ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a family-centered treatment program. It is based on the assumptions that each person experiencing traumatic stress must be viewed within a social network of supporters, including family members, and that by focusing attention on this system of social support, individual and systemic symptoms of post-traumatic disorder become evident. Much of the chapter describes an approach to treatment of the families of “victims” of traumatic stress. The approach first carefully specifies the goals and objectives of treatment, the preconditions prior to treatment, assessment/diagnosis. The treatment program involves five integrated phases. Each is described in detail and implications for treatment and research are discussed.
