Family Therapy: An Overview (Psy 644 Family Therapy)

The Goldenbergs' text is the complete resource for assisting students in mastering the many facets of family therapy. In the eighth edition, the Goldenbergs examine the history, development, training, research, and interventions of the field of family therapy and include a basic introduction to family systems theory and the family life cycle framework.
The authors give attention to all theories, including therapies that have emerged from the current postmodern influence on family therapy and such evolving areas as psychoeducation and medical family therapy. In addition, the book's expanded descriptions of object relations family therapy, medical family therapy, and the social constructionist therapies bring students up to speed on these emerging types of treatment. The authors now include more detailed coverage of training and supervision issues, and they revisit the impact of managed care on the changing practice of family therapy.
The authors anticipate new directions in which the field is headed and discuss how the postmodern revolution in thinking--reflected in the arts and literature--as significantly influenced family therapy. Family strength and resiliency is greatly emphasized in this edition, in keeping with the trend in the field that families, with renewed courage, are supported by therapists in seeking successful but subjugated solutions from the past to apply to a current impasse.
The book presents both qualitative and quantitative approaches to family research, providing students with balanced coverage. The text's family life cycle outlook helps students tie family problems to life stages in intact and alternate family organizations. Numerous pedagogical features, such as case transcripts, multiple examples, tables, and charts, help students apply the concepts discussed in the text. Many of these features are highlighted or "set apart" from the main text, making it easier for students to review. Case studies with transcripts of actual therapy sessions demonstrate practical applications of specific theories.
In Chapter 3 and throughout the text, the authors present coverage of gender, culture, and ethnicity, in order to help students learn about the importance of being a culturally competent practitioner. Located in each chapter, the "Clinical Notes" features draw on the authors' wealth of clinical experience with couples and families to help students gain a better understanding of the link between theory and practice. The authors have spent considerable time, especially in the research chapter (Chapter 17), on evidence-based family therapy with examples of research-verified techniques. Suggested readings at the end of each chapter help students further explore the key concepts discussed within each chapter. FAMILY THERAPY provides a balanced presentation of the major theoretical underpinnings and clinical practices in the field. By presenting an overview of traditional and evolving viewpoints, perspectives, values, intervention techniques, and goals of family therapy, Herbert and Irene Goldenberg provide current, relevant, practice-oriented content laying the foundation for students to b More »