they are "functioning" and able to go to work, excel in academics, provide for their family and still drink alcoholically feeds their denial. They believe that their drinking only impacts themselves, that they deserve to drink because of their hard work or stress and that if life appears "put together" on the outside that they are entitled to keep drinki...

Family Therapy Can Help Children of Anxious Parents

Modern Medicine — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Family-based cognitive behavioral therapy can help prevent children of parents with anxiety disorders from developing anxiety disorders themselves, according to a study published in the June issue of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. (Source: Modern Medicine)

Family processes in the development of youth depression: translating the evidence to treatment.

Clinical Psychology Review — Sun, 31 May 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Authors: Restifo K, Bögels S There is strong evidence that family factors play a role in the development, maintenance and course of youth depression. However, to date few clinical trials of psychotherapy for youth depression employ family therapy interventions or target the known family risk factors. This is surprising given recent meta-analytic findings showing only modest effect sizes for psychotherapy for youth depression, and that cognitive therapies do not outperform non-cognitive therapies. The aim of this review is to 1) use a developmental systems approach to review empirical evidence on family risk factors for youth depression to identify potential targets for treatment, 2) examine the extent to which these family risk factors have been targeted in clinical trials for you...

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Techniques for framing questions in conducting family meetings in palliative care.

Palliative and Supportive Care — Sun, 31 May 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Authors: Dumont I, Kissane D OBJECTIVE: Family therapy has developed several approaches to framing questions within family meetings, but few of these techniques have been adapted for palliative care. We focus on the application of questioning techniques from systemic family therapy to palliative care. More specifically, we describe and give examples of the model of asking questions developed by Karl Tomm (1988) through its application in Family Focused Grief Therapy (FFGT), a preventive intervention delivered to high-risk families during palliative care and bereavement. METHODS: First, the type of questions used across the course of therapy is explored based on the interventive questioning model. Then, a case example is provided to demonstrate the use and adaptation of this model in a ...

Re-membering Michael White

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Sat, 30 May 2009 22:27:41 +0100

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) 30(2): iii-iv (Source: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT))

Saying Hullo Again: Remembering Michael White

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Sat, 30 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) 30(2): 71-80 Abstract This contribution was a speech that David Epston delivered at `Remembering Michael' at The Family Therapy Centre in Auckland, New Zealand on May 23, 2008; it was also read aloud by Suzanne Pregerson/Rick Maisel in a `Remembering Michael White' ceremony in San Rafael, California. (Source: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT))

Power To Our Journeys: Re-membering Michael

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Sat, 30 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) 30(2): 81-91 Abstract The following personal reflections are in honour of Michael and all that he contributed to our lives. And, we honour Brigitte a key member of the group who died in 2006. Mem, Sue and Veronica, December 2008. (Source: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT))

Some Reflections on the Legacies of Michael White: An Australian Perspective

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Sat, 30 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

This article, which appears in a special 30-year anniversary edition of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, reflects on the legacies of the work of Michael White. It begins by looking back on Michael's time as editor of the Australian Journal of Family Therapy. Of the many themes that were discussed in the Editorials and Letters to the Editor section of this journal in the early 1980s, this article focuses on three in particular to explore the legacies of the work of Michael White. The author describes how Michael has bequeathed not only a profound body of work, but also a distinctive spirit of originating, and ways of working that consider the effects of social issues and that examine the politics of experience. It is the author's hope that this approach to consideri...

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In Praise of Sneaky Poo: A Case, Four Whites, and a Missing Narrative

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Sat, 30 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) 30(2): 109-121 Abstract Sneaky Poo (1984) announced Michael White, the second order cyberneticist, to the world. But there were several versions of both Sneaky Poo and White. This paper pays homage to Sneaky and critiques White's contribution to family therapy. A recent case is reported. (Source: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT))

Michael White Memorial

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Sat, 30 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) 30(2): 122-124 Abstract The following is a memorial speech delivered at the Maugham Uniting Church by the author in memory of Michael White. (Source: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT))

Missing Michael White: Understanding His Influence in One Person's Life and Work

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Sat, 30 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) 30(2): 125-131 Abstract This is a personal reflection that describes and seeks to understand the significance of Michael White's contribution to my life and work. It offers a personal history of the ways in which these ideas were incorporated over time, and the way in which Michael's teaching made this possible. It looks at how this influence is taken forward and continues to be lived out. It reflects the knowledge and skills, the intentions and the hopes, the purposes and plans held that have been shaped through learning experiences with Michael White and the people and ideas that this introduced me to. The legacy of this learning is a hopefulness for future skill development and teaching, nurtured through these communities of ...

Michael White as Teacher, Mentor Friend: Considering Claims of Guru-ism

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Sat, 30 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

This article reviews the influence of Michael White on the work and life of the author. In this reflection, it reviews some of the significant features of Michael White's teaching, which allows a consideration of claims of `guru-ism' occasionally related to Michael White's work. (Source: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT))

A Tribute to a `White Male' Named Michael White and His Contributions to My Family Therapy and Work

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Sat, 30 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) 30(2): 142-144 Abstract The maps that I review in this book are, like any maps, constructions that can be referred to for guidance on our journeys-in this case our journey with the people who consult us about the predicaments and problems of their lives. Like other maps, they can be employed to assist us in finding our way to destinations that could not have been specified ahead of the journey, via routes that could not have been predetermined. (White, 2007, p. 5) (Source: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT))

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A Collective Response to Michael White's Passing

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) — Sat, 30 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) 30(2): 145-146 Abstract The following reflection was written at the Cairns Narrative Therapy Interest Group shortly after Michael White's passing. As a group activity, each individual was interviewed about the effects of Michael White's work on their therapeutic work. Each of the responses were manually recorded and then a member of the group developed the collective document to share back with the whole group. The document was a way to capture the atmosphere that was shared at the interest group that day upon reflection of Michael. The document also enables a way to remember the influence that a collective document can produce for a group of people. (Source: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT))

Commentary: On the Wisdom and Challenges of Culturally Attuned Treatments for Latinos

Family Process — Mon, 18 May 2009 23:00:00 +0100

In this commentary, I outline the common and distinctive components in the cultural adaptation studies in this special issue and compare cultural adaptations with universalistic and culture-specific perspectives. The term cultural attunement may be more reflective than cultural adaptation insofar as the cultural additions in these studies make the treatments more accessible by adding language translation, cultural values, and contextual stressors. These additions most likely enhance the level of engagement and retention in therapy for Latino families. The work ahead requires a deeper examination of the cultural theories of psychological distress and the cultural theories of change in therapy. A final proposal is made in this commentary for considering the bicultural aspects of the cultural...

Decentralization matters - Differently organized mental health services relationship to staff competence and treatment practice: the VELO study

International Journal of Mental Health Systems — Mon, 18 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The implications of the differences found, and the possibility that these differences influences the treatment mode for patients with similar psychiatric problems from the two catchment areas, are discussed. (Source: International Journal of Mental Health Systems)

Robert Hirsch, MD: 1926–2009

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment — Tue, 05 May 2009 00:55:04 +0100

The field of addiction and behavioral health services has lost one of its most ardent supporters and practitioners with the passing of Dr. Robert Hirsch. Co-founder and Editor in Chief (1984–2000) of the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, Bob served for more than 30 years as Director of Treatment Services for North Shore University Hospital's Drug Treatment and Education Center. He was Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine, a pioneer in the application of family therapy to addictive disorders, and, in conjunction with NYU School of Medicine, developed one of the first PGY-V Addiction Psychiatry Residency Program in the country. (Source: Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment)

Brief strategic family therapy™ for adolescent drug abusers: A multi-site effectiveness study

Contemporary Clinical Trials — Fri, 01 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Abstract: Brief strategic family therapy™ (BSFT) is a manualized treatment designed to address aspects of family functioning associated with adolescent drug use and behavior problems (J. Szapocznik, U. Hervis, S. Schwartz, (2003). Brief strategic family therapy for adolescent drug abuse. (NIH Publication No. 03-4751). Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse). Within the National Institute on Drug Abuse's (NIDA's) Clinical Trials Network, BSFT is being compared to treatment as usual (TAU) in a multisite, prospective randomized clinical trial for drug using adolescents and their families in outpatient settings. The effectiveness of BSFT is being compared to TAU in reducing adolescent drug use, conduct problems, and sexually risky behaviors as well as in improving family functioning ...

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A Retrospective Study of Daughters' Emotional Role Reversal with Parents, Attachment Anxiety, Excessive Reassurance-Seeking, and Depressive Symptoms

American Journal of Family Therapy — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 08:36:16 +0100

(Source: American Journal of Family Therapy)

No Compromise: Couples Dealing with Issues for Which They Do Not See a Compromise

American Journal of Family Therapy — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 08:36:16 +0100

(Source: American Journal of Family Therapy)

Sexual Attraction in Conjoint Therapy

American Journal of Family Therapy — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 08:36:16 +0100

(Source: American Journal of Family Therapy)

Male Victims: The Nature and Meaning of Sexual Coercion

American Journal of Family Therapy — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 08:36:16 +0100

(Source: American Journal of Family Therapy)

Utilization of Individual versus Family Therapy Among Adolescents with Severe Emotional Disturbance

American Journal of Family Therapy — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 08:36:16 +0100

(Source: American Journal of Family Therapy)

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The Measurement of Outcome Variables in Couple and Family Therapy Research

American Journal of Family Therapy — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 08:36:16 +0100

(Source: American Journal of Family Therapy)

Overprotective Parenting: Helping Parents Provide Children the Right Amount of Risk and Responsibility

American Journal of Family Therapy — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 08:36:16 +0100

(Source: American Journal of Family Therapy)

The Mother's Act - Mandatory Screening of Moms for Depression is Like a Bad Movie Rerun

NaturalNews.com — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 07:00:00 +0100

This article was funded in part by the Houston law firm of Vickery, Waldner and Mallia. (www.JusticeSeekers.com) (Source: NaturalNews.com)

Karl Tomm: His Changing Views on Family Therapy Over 35 Years

The Family Journal — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Karl Tomm has been the director of the Family Therapy Program in Calgary for more than 35 years. He has developed an international reputation not only as a family therapist, major innovator, theoretician, and trainer of family therapists but also as a leader in facilitating dialogues among many of the world's family therapists. He started his career applying the problem solving approach to family therapy, developed by Nathan Epstein (Part I). In the 1980s, Karl championed the work of the Milan Group (Part II). More recently, Karl has promoted the work of Michael White and David Epston in narrative therapy (Part III). Don Collins recently had the opportunity and pleasure to interview Karl about the evolution of his thinking and practice over the span of his career. (Source: The Family Journ...

Review of the Reflecting Team Process: Strengths, Challenges, and Clinical Implications

The Family Journal — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

This review article explores the development of reflecting teams and its significance in present-day family therapy. Beginning with an historical overview of the reflecting team model, as formulated by Tom Andersen, further discussion considers the advantages and the challenges of the model. The article outlines implications for clinical practice, which build on Andersen's vision of family therapy that is collaborative, inclusive, and client centered. (Source: The Family Journal)

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Ethics of Family Narrative Therapy

The Family Journal — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Narrative therapy allows the family to create new meanings for each member of a family while integrating family history. Narrative family counseling should be examined by family counselors for its effects on families and individuals. Potential ethical issues arise when the counselor using narrative methods explores the family's knowledge of itself and each individual's experience within the family. In this article, ethical dilemmas in narrative family therapy are examined and discussed. (Source: The Family Journal)

Interview with Jill Freedman: A Conversation About Having Conversations

The Family Journal — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Jill Freedman is director of Evanston Family Therapy Center and a faculty member of the Chicago Center for Family Health. She has coauthored (with Gene Combs) more than 25 articles on narrative therapy and three books. The first two books are Symbol, Story, and Ceremony: Using Metaphor in Individual and Family Therapy and Narrative Therapy: The Social Construction of Preferred Realities. Both were chosen by Behavioral Science Book Service as Main Selections. Their latest book, Narrative Therapy With Couples . . . And a Whole Lot More! is a collection of selected papers. Jill is an internationally recognized teacher and conference presenter. She has led workshops on various aspects of narrative therapy all over the world. Jill and Gene are known and respected for their warm, relaxed, and in...

* Book Review: Directive Family Therapy (2007). J. Haley & M. Richeport-Haley, New York: Haworth, 200 pp., US$24.95, ISBN 978-0-7890-3356-7

The Family Journal — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

(Source: The Family Journal)

Family therapy for substance misuse: the maturation of a field

Journal of Family Therapy — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 07:21:47 +0100

(Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

Learning sobriety together: behavioural couples therapy for alcoholism and drug abuse

Journal of Family Therapy — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Among the various types of partner- and family-involved interventions used to treat adults with substance use disorders, Behavioural Couples Therapy (BCT) has garnered the strongest empirical support for its efficacy. During the past thirty years, multiple studies have consistently found married or cohabiting substance-abusing patients who engage in BCT, compared to traditional individual-based counselling or partner-involved attention control treatments, report significantly greater (1) reductions in substance use, (2) levels of relationship satisfaction, and (3) greater improvements in other areas of relationship and family adjustment (e.g. reductions in partner violence, improvements in custodial children's adjustment). In addition to discussing the theoretical rationale for BCT as a tr...

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Family-based treatment for adolescent substance abuse: controlled trials and new horizons in services research

Journal of Family Therapy — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

This article provides an overview of controlled trials research on treatment processes and outcomes in family-based approaches for adolescent substance abuse. Outcome research on engagement and retention in therapy, clinical impacts in multiple domains of adolescent and family functioning, and durability and moderators of treatment effects is reviewed. Treatment process research on therapeutic alliance, treatment fidelity and core family therapy techniques, and change in family processes is described. Several important research issues are presented for the next generation of family-based treatment studies focusing on delivery of evidence-based treatments in routine practice settings. (Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

Systemic-motivational therapy for substance abuse disorders: an integrative model

Journal of Family Therapy — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

This article presents an overview of one such family-focused substance abuse treatment model [ndash] systemic-motivational therapy [ndash] that combines a family systems approach with techniques derived from motivational interviewing, but this time is applied to work with the family as a unit. The background for the development of the model will be described, as well as the assessment/consultation, family-level action plan, and aftercare/relapse prevention phases of the treatment approach. (Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

Drugs, hopes and dreams: appreciative inquiry with marginalized young people using drugs and alcohol

Journal of Family Therapy — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

We describe an anecdotal experience of using AI in producing long-lasting changes in a group of marginalized young people in South Africa, who were engaged in drug and alcohol misuse and antisocial behaviour. The principles and practice of AI are described in detail, followed by a discussion of the implications of these findings for a UK population. (Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

Developing evidence-based guidance – implications for systemic interventions

Journal of Family Therapy — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

This article provides a brief review of the history and current approaches to the development of clinical guidelines, particularly as applied to systemic and more generally psychological therapies. Some commonly identified problems associated with guideline development in mental health are reviewed and their implications for guideline development considered. The challenges this work presents for systemic therapies are considered, along with likely future development in clinical guidelines. (Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

Life beyond empirical science and evidence-based practice

Journal of Family Therapy — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

(Source: Journal of Family Therapy)

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Can Family Therapy Help The Depressed Patient?

Health News from Medical News Today — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 10:00:00 +0100

A study published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics suggests that single-family and multi-family therapy may benefit hospitalized patients with major depression, and may help the partners of the patients to become aware of the patient's improvement more quickly. (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Milkshakes Are Medicine For Anorexic Teens In Family-Based Outpatient Therapy

Psychology / Psychiatry News From Medical News Today — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:00:00 +0100

Getting your teenager to drink a chocolate milkshake isn't something most parents need to worry about. But this is just the approach used in one treatment for anorexia nervosa. Known as Behavioral Family Therapy, or the Maudsley Approach, parents are called up on to supervise the eating habits of their anorexic child, feeding them high-calorie meals like milkshakes and macaroni and cheese until they regain a healthy weight. (Source: Psychology / Psychiatry News From Medical News Today)

Camp Golden Treasures: A multidisciplinary weight-loss and a healthy lifestyle camp for adolescent girls.

Families, Systems, and Health — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Camp Golden Treasures, (CGT) the first non-profit weight loss camp for overweight adolescent girls in the nation, was held for six weeks from June 24 to August 3, 2007 at the East Carolina University campus in Greenville, NC. The primary goal was to support campers to lose weight, raise self esteem, and to learn the tools necessary to lead a healthy lifestyle while reducing risks for developing chronic disease or mitigating the effects of existing obesity-related conditions (sleep apnea, insulin resistance, hypertension, lower extremity dysfunction, etc.). While at CGT, campers learned about the importance of physical activity and proper nutrition through workshops, discussion groups and hands-on activities. Additionally campers were taught the necessary tools and strategies needed to make...

Preparing Child Psychologists for Managed Care: Educational and Training Considerations

Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100

In today's health care marketplace dominated by Health Maintenance Organizations and managed care, psychology internship and residency programs must increasingly prepare child psychologists to practice in a variety of managed care settings. Educational and training considerations are outlined to provide a framework for supervising child psychologists in such settings. Principles of practice in managed care are first addressed. Training should be guided by both the teaching of evidence-based practices and common factors research emphasizing the nontechnical aspects of care (i.e., therapeutic alliance, client/extratherapeutic factors). The utility of integrative child and family therapy models is highlighted, and training recommendations specific to managed care settings are presented. (Sour...