ABSTRACT

Family therapy is increasingly recognised as one of the evidence based psychotherapies. In contemporary therapeutic practice, family therapy is helpful across the age span and for distress caused by family conflict, trauma and mental health difficulties. Because of this, many psychotherapists integrate elements of family therapy within their approaches.

Family Therapy: 100 Key Points and Techniques provides a concise and jargon-free guide to 100 of the fundamental ideas and techniques of this approach.

Divided into helpful sections, it covers:

  • Family therapy theory
  • Essential family therapy practice
  • Using family therapy techniques
  • Common challenges in family therapy
  • Contemporary debates and issues
  • Self issues for family therapists.

Family Therapy: 100 Key Points and Techniques is an invaluable resource for psychotherapists and counsellors in training and in practice. As well as appealing to established family therapists, this latest addition to the 100 Key Points series will also find an audience with other mental health professionals working with families and interested in learning more about family therapy techniques.

part |2 pages

Part 1 SYSTEMS THEORY

chapter 1|4 pages

What is a system?

chapter 2|4 pages

The family as a system

chapter 3|2 pages

Individuals and systems

chapter 4|4 pages

Circularity and interconnection

chapter 5|4 pages

Structures and contexts

chapter 6|2 pages

Family rules, contexts and meanings

chapter 7|4 pages

History and development

chapter 8|4 pages

Meaning and time frames

chapter 9|2 pages

The life cycle and transitions

chapter 10|4 pages

Transitions and stress

part |2 pages

Part 2 COMPLEXITIES AND MISUNDERSTANDINGS

part |2 pages

Part 3 BEGINNING THERAPY

chapter 19|2 pages

Who is the customer?

chapter 20|4 pages

Contacting and convening

chapter 21|2 pages

Meeting the individuals

chapter 22|2 pages

Explaining the process

chapter 23|4 pages

Listening to the story

chapter 24|2 pages

Capturing everyone's perspective

chapter 25|2 pages

Asking and empathy

chapter 26|4 pages

The therapeutic alliance

chapter 27|2 pages

Neutrality and the curious position

chapter 28|2 pages

Re¯ection of feeling

chapter 29|2 pages

Re¯ection of interaction

chapter 30|4 pages

Tracking interactions

chapter 31|4 pages

Establishing the family ideology

chapter 32|2 pages

Children and play

chapter 33|2 pages

Observation of interaction in the room

chapter 35|2 pages

Feedback and providing summaries

chapter 36|2 pages

Considering external systemic pressures

chapter 37|2 pages

Family resilience

chapter 39|2 pages

Setting the therapy agenda

part |2 pages

Part 4 THE THERAPIST'S TECHNIQUES

chapter 40|4 pages

Hypothesising and formulating

chapter 41|2 pages

Expanding contexts

chapter 42|2 pages

Talking about dif®cult subjects

chapter 43|2 pages

Working with blaming interactions

chapter 45|4 pages

Reframing and positive connotation

chapter 46|2 pages

Assessment in family therapy

chapter 47|4 pages

Building motivation to change

chapter 48|2 pages

Encounter moments and process change

part |2 pages

Part 5 DEVELOPING INTERVENTIONS

chapter 49|4 pages

Circular questions

chapter 50|4 pages

Using questions to clarify and expand

chapter 51|2 pages

Using questions to open communication

chapter 56|2 pages

Investigating problem-solving solutions

chapter 57|2 pages

Making suggestions within questions

chapter 58|2 pages

Enactment

chapter 59|2 pages

Homework tasks

chapter 60|2 pages

Working with family scripts

chapter 61|4 pages

Letters to clients

part |2 pages

Part 6 TECHNIQUES FROM SCHOOLS OF FAMILY THERAPY

part |2 pages

Part 7 ENDING THERAPY

chapter 68|2 pages

Reviewing progress

chapter 69|2 pages

Termination

chapter 70|2 pages

Early termination

chapter 71|2 pages

Follow-up

chapter 72|2 pages

Assessment of outcome

part |2 pages

Part 8 THE SELF OF THE THERAPIST

chapter 73|2 pages

Congruence ± the use of self

chapter 74|4 pages

The therapist's own family scripts

chapter 75|4 pages

Developing a therapeutic presence

chapter 76|2 pages

Developing a therapeutic style

chapter 77|2 pages

The use of disclosure in therapy

chapter 78|2 pages

The wounded healer and human suffering

chapter 80|2 pages

Finding a place of `not knowing'

part |2 pages

Part 9 DEALING WITH COMMON CHALLENGES IN FAMILY THERAPY

chapter 82|2 pages

How to manage getting `stuck' in therapy

chapter 83|2 pages

How to manage con¯ict within a session

chapter 84|2 pages

How to manage strong emotions in a session

chapter 85|2 pages

How to manage secrets and half truths

chapter 86|2 pages

How to manage absence from sessions

chapter 88|4 pages

How to manage failure

part |2 pages

Part 10 FAMILY THERAPY IN CONTEXTS

chapter 89|2 pages

General contexts of practice

chapter 90|4 pages

Contexts where abuse has occurred

chapter 91|4 pages

Couples' and marital therapy

chapter 92|4 pages

Consultation and family therapy

chapter 93|2 pages

Private practice

chapter 94|4 pages

Diversity

part |2 pages

Part 11 DEBATES AND ISSUES