ABSTRACT
The great discovery of the first generation of family therapists was that ongoing family process mattered a great deal in the lives of individuals and that individuals needed to be considered in the context of their lives. Integrative approaches to family therapy have moved into ascendance through gradual evolution rather than sudden change. The terms integration and eclecticism are sometimes used interchangeably, yet have come to have distinct meanings. Integration and eclecticism both involve the application of concepts and interventions that cross scholastic boundaries. The term eclectic has been used to describe pragmatic case-based approaches, in which the ingredients of different approaches are employed without trying to build a unifying conceptual theory. The term integration suggests a more extensive melding of approaches into a metalevel theory that struggles with and works through the juxtaposition of the meanings of different concepts or intervention strategies entailed.
