Family therapy

Current Opinion in Psychiatry

Volumn 9, Issue 3, 1996, Pages 198-203

  Szmukler, George ^a   Dare, Christopher ^a  

^a SOUTH LONDON AND MAUDSLEY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

AFFECTIVE NEUROSIS; ALCOHOLISM; ANOREXIA NERVOSA; CAREGIVER; CHILD PSYCHIATRY; COST EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS; FAMILY THERAPY; HEALTH CARE SYSTEM; HUMAN; MARITAL THERAPY; MEASUREMENT; MENTAL DISEASE; SCHIZOPHRENIA; SHORT SURVEY; SUBSTANCE ABUSE;

EID: 0030014345     PISSN: 09517367     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1097/00001504-199605000-00006     Document Type: Short Survey

References (41)

1. Richter HE: The family as patient. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1974.
2. Hoffmann L: Constructing realities: an art of lenses. Family Process 1990, 29:1-12. A persuasive account of why family therapy is concerned with its own thinking and has moved into postmodernism.
3. Stagoll B: Aspects of family therapy. Curr Opin Psychiatry 1993, 6: 343-347
4. Hare-Mustin RT: Discourses in the mirrored room: a post-modern analysis of family therapy. Family Process 1994, 33:19-35.
5. Fish V: Poststructuralism in family therapy: interrogating the narrative/ conversational mode. J Marital Fam Ther 1993, 19:221-232.
6. Pocock D: Searching for a better story, harnessing modern and post-modern positions in family therapy. J Fam Ther 1995, 17:149-173. A helpful examination of 'postmodernism' and its relationship to 'modernist' approaches. The author argues that both should be harnessed together so that each may act as a restraint on the other. A useful examination of what constitutes a 'better story' in family therapy: more congruent, more encompassing, more holding, more shared, more emotional, more hopeful?
7. Frosh S: Postmodernism versus psychotherapy. J Fam Ther 1995, 17: 175-190. The author offers a sympathetic appreciation of the contemporary theoretical interests of family therapy, accepts the 'slippery' nature of truth, while rejecting the apparent finality of postmodernist propositions.
8. Paré DA: Of families and other cultures: the shifting paradigm of family therapy. Fam Process 1995, 34:1-9. The author discusses with unusual clarity the issues of intersubjectivity, narrative, cultural variation and the theory and practice of socially reconstructing, post-modern family therapy. A 'paradigm shift' is described in family therapy away from systems, expert interventions, fixing dysfunctions and therapy as a technology of change, to the family as a 'storying culture' and therapy as facilitating a creative 'reauthoring' of the family's life.
9. Redekop F: The 'problem' of Michael White and Michel Foucault. J Marital Fam Ther 1995, 21:309-318. The type of paper most likely to avert the gaze of the practical psychiatrist. Michael White is a brilliant and influential Australian practitioner and writer of the social constructionist but sensible school. The paper is persuasive in demonstrating the relevance of the philosophy of history.
10. Shields CG, Wynne LC, McDaniel SH, Gawinski BA: The marginalization of family therapy: a historical and continuing problem. J Marital Fam Ther 1994, 20:117-138. Is the best way forward for family therapists to work and adopt at least a degree of commonality of language with the larger field of mental health care, or should they focus primarily on establishing a differentiated profession? The authors argue for integration, collaboration and 'selective integration' with other professions.
11. Hardy KV: Marginalization or development?: a response to Shields, Wynne, McDaniel, and Gawinski. J Marital Fam Ther 1994, 20:139-143. The author argues that the field should move towards 'greater exclusivity and specialisation - not less' (p 141), thus asserting its undiluted authority over its natural jurisdiction.
12. Bloch S, Hafner J, Harari E, Szmukler GI: The family in clinical psychiatry. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 1994. Written for nonfamily therapist clinicians, showing how the family assessment and family thinking can be seen as an extension of the conventional psychiatric formulation. Most of the book deals with family factors in specific psychiatric disorders. Definitely not 'postmodernist'.
13. Gilgun JF, Daly K, Handel G: Qualitative methods in family therapy. London: Sage; 1992.
14. Smith TE, Sells SP, Clevenger T: Ethnographie content analysis of couple and therapist perceptions in a reflecting team setting. J Marital Fam Ther 1994, 20:267-286. The reflecting team is a therapy technique whereby a group of colleagues (three to four) observe the therapist with the family or couple and then have a discussion with the therapist in the presence of the family. The apparent openness and democratic quality of the method is thought to be more congruent with postmodern therapy. The study in the paper uses content analytical techniques to explore the beliefs and experiences of the participants and then subjects the analysis to customary statistical evaluation, making it a particularly interesting example of an attempt to integrate the theory of therapy and a research method.
15. Sells SP, Smith TE, Sprenkle DH: Integrating qualitative and quantitative research methods: a research model. Fam Process 1995, 34:199-218. A central paper in the use of complex qualitative research instruments.
16. Doane JA, Diamond D: Affect and attachment. New York: Basic Books; 1994. An admirable monograph bringing together robust research methods into family life and the psychological treatment of mental illness.
17. Dare C, Eisler I, Colahan M, Crowther C, Senior R, Asen E: The listening heart and the chi square: clinical and empirical perceptions of the family therapy of anorexia nervosa. J Fam Ther 1995, 17:13-30. A summary of a series of controlled trials of family therapy for anorexia nervosa, drawing together the use of the research for practice.
18. Dodge E, Hodes M, Eisler I, Dare C: Family therapy for bulimia nervosa in adolescents: an exploratory study. J Fam Ther 1995, 17:59-78. A pilot project worthy of mention because there is so little literature on the treatment of adolescent bulimia.
19. Lieberman S: Anorexia nervosa: the tyranny of appearances. J Fam Ther 1995, 17:133-138. A clinical account of the effect in families of patients with anorexia nervosa of cultural pressure on women to make themselves appear as they believe others require.
20. Evans C, Street E: Possible differences in family patterns in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. J Fam Ther 1995, 17:115-132. The sort of clinical account that may be a vital spur to empirical investigation or may lie unexplored.
21. Szapocznik J, Kurtines WM: Family psychology and cultural diversity: opportunities for theory, research, and application. Am Psychol 1993, 48:400-407.
22. Pinsof WM, Wynne LC: The efficacy of marital and family therapy: an empirical overview, conclusions, and recommendations. J Marital Fam Ther 1995, 21:585-613. A review of the reviews in the special issue of the journal and adds to them by placing them in an overall context. Since the meta-analysis of Shadish et al. [23••], there is better evidence that marital and family therapy (albeit sometimes in a multicomponent package) is better than individual or standard treatments for a number of problems, including schizophrenia, depression in distressed marriages, alcoholism, drug abuse (particularly in adolescents), anorexia nervosa, conduct disorders, autism and attention deficit hyperactivity.
23. Shadish WR, Ragsdale K, Glaser RR: The efficacy and effectiveness of marital and family therapy: a perspective from meta-analysis. J Marital Fam Ther 1995, 21:345-360. The authors show by meta-analysis of 163 randomized controlled trials up until 1992 that marital family therapy unequivocally works across a range of conditions. The odds of doing better in marital and family therapy than in no treatment were two out of three.
24. Shadish WR, Montgomery LM, Wilson P, Wilson MR, Bright, L, Okwumabua T: The effects of family and marital psychotherapies: a meta-analysis. J Consult Clin Psychol 1993, 61:992-1 002.
25. Goldstein MJ, Miklowitz DJ: The effectiveness of psychoeducational family therapy in the treatment of schizophrenic disorders. J Marital Fam Ther 1995, 21:361-376. The authors review an impressive body of work defining what types of family therapy are effective in schizophrenia and showing how studies in this field continue to evolve in an informative manner.
26. Randolph ET, Eth S, Glynn SM, Paz GC, Leong GB, Shaner AL, Strachan A, van Vort W, Escobar JI, Liberman RP: Behavioural family management in schizophrenia. Outcome of a clinic-based intervention. Br J Psychiatry 1994, 164:501-506. This group showed in a study of 41 patients with schizophrenia that behavioural family management, previously found effective when home based, also works in a Veteran's Administration mental health clinic.
27. Tarrier N, Barrowclough C, Porceddu K, Fitzpatrick E: The Salford Family Intervention Project: relapse rates of schizophrenia at five and eight years. Br J Psychiatry 1994, 165:829-832. Follow-up results in one of the major family treatment studies of high expressed emotion families. Significantly fewer relapses were seen at 5 and 8-year follow-up in the intervention group compared with control individuals; they exhibited a similar rate to low expressed emotion control group.
28. Mari JJ, Streiner DL: An overview of family interventions and relapse on schizophrenia: meta-analysis of research findings. Psychol Med 1994, 24:565-578. A meta-analysis of six trials, 350 patients in all. Good evidence is reported for a decrease in relapse at 6, 9 and 24 months.
29. McFarlane WR, Lukens E, Link B, Dushay R, Deakins S, Newmark M, Dunne E, Horen B, Toran: Multiple-family groups and psychoeducation in the treatment of schizophrenia. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1995, 52:679-687. One hundred and seventy-two acutely psychotic patients were randomly assigned to single or multiple family psychoeducational treatment at six public hospitals in New York State, USA. Relapse rate at 2 years was 27% in the single family group and 16% in the multiple family group. The multiple group seemed particularly good for patients who were still symptomatic at discharge from hospital on the index admission.
30. McFarlane WR, Link B, Dushay R, Marchai J, Crilly J: The multiple family group and psychoeducation in the treatment of schizophrenia: four year outcome in a small sample. Fam Process 1995, 34:127-144. A smaller pilot study that showed at least equivalent outcomes for multiple family group psychoeducation compared with an established individual family form; gains were sustained at 4-year follow up.
31. Prince SE, Jacobson NS: A review and evaluation of marital and family therapies for affective disorders. J Marital Fam Ther 1995, 21:377-401. Given the influence of family factors on the course of affective disorders, it is surprising how few studies of marital and family therapy exist. The four major ones are well reviewed.
32. Beach SRH, Whisman MA, O'Leary: Marital therapy for depression: theoretical foundation, current status, and future directions. Behav Ther 1994, 25:345-371. A good review of marital therapy for depression. Conclusions are similar to those of Prince and Jacobson [31••]. A good discussion of mechanisms and mediators is given.
33. Bray JH, Jouriles EN: Treatment of marital conflict and prevention of divorce. J Marital Fam Ther 1995, 21:461-473. Marital and family therapy in various forms is clearly shown to be effective on a range of outcome measures in the short term; less evidence is given concerning the long term.
34. Edwards ME, Steinglass P: Family treatment outcomes for alcoholism. J Marital Fam Ther 1995, 21:475-509. The authors divide interventions according to phase of treatment: initiation of treatment, primary treatment and rehabilitation and aftercare. The results of marital and family therapy in motivating alcoholic patients to enter treatment are particularly promising. Positive results are also reported for the other two phases.
35. Barber JG, Crisp BR The 'pressures to change' approach to working with the partners of heavy drinkers. Addictions 1995, 90:269-276. Working with partners of drinkers may be effective in promoting change in the drinkers. Two-thirds of the partners in the intervention group showed moves towards change, none in the control individuals.
36. Liddle HA, Dakof GA: Efficacy of family therapy for drug abuse: promising but not definitive. J Marital Fam Ther 1995, 21:511-543. Conclusions are difficult to draw because of many methodological problems. Family-based interventions in a multicomponent treatment programme seem promising.
37. Estrada AU, Pinsof WM: The effectiveness of family therapies for selected behavioral disorders of childhood. J Marital Fam Ther 1995, 21:403-440. The authors review studies in conduct disorders, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and anxiety disorders.
38. Chamberlain P, Rosicky JG: The effectiveness of family therapy in the treatment of adolescents with conduct disorders and delinquency. J Marital Fam Ther 1995, 21:441-459. The paper is generally positive but there are negative findings.
39. Campbell TL, Patterson JM: The effectiveness of family interventions in the treatment of physical illness. J Marital Fam Ther 1995, 21:545-583. The authors review the effectiveness of marital and family therapy in physical disorders ranging from caregivers of patients with dementia to risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
40. Telles C, Karno M, Mintz J, Paz G, Arias M, Tucker D, Lopez S: Immigrant families coping with schizophrenia. Behavioural family intervention v. Case management with a low-income Spanish-speaking population. Br J Psychiatry 1995, 167:473-479. This group show that care needs to be taken in applying models of family treatment, inevitably ethnocentric, in other cultural settings. Outcomes may be worse than with standard care. Interesting to read this and compare with Pare [8••].
41. Crane DR: Health care reform in the United States: implications for training and practice in marriage and family therapy. J Marital Fam Ther 1995, 21:115-125. An optimistic, detailed appraisal of the likely effects of changes in health care management in the USA, suggesting that provided practitioners realize the increased competition and demand for cost-effectiveness, then the brevity of systems therapies will be attractive to managers and patients.