Synopsis
This comprehensive, yet user-friendly survey of the field of marriage and family therapy takes a holistic view and looks at people within the context of their environment.
The systemic-cybernetic framework helps readers understanding people and families in context. The text — divided into three sections including "The Systemic Framework," "The Practice of Family Therapy," and "The Systemic Practitioner" — includes historical information, current developments, and ongoing debates. Various family and developmental theories are integrated into a “dynamic process model” for viewing and understanding family interactions and relationships. The family therapy models considered include psychodynamic, natural systems, experiential, structural, communications, strategic, and behavioral/cognitive as well as several postmodern approaches. Within the context of practice, Assessment; Intervention; Training/Supervision; Research; and Epistemological Challenges are described and discussed
Booknews
Providing a survey of the field, this textbook emphasizes a systematic theoretical perspective on marriage and family therapy. It outlines a systematic-cybernetic framework which seeks to understand people in the context of their environment. Vignettes, examples, current research findings, and applications illustrate the theories described and their implications for therapeutic practice. The authors have doctoral degrees, but no other credentials are noted. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR