Many tens of thousands of students and beginning clinicians have relied on this engaging, authoritative text--now revised and expanded--to hit the ground running in real-world clinical practice. Focusing on what works, the authors show how to flexibly draw on multiple theories and techniques to conduct comprehensive assessments, develop collaborative treatment plans, and intervene effectively for frequently encountered clinical concerns. Mental health skills needed by all therapists are interwoven with state-of-the-art family therapy knowledge. Illustrated with instructive case examples and vignettes, the book helps the reader navigate typical dilemmas and troubleshoot when treatment gets “stuck.”
New to This Edition
*Discussions of addictive behaviors (pornography, gambling, video games, social media); children's brain development; premarital counseling; divorce therapy; preventing premature terminations; and uses of technology in clinical practice.
*Chapter on working with older adults and their caregivers.
*Revised throughout with current research and evidence-based practice recommendations.
*Extensively rewritten chapter on treatment planning.
*Chapter-opening vignettes, plus new and revised case examples throughout.
*New assessment resources, including an Appendix on screening instruments.
See also the authors' Essential Assessment Skills for Couple and Family Therapist
Chapter
1. The Beginning Family Therapist: Taking On the Challenge
Managing Anxiety and Issues of Confidence
Stages of Therapist Development
Obsessing about Clinical Work
2. Before the Initial Interview
Dealing with Families’ Expectations and Anxieties about Therapy
Suggestions for Initial Contact with the Client
What Information Should Be Obtained?
Who Should Come to Therapy?
Stages of the Initial Interview
Developing a Connection: How to Join with Clients
Handling Administrative Issues
Defining Client Expectations for Therapy
Assessing and Building Motivation
Conclusion: The First Session and Beyond
4. Guidelines for Conducting Assessment
Assessing for Substance Abuse
Assessing for Biological and Neurological Factors
Assessing Social Systems Outside the Family
Assessing Larger Systems: Context, Gender, and Culture
5. Developing a Treatment Focus and Treatment Plan
Four Obstacles to Developing a Treatment Focus
Building a Conceptual Map Using Theory and Research
Components of a Treatment Plan
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Treatment
6. Basic Treatment Skills and Interventions
The Rush to Intervention versus Developing a Relationship
Skills Unique to the Systemic/Relational Therapist
Becoming More Sophisticated in Using Interventions
7.
Working with Families and Children
Assessment of Children and Adolescents
Emerging Resources for Treating Children and Adolescents
The Family Life Cycle Revisited
Variations in Family Development
8. Working with Older Adults and Their Caregivers
Assessment and Treatment of Older Adults
Keys to Providing Solid Couple Therapy
When Couple Therapy Might Not Work
10. When a Family Member Has a Mental Illness
Individual and Family Concepts
Individual Diagnosis in a Family Context
Alcoholism and Drug Abuse
Impulse Disorders and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
11. Getting Unstuck in Therapy
Understanding Clients’ Ambivalence about Change
Therapist–Client Agenda and Timing Mismatch
Matching Level of Directness to the Client
The Therapist’s Reluctance to Intervene
Therapists’ Lack of Conceptual Clarity
Countertransference: How Therapist Issues Interfere
Dealing with Cancellations and No‑Shows
Difficulty Getting Other Family Members to Therapy
Dealing with Clients We Dislike
How Agencies Contribute to Being Stuck
Self‑Supervision Questions
Getting Unstuck Using Research and Literature
13. Family Therapy in the Future
Pertinent Issues for Beginning Clinicians
Healthcare Reform: Implications for You and Your Clients
Emerging Trends in Treatment
Benefits and Liabilities of Being a Therapist
The Personal and Professional Journey of Being a Therapist
Appendix. Screening Instruments
Impulse Control Disorders
Essential Skills in Family Therapy, Third Edition
：From the First Interview to Termination
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