Contends that psychologists need to appreciate the client's resources and strengths and avoid being coopted into a medical framework which skews one's thinking toward pathology and deficits. Describes a time-effective model of family psychotherapy which emphasizes possibilities, strengths, and resources. (Author/NB)

Compares family therapy with the intellectually gifted with traditional approaches. Discusses presenting complaints, joining issues, assessment and intervention with these families. Includes a number of case examples with special problems for the therapist to handle. (Author/BH)

Discusses the therapeutic process inherent in the work of Virginia Satir. Major conceptualizations and interventions are explored, including historical background; philosophical assumptions; basic operational principles; therapeutic goals; and basic techniques. (BH)

Describes essential features of qualitative research paradigm and encourages further development of that paradigm in the field of family therapy. Delineates and illustrates typical characteristics of qualitative research designs, discusses possible applications of qualitative paradigm to research issues in family therapy, and examines potential…

Contends that overemphasis in literature on distinguishing first- and second-order therapeutic perspectives has produced schism within field of family therapy. Attempts to bridge that schism, using view of language that informs dialectical psychology to construct both-order, and framing of first- and second-order, perspectives. Such framing…

Describes family sculpting as a widely used family assessment tool which enables family members to construct a living picture of their relationships at a given point in time by arranging family members in space. Introduces the concept of family sculpting using a flannel board, which is often less threatening and more manageable for many family…

Presents a model for organizing presession and midsession therapy team conferences. Examines the risks in working in teams and proposes ways to counteract these risks, based on experiences at the Family Therapy Center at the Worcester Youth Guidance Center. (JAC)

Presents conceptual framework for family therapy process research that integrates new process perspective with family systems theory. Focuses on circular interaction, over time, between and within therapist and family systems/subsystems. Explains empirical implications of each framework component. Concludes with three methodological criteria for…

Discusses ethical and practical concerns family therapists face when using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition Revised (DSM-III-R), including incompatibility of orientations, stigma associated with diagnosing, being asked to misrepresent diagnoses to third-party payers, and competency of some family therapists…

Describes effects that brain-injured patient may have on family system and kinds of reactions typically seen in family members. Describes strategies of family therapy in brain injury, including education, supportive counseling, and more intensive family therapy modalities. Considers goals and outcomes of family therapy with this group and offers…

Focuses on the experience of the authors providing family therapy in primary care medical setting which is also family medicine residency program. Discusses role of physician and patient expectations in treatment as well as influence of medical context on the development of family therapists. (Author/NB)

The case of a nine-year-old boy suffering from psycosomatic migraine headaches is discussed. The main article presents the case study and discusses the family systems approach which was successfully used in therapy. The following discussion deals with the psychosomatic personality. (HMV)

Considers the strengths and weaknesses of an integrative approach to family therapy. An integrative approach can explain a broad range of human behavior and can shape intervention strategy in a manner appropriate to each case. The potential pitfalls basically revolve around the complexity of practice. (JAC)

Discusses the problem of wife battering in a systemic framework. Reviews literature that bears most directly on a systemic understanding and treatment of wife battering and outlines a comprehensive approach to treatment as it might be utilized by marriage and family therapists. A case example is presented. (Author/JAC)

Attempts to demystify the process of conducting cost-effectiveness research by defining relevant terms and describing the necessary steps. Two previous cost-effectiveness studies of family-based treatment are briefly described to illustrate cost-analysis procedures that may be used in future family therapy research. (Author)