ABSTRACT
Family systems medicine is a relatively new and exciting field of health care that developed from the integration of "family therapy, systems theory and modern medicine" (Bloch, 1983). An essential component of family systems medicine is a collaborative health care team consisting of medical providers and mental health professionals, including psychologists. This chapter briefly reviews the field of family systems medicine, including its basic premises and the research that supports this approach. Some of the opportunities for psychologists and other mental health professionals to work within a family systems medicine model are described and illustrated with a clinical case example. Although this chapter is written primarily for clinical psychologists, the ideas and suggestions apply equally well to other health professionals and therapists who work in medical settings.
