Circular questioning, technique developed by Milan team of family therapists, is modified for use with children of varying developmental levels. Presents five types of circular questions and discusses modifications of each type. Each modification is illustrated with case study. Addresses practical considerations when conducting circular…

Reports treatment of a 9-year-old boy with primary encopresis combining structural and strategic approaches. Describes organizational features of the family, the contextual approach to therapy, individual and collective responses to therapy, and follow-up at 3 months and 1 1/2 years. Discusses effects of therapy on encopresis and on other…

Examines how changes in the family system may facilitate the role of parents as trainers of their autistic child. Describes a multilevel assessment process to help clinicans identify the needs of the child and family. Examines the child and family's behavior skills and identifies obstacles to change. (JAC)

Presents third article in series that examines relationship between family therapy and laws for handicapped persons. Analyzes Public Law 101-476, the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1990, and sets forth postulates for the involvement of the family therapist in the education of children with disabilities. (Author/NB)

This document notes that chronic illness has replaced infectious disease as the primary health concern facing industrial nations today, and that care for the chronically ill necessarily focuses on management rather than cure and takes place more in the home than in the hospital. It presents a family functioning model for understanding a family…

Presents treatment method in cases where grieving for death of child extends beyond normal parameters. Includes guidelines for clinical assessment which emphasize investigation of family history for possible early, unresolved death. Discusses approach's integration of grief work with individual into family therapy framework. Describes criteria for…

Reviews the types of elective mutism and proposes common characteristics of elective mutists' families. Examines the potential for a redefinition of the term "elective mutism." Concludes that family dynamics are an integral part of the problem and need to be considered in a comprehensive treatment plan. (BH)

Describes five features of the family organization of suicidal children and suggests that the treatment of suicidal children must encompass a holistic family technique. The acute phases of treatment include protecting the child from harm, promoting appropriate parental role responsibilities, and effecting an immediate significant family change.…

Presents a model for analysis and intervention with melded families that have children of the same or similar ages in order to help these children develop their relationships with each other. Integration, differentiation, and balance are the basic components. Principles are listed to help parents understand these relationships. (Author/BEF)

Alfred Adler devised a theory that was holistic, social, teleological, and phenomenological. Adler believed that the basis of problems with children originated in the child's inability to cooperate with society, feelings of inferiority, and a lack of a goal in life. Adler felt the child's life should be examined through the child's eyes.…

Identifies the child, the family, support systems and value systems within the community as four components of a model for intervention with children of divorce. By making the child's environment more accepting and consistent, the model can help remove some of the confusion facing children of divorce. (JAC)

Emphasizes the need for an awareness of issues faced by interracial children in order for counselors to guide them toward self-esteem and racial identification. Discusses special problems faced by interracial children and implications for counseling children and their families. (JAC)

Notes that family therapists may focus on systematic aspects of problems, inadvertently neglecting children's individual issues. Presents ways in which family therapists make use of a psychodynamic understanding of the child's issues while continuing to employ brief, action-oriented intervention strategies. Crucial to the approach described is the…

Bridges gap between systems theory, clinical research and clinical practice to address patterns that prevent families with substance-abusing youth from entering treatment. Reviews developments in family systems thinking that provide foundation for working with hard-to-reach families, discusses specific family interactional patterns that present…

Increasing numbers of reported cases of child sexual abuse (CSA) are leading to greater numbers of such children being placed in foster care. Findings suggest that sexually abused children and their families have a multiplicity of problems that form the basis for removal from the home. In addition, sexually abused children are returned to the home…