Discusses the historical context for rising interest in values and ethical issues in family therapy, and presents framework for analyzing core values of prominent models of family therapy. Uses ethical debate over use of paradoxical techniques in family therapy to illustrate values clash between different models of family therapy. (Author)

Family physicians are trained to work with families in the provision of primary medical care, and many provide family counseling. These physicians face many of the same ethical conflicts with which family therapists are confronted. The primary physician-patient relationship modifies these conflicts and creates new and vexing problems. (Author)

Presents Ethics Model of Marriage and Family Counseling and its underlying assumptions. Analyzes six basic counseling values in relation to microsystems of counselor and client, mesosystem of counseling process, and societal value context as the macrosystem. Utilizes discussion of suicide to apply these values to the model. Includes 17 references.…

Considers ethical issues that arise in conduct of family therapy research, emphasizing (1) researcher's responsibility to protect rights of research participants, (2) confidentiality and informed consent, (3) researcher's values, and (4) methodology. In each area, parallels are drawn between ethical issues facing family clinicians and those facing…

Replicating a study done 15 years ago, a survey was mailed to psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, and marriage and family counselors who were listed in the San Antonio Yellow Pages to get information about their perceptions of unethical practice. Results show a shift in perceived unethical practice over the 15-year time frame. (Author)

Examined integrating religion and spirituality with marriage and family counseling. Explored potential obstacles and negative consequences for this integration, as well as clinical implications. The positive impact of incorporating a religious or spiritual perspective into clinical practice is discussed. Ethical considerations, techniques, and…

Organized assessment procedures are used as preface to therapy to help in transmittal of information structuring of relationships, and information gathering. The results can be a mix of descriptive information and value judgment, confusing tester values with facts about those tested. Caution in use of such procedures is suggested. (Author/NRB)

Three major theoretical frameworks of family therapy are discussed. Psychoanalytic theory conceptualizes emotional symptoms in an individual as a result of conflicts between various structures in the mind. Structural Family Theory and Bowen Family Systems Theory view emotional dysfunction as an imbalance of emotional forces in a relationship…

Explores developmental and psychological assumptions about women that are fundamental to current marriage and family therapy practice. Ethical guidelines for reducing bias in therapy, especially with couples and families, are offered to counselors and therapists for evaluation and refinement of professional gender role sensitivity. (Author)

A survey of 105 Black and Puerto Rican Pentecostal church members revealed that the majority would turn to their pastor, rather than counselors or clinicians, for help with personal/family problems. Presented at the 89th annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Los Angeles, CA, August 1981. (PAS)

Describes a workshop and exploratory study done by counselors for a clergy group that requested assistance in working with families. Counselors focused on four family dynamic concepts: communication, distance, hierarchy, and adaptability to change. Data show that changes occurred in distance and adaptability to change concept perceptions among…

Replicates Bergin's (1985) research involving religious values and beliefs and their relationship to counseling. Differences were found in each of 10 belief areas on 10 values areas between the total sample in both studies. Within-group differences revealed greater similarities among professional counselors, social workers, and marriage/family…

The concepts evolving from chaos theory can help clinicians identify patterns in family interactions that are critical for transformations to occur. This article explores a specific case example from such a perspective. Observation of how suicidal behavior becomes part of a pattern of family interaction offers a framework for clinicians to observe…

Discusses nature and complexity, meaning, and function of values, their presence in the family therapist in the family treatment, and consequences for treatment of the interplay between those two value systems. A brief conceptualization of values is offered and vignettes illustrate the theoretical and methodological issues raised. (Author)

Explores importance of rituals to a culture and more particularly the formation, development, and evolution of rituals in couples. Also explores ways in which values of the couple and counselor affect the development of new rituals and the reevaluation of existing rituals as a grounding mechanism for change. (Author/NB)