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Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy

Impact factor: 0.604 Print ISSN: 0814-723X Online ISSN: 1467-8438 Publisher: Wiley Blackwell (Blackwell Publishing)

Subject: Family Studies

Most recent papers:

  • ‘Others Just Don't Understand’: A Qualitative Exploration of the Impacts of Hoarding Disorder on Family Members.
    Zoe Butt, Denise Milicevic, Alana Fisher, Laura Kirsten, Josephine Atwell, Ilona Juraskova.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 12, 2026
    ["Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, Volume 47, Issue 2, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nHoarding disorder is a chronic and disabling disorder that impacts not only the person experiencing the disorder but also their family members. This qualitative study explored the impacts of clinical levels of hoarding on adult children and partners of individuals with hoarding disorder. Of the 34 participating family members, 20 completed semi‐structured telephone interviews and 14 participated in two focus groups. Participants completed questionnaires assessing sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and hoarding severity. Transcribed interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Three overarching themes were identified: (1) ‘Self‐Concept and Meaning Making’, capturing how participants' internal experience had been negatively affected by the person with hoarding disorder; (2) ‘The Relational Experience’, reflecting the negative ways in which participants' interpersonal relationship with the person with hoarding disorder and others had been impacted; and (3) ‘Unmet Needs’, depicting the information and support needs of family members, and recommendations for future family‐centred interventions for hoarding disorder. The majority of participants appeared to draw on unhelpful coping strategies and reported unmet information and support needs. The findings elucidate substantial, wide‐reaching and enduring impacts of hoarding on family members, including disruptions to daily functioning, mental health, self‐esteem, relationships and overall quality of life. Family members often represent the forgotten client within healthcare settings, pointing to a pressing need to recognise and support them throughout the recovery process.\n"]
    April 12, 2026   doi: 10.1002/anzf.70076   open full text
  • The Strange One I See Coming: Hospitality Toward the Difference in Oneself ‘Doesn't It Bother You?’El extraño que veo venir: hospitalidad con la diferencia en sí mismo ‘¿no te molesta?’.
    José Carreón, Isidora Ibañez, Mariela Lobos.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 12, 2026
    ["Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, Volume 47, Issue 2, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nWhen difference in oneself is rejected by oneself and others, malaise appears as a sign of openness to new possibilities. This article presents a clinical reflection on the concept of difference, but with special attention to difference in the relationship of the self with oneself. It describes the therapeutic work carried out by a clinical team from the University of Chile, using the one‐way mirror as a space for hospitality toward the difference in an adolescent migrant patient, making visible the tension between the mandate of sameness and the need to recognise otherness in himself. Closely following the work of Michel Foucault, therapy becomes an ethical and aesthetic path to concern others in pursuit of new relationships with themselves.\n\nRESUMEN\nCuando la diferencia en sí mismo es rechazada por uno y por los demás, el malestar aparece como signo de apertura a nuevas posibilidades. Este artículo presenta una reflexión clínica en torno al concepto de diferencia, pero colocando una especial atención a la diferencia en la relación consigo mismo. Se describe el trabajo terapéutico realizado por un equipo clínico de la Universidad de Chile, utilizando el espejo unidireccional como espacio para la hospitalidad con la diferencia de un paciente adolescente migrante, visibilizando la tensión entre el mandato de igualdad y la necesidad de reconocer la alteridad en uno mismo. Siguiendo de cerca la obra de Michel Foucault, la terapia se convierte en una vía ética y estética para inquietar a otros en pos de nuevas relaciones consigo mismo.\n"]
    April 12, 2026   doi: 10.1002/anzf.70075   open full text
  • Journeying Through the ‘Mirrors of Possibilities’: Towards Systemic Psychotherapy Decolonisation.
    Tracey Jane Johnston, Peter Robinson.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 10, 2026
    ["Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, Volume 47, Issue 2, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis paper is in two parts. The first part describes the ‘Mirrors of Possibilities’ approach, a novel decolonised systemic psychotherapy ceremony‐like method containing our Indigenous Celtic perspective and consideration of our collective ancient indigenous neurobiological roots. This therapeutic model uses metaphorical mirrors to help clients reflect on their strengths, struggles, emotions, identities and interconnections with the aim of fostering healing, belonging and relational growth. The ‘Mirrors of Possibilities’ process is structured into six distinct phases, and its adaptability is demonstrated with client examples. The paper's second part outlines how, using the ‘Mirrors of Possibilities’, therapists can decolonise themselves and systemic psychotherapy by integrating aspects of systemic family therapy and narrative therapy, compassion‐focused therapy, the symbolism of Jungian psychology, the Kinship Indigenous Worldview, the Evolved Nest and feminist decolonial intersectionality. This approach aligns with the Indigenous Celtic concept of ‘Duthchas’—a deep sense of belonging and responsibility that reconnects us to our shared humanity and to our Sacred reciprocal relationship with Nature.\n"]
    April 10, 2026   doi: 10.1002/anzf.70074   open full text
  • La Espiritualidad: Transmitting Peruvian Culturo‐Spiritual Elements into Occidental Systemic Spaces.
    Deisy Amorin Woods.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 02, 2026
    ["Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, Volume 47, Issue 2, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis paper is a decolonising, Indigenous qualitative inquiry that integrates elements of critical autoethnography, narrative methods and conceptual analysis to explore how Peruvian Andean cosmology can inform contemporary systems thinking and family therapy practice. Writing as a mestiza, a Peruvian migrant in Australia, the author traces the lived experience of cultural erosion within Western, individualistic contexts and her reconnection with ancestral Andean teachings. These teachings—rooted in reciprocity, ecological attachment, collective responsibility and relational balance—are presented as living epistemologies that offer timely contributions to working therapeutically. The author examines core Andean concepts including ayll (kinship‐based community), ayni (sacred reciprocity), Yachay (aprenderes Spanish) (embodied ancestral knowledge, through experiential learning), the Chakana (Andean cross) and the cosmological trilogy of Hanan Pacha, Kay Pacha and Ukhu Pacha. These relational ontologies predate and enrich systems thinking and practice, challenging anthropocentric assumptions embedded in Western perspectives and offering timeless frameworks for understanding identity, belonging, ecological distress and intergenerational trauma. Ecological attachment—connection to land, place and the more‐than‐human world—is proposed as foundational to wellbeing and particularly relevant for Indigenous and migrant families. Applications for systemic practice include recentring relational ontology; integrating ecological and ancestral systems into assessment and formulation; adopting ayni as a relational ethic of humility and accountability; applying yanantin (complementary dualism) to reframe conflict and difference; and incorporating ritual, symbol and embodied practice to support healing. The paper concludes by advocating for a decolonising therapeutic stance that honours Indigenous therapeutic sovereignty, resists cultural imperialism and positions systemic thinkers and practitioners as agents of relational, ecological and cultural reconnection.\n"]
    April 02, 2026   doi: 10.1002/anzf.70073   open full text
  • Narrative Therapy with Pre‐schoolers – Unfolding the Story.
    Ingeborg Stiefel, Jenny Anson, Davida Hinchcliffe.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. June 18, 2017
    This paper describes an application of Narrative Therapy to working with pre‐school aged children in the family setting. Techniques have been specifically tailored and adapted to meet the developmental needs of this age group and assist with therapeutic engagement through all phases of therapy. We focus on three components: theme‐development, externalising the problem or helper, and multi‐sensory communication. Two cases are presented, which illustrate the therapeutic work with 4 year old children.
    June 18, 2017   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1211   open full text
  • Commentary: Seeking Manoeuvrability and Therapeutic Options in Domestic Violence Practice.
    Michael Locke.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. June 18, 2017
    There is no abstract available for this paper.
    June 18, 2017   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1225   open full text
  • Commentary: Systemic Pathways for Intervening with Family Violence.
    Ken McMaster.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. June 18, 2017
    There is no abstract available for this paper.
    June 18, 2017   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1226   open full text
  • Intervening with Couples Experiencing Domestic Violence: Development of a Systemic Framework.
    Angela G. Krieg Mayer.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. June 18, 2017
    Current gendered interventions for couples experiencing intimate partner violence often do not address the complex systemic issues, nor allow for couple therapy. Experience of working in men's behaviour change group programs (or batterer programs) and with heterosexual couples, indicates this is not enough. Change options for men perpetrating domestic violence and support for partners are generally provided by individual services or gendered groups, located in separate agencies. This article initially poses some of the inadequacies of this gendered, ‘one size fits all’ ideology, which may compromise safety when couples stay together or there is shared parenting. It then explores further questions and possibilities raised by utilising a systemic lens in working with partners and families. It is possible to work systemically with a couple without compromising safety and accountability, where there is flexibility at intake, a both/and approach, ongoing assessment of risk, collaboration between professionals, and good transitions between individual and conjoint work. This article describes a systemic practice framework for working with partners, utilising individual, group, and conjoint sessions in a recursive four phase approach.
    June 18, 2017   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1217   open full text
  • Commentary: Reflection on ‘And I still love them: On touching loss’.
    Elmarie Kotzé.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. June 18, 2017
    There is no abstract available for this paper.
    June 18, 2017   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1213   open full text
  • And I Still Love Them: On Touching Loss.
    Jenny Snowdon.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. June 18, 2017
    In this article, the author performs a re‐membering practice that incorporates a relational materialist theory. It traces the disturbances that follow in the wake of three deaths in her family. Written in an autoethnographic voice, the article is a polyphonic composition of the narrative therapy approach of re‐membering entangled with the spacetimematter of silence, speaking, sitting, staying, presence, absence, loss of momentum, dreams, trees, books, cardiac pace‐makers, writing, breath, ashes, murmuring, suffering. Thus, the dispersed agencies of bodies, human and non‐human, reinvigorate a linguistic practice and the author's personal and professional life.
    June 18, 2017   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1212   open full text
  • Commentary: The Conversational Model and Child and Family Counselling: Treating Chronic Complex Trauma in a Systemic Framework.
    Joan Haliburn.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. June 18, 2017
    There is no abstract available for this paper.
    June 18, 2017   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1215   open full text
  • The Conversational Model and Child and Family Counselling: Treating Chronic Complex Trauma in a Systemic Framework.
    Lynda Skinner, Loyola McLean.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. June 18, 2017
    Child and Family Counselling Teams in NSW Community Health Services are expected to provide therapeutic services to children who have experienced complex trauma. However, parental trauma is often overlooked or referred elsewhere. A systemic perspective informed by attachment theory and trauma theory provides the basis for addressing parental trauma in Child and Family Counselling Teams, thereby improving parenting. The Conversational Model is an evidence‐based intervention for chronic complex trauma. The foundations of the Conversational Model and its brief component, Short Term Intensive Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, are outlined and a case study is given to illustrate the usefulness of the intervention in Child and Family Counselling. Highlighted is the importance of addressing systemic trauma through parenting to improve attachment quality, family relationships, and children's function.
    June 18, 2017   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1214   open full text
  • Holding and Containing a Couple Through Periods of High Intensity: What Holds the Therapist?
    Rachel Glasgow.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. June 18, 2017
    Sessions with couples are often peppered with periods of high intensity as they bring conflicts and distress out in the open. These times are emotionally and psychologically challenging for the couple and the therapist potentially triggering defensiveness for all three in the room. The therapist's level of maturity plays a key role, along with clinical knowledge and technique in being able to manage these periods effectively in service of the couple. This paper explores what is required of the therapist in terms of reliability and attunement at times of intensity, and suggests that systemic practitioners have much to gain by leaning more in to the analytic skills of holding and containment to balance the cognitive strengths of systemic practice.
    June 18, 2017   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1210   open full text
  • Te Waka Kuaka and Te Waka Oranga. Working with Whānau to Improve Outcomes.
    Hinemoa Elder.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. March 22, 2017
    The role of whānau (extended families) is recognised as an essential aspect of hauora (wellbeing) for Māori, who are over represented in populations where there is injury or insult to the brain. Whānau mātauranga (knowledge systems) are a potent resource for enhancing recovery outcomes. This approach, based on Rangahau Kaupapa Māori (research by Māori for Māori) takes the view that by locating the whānau within their own culturally determined knowledge systems and optimising their intergral role in the delivery of culturally required interventions, the recovery experience will be enhanced, and they will feel a greater sense of ease and self‐determination in the process of their own healing. Te Waka Oranga describes a process of bringing together whānau knowledge, skills, and feelings, with health workers' knowledge, skills, and feelings in the context of identifying recovery destinations they collectively want to bring forward in order to improve the experience of recovery and to improve outcomes for whānau using the metaphor of a waka. It is also hypothesised that this approach will improve the experience of the health workers. Te Waka Kuaka is a Māori cultural needs assessment tool that has been developed to further guide this work, which uses the metaphor of a flock of godwits. This paper describes the development of a combined approach, using these two tools, with whānau at the centre. This illustrates in both theory and praxis a culturally defined way of bringing whānau resources to the fore to promote whānau healing. While originally designed to address issues in the area of traumatic brain injury, it is likely that this way of working may also have wider application in the areas of insult to the brain such as mental health, addictions, and neurodegenerative disorders.
    March 22, 2017   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1206   open full text
  • To Make Room or Not to Make Room: Clients’ Narratives About Exclusion and Inclusion of Spirituality in Family Therapy Practice.
    Åse Holmberg, Per Jensen, Dagfinn Ulland.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. March 22, 2017
    This empirical article presents four narratives from an ongoing qualitative PhD project about spirituality and family therapeutic practice. Using case studies and narrative vignettes, the article presents client perspectives on being able to discuss their spirituality in therapy, and the repercussions when therapists exclude it. The article refers to current research and provides some reflections on how we can understand spirituality in the context of family therapeutic practice; therapists for holistic, cultural, and ethical reasons should acknowledge the client's spirituality. Therapists need to reflect on their own spirituality and how it may influence their relationships with clients.
    March 22, 2017   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1198   open full text
  • Intimate Strangers? Working with Interfaith Couples and Families.
    Reenee Singh.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. March 22, 2017
    Although intercultural couples are increasingly the norm there is a paucity of systemic literature on working with interfaith couples and families. This paper, based on composite case examples, attempts to address this gap. I use two examples of couples where one partner is South Asian Muslim, to illustrate four inter‐related themes that emerged in the process of the work. The themes were: therapists’ positioning, the importance of the wider socio‐political context, honour, shame and gendered beliefs, and the family life cycle. I also highlight how embodied and non‐verbal representational systemic techniques can be used when working with interfaith couples to access domains of relationality, which may be inaccessible to exclusively verbal strategies.
    March 22, 2017   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1197   open full text
  • Working with Religious and Spiritual Experience in Family Therapy: Manna for the Journey.
    Alastair Pearson.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. March 22, 2017
    For many family therapists, exploring religion and spirituality with clients can be challenging. Despite notable contributions to the systemic literature over the last 30 years, family therapy continues to tell the story that this is risky territory. In this article I share the personal and professional stories of a number of family therapists brought together in focus groups to discuss personal and professional beliefs and practices in relation to religion and spirituality. The range of perspectives and issues explored renders these encounters a rich resource for family therapists wishing to develop their practice. Connections are made between themes from the discussions and the literature, and ideas proposed to support the development of positive dialogue between family therapists across the faith/secular spectrum.
    March 22, 2017   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1202   open full text
  • The Light within the Light: An Exploration of the Role of Anam Ċara in Irish Celtic Spiritualty and its Application to 21st‐century Therapy.
    Mary Jo McVeigh.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. March 22, 2017
    There is an increasing interest in a holistic approach to therapy with families that includes integrating spirituality into theoretical and practice approaches. However, many practitioners feel ill‐equipped to narrow the gap between the clinical and the spiritual. This article explores an ancient Celtic Irish spiritual framework and its applicability to 21st‐century therapists. It focuses on the role of the Anam Ċara from the Celtic world. The Anam Ċara was a person of wisdom to whom people turned to for guidance, advice, and healing. This paper contends that the Anam Ċara of the ancient Celtic world is akin to the therapists of today. The Celtic Irish saw the spiritual context in all occasions and regarded all forms of work as sacred. This paper examines this sacred work. It looks at the language, rituals, and imagination of the Anam Ċara, translating these ancient practices for therapists to utilise to enhance their holistic approach to treatment.
    March 22, 2017   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1204   open full text
  • Restoring Mana and Taking Care of Wairua: A Story of Māori Whānau Healing.
    Wiremu NiaNia, Mana, Rangi, Allister Bush, David Epston.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. March 22, 2017
    Wairua (spirituality) is a central focus in indigenous Māori healing. This article describes Māori healing with a Māori and Samoan family told from the viewpoints of the teenager presenting with depression and suicidal thoughts; her mother; the Māori healer; and the Pākehā (New Zealand European) child and adolescent psychiatrist involved. While elements of the treatment intervention may resemble Western family therapy approaches, the essence of the Māori healer's approach is all about wairua. During the session he explains concepts of mana (spiritual authority), mauri (life force), and tapu (something sacred or forbidden) and the importance of taking particular care of these aspects when a young person may have finely tuned spiritual awareness. In his discussion he outlines how aroha (love) strengthens the mana of the whānau (family), contributing to the healing this young person experiences. These concepts are common to many Pacific cultures and are widely recognised as important components for family healing. With indigenous families for whom spirituality is of paramount importance, successful resolution of family problems may require indigenous spiritual healing approaches. Partnerships between indigenous healers and family therapists or other mental health workers provide an opportunity for indigenous families to benefit from the healing expertise of both indigenous and Western traditions.
    March 22, 2017   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1205   open full text
  • Mindfulness and Spirituality in Couple Therapy: The Use of Meditative Dialogue to Help Couples Develop Compassion and Empathy for Themselves and Each Other.
    Susan A. Lord.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. March 22, 2017
    This article offers an overview of selected literature on spirituality and mindfulness in couple therapy. It describes a simple and innovative Meditative Dialogue practice that is used in session to help couples develop compassion and empathy for themselves and each other as they work to strengthen and heal their relationships from the inside out. An illustration is offered to demonstrate the use of Meditative Dialogue in therapy with a gay male couple. The practice of engaging in Meditative Dialogue together has helped them move to a place of deep and connected healing, developing an increased flexibility and resilience in their marriage.
    March 22, 2017   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1201   open full text
  • ‘Somewhere Between God and Medicine There is a Place for Me’: The Ethical Stance of ‘Radical Presence’ with ‘Spiritual Relational Reflexivity’ as Ways of Enhancing Therapeutic Possibilities.
    Tracey Jane Johnston.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. March 22, 2017
    If we pause to recognise that as professionals we share the same sky and the same earth as those who seek our help, then we would come to understand that our experiences of spirituality are also intrinsically interlinked. Using case examples, this paper explores my experience of adopting combinations of systemic and narrative therapy interventions within a stance of ‘radical presence’ (McNamee, ) with ‘spiritual relational reflexivity.’ In this process, the mutual influence between professional, personal, and therapeutic contexts is viewed as a helpful resource for ‘being with’ clients spiritually. Reflexive ‘ways of engaging spirituality’ (being ‘spiritually relationally reflexive’) and opening up therapeutic and spiritual possibilities with clients, in the context of grief, are also explored. Essential to the process is viewing systemic therapy as an ongoing reflexive learning context.
    March 22, 2017   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1200   open full text
  • Spiritual Dialogues in Family Therapy.
    Glenn Larner.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. March 22, 2017
    A spiritual dialogue or reflection can be defined rather broadly as what transcends or takes us beyond our everyday experience of self and world. In these terms being systemic naturally encompasses a spiritual perspective because it invites us to be curious, ask questions, and look beyond the bounded individual or self to contemplate the ‘pattern that connects’ us to the world and all of life. Nonetheless a spiritual stance in systemic family therapy can encompass a diversity of beliefs about the universe, ecology, or God. Every systemic conversation can evoke the spiritual: the question is whether as therapists we are open to and listen for it? Spirituality in family therapy is informed by a sense of curiosity, imagination, humility, and wonder when change occurs. How therapists and clients imagine change may be just as powerful as techniques or models of therapy. The paper presents several practice vignettes illustrating the relevance of spiritual dialogue in family therapy.
    March 22, 2017   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1207   open full text
  • Integrating Spirituality in Marriage and Family Therapy Training.
    Suzanne M. Coyle.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. March 22, 2017
    Interest is growing in how to integrate spirituality into family therapy. Closely related to this development are efforts to include spirituality in marriage and family therapy training. Students in various fields are expressing interest in spirituality and the desire to have it integrated into their training programs. However, not all family therapy training incorporates spirituality as part of rigorous academic inquiry while considering the personal and cultural components of spirituality in the curriculum. This article examines approaches to integrating spirituality in a Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) accredited program at Christian Theological Seminary (CTS). A review of research on spirituality in training programs is offered as well as current approaches that address spirituality. The pedagogical approach at CTS is then explicated. The curriculum includes courses in religion and others that integrate spirituality/theological reflection with family therapy. ‘Integration of Self, Systems, and Spirit’ and a Capstone Presentation that showcases an integrative method are described. Finally, implications for training in secular universities and agencies are articulated, with suggestions for future exploration.
    March 22, 2017   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1195   open full text
  • Becoming through Belonging: The Spiritual Dimension in Psychotherapy.
    Umberta Telfener.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. March 22, 2017
    In this article, I reflect on what spirituality can mean and I propose to add a spiritual stance as a dimension to the psychotherapy domain. It is the professional's choice to address this dimension or not, but more and more clients at the encounter are asking if the clinician is walking a spiritual path. I then suggest some processes that might enhance this dimension and that may introduce a respectful stance. We have been taught that systemic psychotherapy should be process‐focused, evolving, and ethical. I assume the ethical proposal of my mentor Heinz von Foerster: ‘Act always in order to enhance the number of your and other people's choices.’
    March 22, 2017   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1199   open full text
  • The Uncomfortably Important Place of Spirituality in Systemic Therapy.
    Lauren Errington.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. March 22, 2017
    This article presents some of the author's reflections and observations of the challenges and opportunities that arise when including matters of spirituality in the therapeutic process. Research indicates that many individuals want to incorporate their spiritual or religious ideas with therapy (Hull, Suarez, & Hartman, ), yet doing so can often raise discomfort in the client, therapist and the therapeutic process, and so frequently the topic is avoided. This article considers the presence and importance of spirituality for many clients in understanding the dilemmas they bring to the therapy room, and reflects on some of the personal and institutional challenges of integrating spirituality into the therapeutic process. It concludes with some thoughts about the modest contribution systemic therapy might make in this regard, including the usefulness of opening dialogue about a client's spiritual history with early enquiry (Payman, ) and considering the relational context of a person's spirituality using Bowen Family Systems Theory (Kerr & Bowen, ).
    March 22, 2017   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1196   open full text
  • ‘Seeing Through a Glass, Darkly’: Taking a Family on the Journey of a Story.
    Mark Rivett.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. March 22, 2017
    The following is an account of how a story was used in the therapy of a young woman who was struggling with an eating disorder. It is structured around mirrors, different worlds and the use of words to reach beyond words. In the interests of literary innovation, the beginning and middles are interwoven. But the end is the end.
    March 22, 2017   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1203   open full text
  • Adolescent Violence Towards Parents – The Known and Unknowns.
    Lauren Moulds, Andrew Day, Helen Mildred, Peter Miller, Sharon Casey.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. December 20, 2016
    Adolescent violence towards parents is one of the most poorly understood forms of family violence despite it being relatively common. This paper presents an overview of current knowledge about adolescent violence towards parents for practitioners who work with families, considering issues around definition, prevalence, impacts, and the key characteristics of perpetrators. It is concluded that both clinical and justice responses are, at present, not well informed by basic knowledge of the circumstances in which adolescent violence towards parents occurs, and there is a need to work systematically with families to balance safety and welfare needs.
    December 20, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1189   open full text
  • Group Processes in the Circle of Security Program: A Preliminary Study.
    Annika Jonsdottir, Joe Coyne.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. December 20, 2016
    This paper describes an exploratory study of one aspect of the Circle of Security (COS) attachment‐based parenting program: the group process used in its tape review sessions. During the tape review, a reviewing parent (RP) watches videos of interactions between themselves and their child, who is aged between one and six years. The RP watches these videos in the presence of facilitators and other parents (termed ‘the observing parents (OP)’) who are encouraged to comment on the videotaped behaviour of the RP and on the COS concepts captured on video. The comments of the OPs were assessed qualitatively by looking for themes and specific comments that gave insight into the experience of COS for the parents involved. The analysis indicates that the comments of the OPs are important to the change process of the COS program.
    December 20, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1192   open full text
  • Circle of Security Intervention for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
    Claire Fardoulys, Joe Coyne.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. December 20, 2016
    Circle of Security is an attachment‐based parenting intervention that aims to promote secure parent–child attachment relationships. The current study explored whether the Circle of Security intensive intervention resulted in increased attachment security (assessed before and after completing the intervention) for caregiver–child dyads with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The current study also explored caregivers’ acceptance of the intervention by seeking client feedback and measured each caregiver's perceived sense of parenting competence. Two mothers each with a child under the age of 5 years diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder participated in the intervention. Results found one dyad shifted from avoidant to secure whilst the other dyad remained secure across time with some changes in behavioural dimensions. Each mother endorsed the intervention as highly valuable to her needs. Perceived parenting competence also increased post‐intervention for both mothers. Replication is recommended in order to generalise the results.
    December 20, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1193   open full text
  • Working with Siblings of Children with Autism: A Solution‐focused Approach.
    Brie Turns, Brandon Paul Eddy, Sara Smock Jordan.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. December 20, 2016
    The literature on how autism spectrum disorders (ASD) impact the family unit primarily focuses on the negative experiences of parents and neurotypical (NT) siblings. This unintentional focus may impact the therapist's ability to identify strengths within the family unit and further perpetuate the misconception that ASD is only a ‘problem.’ This paper reviews NT siblings’ experiences of living with an ASD sibling. A solution‐focused brief therapy framework is used in order to alter the covert message that an ASD diagnosis is a ‘problem’ for the families. Recommendations are provided to assist family therapists in focusing on the positive experiences reported by the NT sibling in ASD families, especially the relationship with his or her diagnosed sibling and primary caregivers.
    December 20, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1183   open full text
  • Family Therapy for Child and Adolescent School Refusal.
    Katrina Richardson.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. December 20, 2016
    Child and adolescent school refusal is a complex problem that can paralyse parents and professionals alike. Families often present in desperation, often after the problem has become well established. The literature concerning ‘what works’ is clear: addressing the problem early relates to better prognosis, and supporting the child to return to school is the primary priority. In practice, however, the ‘how to’ is often complicated by parental anxiety or complacency, complex family dynamics, therapist uncertainty about how to help, and poor partnerships between family and school. In this paper, I will present a framework for intervention informed by Structural and post‐Milan ideas, developed from practice‐based evidence – witnessing what works for families in everyday practice. A model for family therapy intervention is presented and discussed, illustrated with a case vignette.
    December 20, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1188   open full text
  • Harnessing the Power of Family Dinners to Create Change in Family Therapy.
    Anne K. Fishel.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. December 20, 2016
    Family dinner and family therapy confer many similar benefits to family members and they are both settings in which families can connect and interact as a group, in a designated space and time. Over the last 20 years, a large body of research documents the physical, academic, and mental health benefits of family dinners. Research links regular family meals with healthier eating habits and lower obesity rates, lower rates of substance abuse, teen pregnancy, depression, stress, and anxiety, as well as stronger self‐esteem, parent‐child connectedness, resilience, and even better vocabularies. Family therapists can harness these benefits in four ways. First, by asking screening questions of families to determine whether and how often they are sharing meals and then discussing solutions to overcoming common obstacles. Second, by asking about or enacting a family dinner to obtain a snapshot of a family's organisation and functioning, in terms of their gender roles, division of labour, expression of affect and conflict, capacity to have fun, and tolerance of difference. Third, by playing non‐competitive games in therapy that promote conversation, games that can also be played at the dinner table. Fourth, using family dinner as an annex to therapy as a place to experiment with new roles, behaviours, and patterns of communication, which can be enacted on a nightly basis after being discussed in therapy. Two case examples are presented to illustrate the ways that dinner can be a place for change, begun in therapy, and implemented at home.
    December 20, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1185   open full text
  • The Utility (or Not) of Self‐Report Instruments in Family Assessment for Child and Adolescent Conversion Disorders?
    Kasia Kozlowska, Catherine Cruz, Fiona Davies, Kerri J. Brown, Donna M. Palmer, Loyola McLean, Stephen Scher, Leanne M. Williams.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. December 20, 2016
    Children and adolescents with conversion disorders and their families are challenging to understand and challenging to treat. This study examined whether self‐report instruments are a useful adjunct to family and individual assessment. A total of 57 children and adolescents diagnosed with conversion disorders and 57 sex‐ aged‐matched controls, along with their parents, completed the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire, Child Behaviour Checklist, Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales, Somatic and Psychological Health Report (SPHERE), Brief Risk‐Resilience Index for Screening, and the NEO–Five‐Factor Inventory. The conversion disorder and control groups were compared on each questionnaire, and classified participants as ‘cases’ or not according to established clinical thresholds for each questionnaire. A discriminant analysis was used to examine which components of the SDQ, CBCL, DASS, SPHERE, BRISC, and NEO‐FFI emerged as most useful in identifying the clinical characteristics of children with conversion disorders. The role of attachment strategy with regards to the utility of self‐report measures was also examined. The SPHERE was the only self‐report that our patient cohort were able to utilise to communicate their somatic and emotional discomfort and distress. Our results suggest that children and adolescents presenting with functional somatic symptoms represent a distinctive clinical population for which the ‘psychological’ focus of most currently available questionnaires is not useful for identifying the presence of somatic illness or of comorbid anxiety and depression, and that these measures – with the exception of the SPHERE – are not a useful adjunct to a family‐based assessment. Therapeutic conversations that utilise language that asks about the state of the body – the body's response to stress, illness, pain, and injury – facilitate engagement and serve as the cornerstone of treatment.
    December 20, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1187   open full text
  • Family Therapy for Adolescents: A Research‐informed Perspective.
    Alan Carr.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. December 20, 2016
    Specific research‐informed models of family therapy have been developed for a range of adolescent problems. These include Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT), Functional Family Therapy (FFT), Multisystemic Therapy (MST), Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT), and Multidimensional Treatment Foster care (MTFC) for conduct disorder and drug misuse; family‐focused cognitive behaviour therapy for anxiety disorders and depression; Attachment‐based Family Therapy (ABFT) for depression; family‐focused therapy as an adjunct to pharmacological therapy for bipolar disorder; ABFT, youth‐nominated support team, and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) combined with Multifamily Therapy for self‐harm; the Maudsley model of family therapy for eating disorders; and psychoeducational family theory for psychosis. All of these approaches aim to reduce individual and familial risk factors which exacerbate adolescent problems, and enhance protective factors which promote resilience and recovery from psychological difficulties.
    December 20, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1184   open full text
  • Shared Sequences from Network Therapy with Adolescents Only the therapist Finds Meaningful.
    Per Arne Lidbom, Tore Dag Bøe, Kjell Kristoffersen, Dagfinn Ulland, Jaakko Seikkula.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. December 20, 2016
    As part of a larger research project, this qualitative study explores sequences from six network therapy sessions. We focused on these sequences because only the therapists found them to be meaningful; the other participants did not think they were significant. The aim of this study was to explore the therapists’ inner dialogues, the degree to which these inner dialogues consist of professional and personal voices, and what this means for the dialogical process. We used a multi‐perspective methodology that combines video recordings of network therapy sessions, participants’ interviews, and text analysis. We found that the outer dialogue and the therapists’ inner dialogues are strongly related to each other and that both personal experiences and professional knowledge are present in an implicit way, which helps the therapist to be present in the dialogical process both as a person and as a professional. We also found that when the outer dialogue is very emotional, the therapist moves away from the outer dialogue and becomes more present in their inner dialogues.
    December 20, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1191   open full text
  • Commentary: Real‐world Evidence.
    Mark R. Dadds.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. December 20, 2016
    There is no abstract available for this paper.
    December 20, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1190   open full text
  • Commentary: The Effectiveness of MST Programs for High‐risk Australian Youth.
    Scott Henggeler.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. December 20, 2016
    There is no abstract available for this paper.
    December 20, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1186   open full text
  • An Evaluation of Multisystemic Therapy with Australian Families.
    Mark Porter, Leartluk Nuntavisit.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. December 20, 2016
    This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Multisystemic Therapy (MST) intervention for Australian families invloved with the Specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). This program was implemented within the Western Australian Department of Health in 2005, and has continually operated two small clinical teams within the Perth metropolitan area since then. This intervention was specifically chosen to improve service access, engagement, and intervention with vulnerable families having young persons with a history of significant and enduring behavioural problems. The study reports on data collected from July 2007 to July 2013 which includes baseline, post‐treatment, 6‐month, and 12‐month follow‐up. There were 153 MST families participating in the research at all time points (71% male; 11% Australian Aboriginal; average youth age was 13.6 years). Caregivers completed a set of questionnaires including Child Behaviour Checklist, Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire, and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale. One‐way repeated measure ANOVA were used to measure changes over time. Significant caregiver‐reported improvements in all measures were reported at post‐treatment, and most improvements were maintained at the follow‐up periods of 6 and 12 months post‐intervention. These preliminary outcomes demonstrate that the 4–5 month MST intervention significantly reduces behavioural problems and emotional difficulties in young Australians and these improvements are generally maintained by caregivers over time. Primary caregivers reported improved skills and mental health functioning that were also maintained over the follow‐up period. A proposed randomised controlled trial of the program will address potential placebo and selection bias effects.
    December 20, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1182   open full text
  • First Episode Psychosis: A Magical Realist Guide Through Liminal Terrain.
    Sonja Bar‐Am.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. September 21, 2016
    This paper presents a narrative of a client, ‘Eva’, who experienced what is termed by psychiatry a first episode psychosis. As a family and relationship counsellor practicing narrative therapy with its backdrop of post‐structuralism and curiosity of exploring new entry points for narratives of identity, I tentatively sought new ways to engage with Eva's story. My endeavour in meeting with ‘First Episode Psychosis’ is described through adopting a listening position from a reading of magical realist literature. This extends Michael White's political exploration of ethnographer Arnold van Gennep's liminal spaces (in the rites of passage metaphor) to understand units of experience, units of meaning, and the fluidity of identity in psychosis, which is contextualised as a response to events in the client's story.
    September 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1159   open full text
  • ‘He is Quirky; He is the World's Greatest Psychologist’: On the Community of Those Who Have Nothing in Common.
    Bård Bertelsen, Tore Dag Bøe.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. September 21, 2016
    In this article, we challenge the concept of the therapeutic relationship as an operationalisable entity. In contrast to this idea, we introduce Alphonso Lingis’ concept of community, and his distinction between the rational community and the community of those who have nothing in common. This is done through speculative analysis of a transcribed sequence from a research interview with a boy who speaks about his experiences of receiving mental health care. This boy and his family were helped through a network‐oriented, dialogical approach. In the sequence highlighted here, the boy speaks of the significance of a particular mental health practitioner. The boy expresses appreciation for the help he has received, yet it is difficult to translate the boy's utterances into meaningful professional jargon. Although the paper makes use of an actual sequence from a research interview, the argument is not empirical in nature. The purpose of the paper is to elaborate on theory, and to examine some possible consequences for future practice.
    September 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1155   open full text
  • Commentary II: Thoughts about the Time to Think Experiment.
    Valerie Atkinson.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. September 21, 2016
    There is no abstract available for this paper.
    September 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1176   open full text
  • Commentary I.
    Linda M. MacKay.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. September 21, 2016
    There is no abstract available for this paper.
    September 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1175   open full text
  • Mindful of the Intersession Break in Family Therapy: The Time to Think Experiment.
    Cathy O'Brien, Elisa Yule.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. September 21, 2016
    The Time to Think Experiment researches the experience of clinicians, consumers, and families of an intersession break, which has been used historically in various models of family therapy training. This qualitative pilot study explores the experiences of 21 clinicians, 19 consumers, and six family members using this break for reflection, across the domains of family and couple therapy, individual therapy, group work, and supervision in a mental health service covering the whole age range. Using a phenomenological design, the analysis included narrative, thematic, content, and comparative techniques. The paper considers the impact of privileging reflection in the therapy process, in a climate where models, work cultures, and general lifestyles may not encourage it. Using the intersession break to create space to ‘be’ in the therapy process is one way to integrate mindful and family therapy practice. The emerging themes of an intersession break to promote a richer and deeper therapy experience, and the apparent shift of responsibility for change from clinicians to consumers is discussed.
    September 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1165   open full text
  • Commentary: Separations: A Personal Account of Bowen Family Systems Theory.
    Jenny Brown.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. September 21, 2016
    There is no abstract available for this paper.
    September 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1171   open full text
  • Separations: A Personal Account of Bowen Family Systems Theory.
    Martina Palombi.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. September 21, 2016
    This paper is a personal account of my own family of origin research. It explores the impact of separations from parents, nuclear family, and extended family through a Bowen family systems theory perspective using concepts pertaining to Bowen theory such as chronic anxiety, differentiation of self, multigenerational family process, and the emotional system. An outline of the process of doing research in ‘vivo’ with my mother as well as conversations with my supervisor are included. Theoretical differences between individual and system models are discussed. A Bowen theoretical approach to the anxiety of separations is investigated. The efficacy of engaging in family of origin work and the effects of thinking systems is examined in light of how it assisted me to view family members, family system disturbances, and clients’ emotional systems more objectively.
    September 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1170   open full text
  • Meeting the Wharenui Shapes Teaching/Learning Therapy: Place Pedagogy, New Materialism, and Whakaaro Māori.
    Elmarie Kotzé, Kathie Crocket, Cheri Waititi (Ngāti Porou).
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. September 21, 2016
    A cultural meeting house hosts a group of Master of Counselling students at the start of their studies. This article focuses on an exploratory study with one student group during their encounter with the house. We give a material‐discursive account of one student's narrative of family, belonging, and connection to the house. In the account we draw on whakaaro Māori (cultural thinking and understanding), new materialism, place‐space learning, and narrative therapy.
    September 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1172   open full text
  • Social Work Student Learning Experiences of Family Therapy: Improving Competency in Pedagogy Through Qualitative Research.
    Lance Peterson, Ellie Jones, Kaitlin Salscheider.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. September 21, 2016
    The purpose of this qualitative study is to evaluate graduate social work student experiences of pedagogy intended to improve competency in family therapy practice. Students from two classes (N = 37) completed open‐ended surveys assessing: perceptions of most helpful pedagogical practices; understanding of needed competencies; and perceived opportunities offered to them during their graduate training for learning about work with couples and families. Results, analysed using grounded theory methodology, revealed that students: (1) believed that experiential activities were especially critical for learning how to do clinical practice with couples and families; (2) understood important competencies related to professional development, therapeutic engagement with the family, and how to approach family practice; and (3) believed they were ‘somewhat prepared’ for practice. Implications include improving understanding of abstract skills in practice with couples and families, and emphasising relationship dynamics more in graduate social work education and training.
    September 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1157   open full text
  • Commentary: Client V. Therapist‐Directed Supervision: A Question of Emphasis.
    Barry L. Duncan.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. September 21, 2016
    There is no abstract available for this paper.
    September 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1163   open full text
  • Commentary I: Reflection on ‘Dialogical Research in Therapy Supervision’: Doing Supervising as a Relational Event.
    Harlene Anderson.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. September 21, 2016
    There is no abstract available for this paper.
    September 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1162   open full text
  • Dialogical Research in Supervision: Practical Guidelines from Experienced Supervisors in Family Therapy, Child Protection, and Specialty Mental Health Services.
    Anna Margrete Flåm.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. September 21, 2016
    This two‐year qualitative participatory research project examines practical guidelines for supervision. Sixteen experienced supervisors across professional settings of family therapy, child protection, and specialty mental health services in the geographical regions of Northern Norway and Northern Sweden outline four main practical guidelines in supervision based on their supervisory practices: (1) elaborating an agreed‐upon contract; (2) exploring potential formats; (3) exploring contents; (4) acknowledging responsibility for process and dilemmas. Participants summarised how they generated mutual growth in supervisory relationships, while being respectful of the first‐person perspective of supervisees. The study challenges pre‐dominating guidelines about deficit‐ or developmental stage‐oriented supervision. It illustrates reflecting processes and a polyphonic orientation in supervision by welcoming diversity, wondering, and tolerance for the not‐yet‐decided among involved persons in a mutual exploration and calibration of relevant knowledge. It outlines a dialogical research for sharing, exploring, and questioning knowledge as beneficial for whom, told by whom, and evaluated by whom.
    September 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1158   open full text
  • Commentary III: Working with Reflective Practice: My Experiential Learnings as a Participant of The Original Exercise.
    Louise Wallace Walsh.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. September 21, 2016
    There is no abstract available for this paper.
    September 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1161   open full text
  • Commentary II.
    Jane Key, Britt Sedgmen.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. September 21, 2016
    There is no abstract available for this paper.
    September 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1160   open full text
  • Commentary I: Reflective Practice: The Inner Dialogue and the Therapist in the Family Therapeutic Process.
    Peter Rober.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. September 21, 2016
    There is no abstract available for this paper.
    September 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1174   open full text
  • Reflective Practice: An Exercise in Exploring Inner Dialogue and Vertical Polyphony.
    Kristof Mikes‐Liu, Margaret Goldfinch, Chloe MacDonald, Ben Ong.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. September 21, 2016
    The dialogical notion of vertical polyphony, referring to multiple internal voices, is explored in relation to clinicians’ professional and personal selves. We describe an experiential training exercise developed to enhance clinicians’ awareness and understanding of their inner dialogue, and create space to practice what Schön terms ‘reflecting‐in‐action’ and ‘knowing‐in‐action.’ The exercise involves stages of personal reflection, discussion in groups of two or three, and shared learning by the group. A number of variations of the exercise are described. The invited commentaries following the article provide a sense of participants’ reactions to the exercises. Readers are invited to adapt the exercise to suit their own setting and to enhance reflective practice.
    September 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1166   open full text
  • Response to Sonja Bar‐Am's Paper: First Episode Psychosis: Magical Realism as a Guide through Liminal Terrain.
    Maggie Carey.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. September 21, 2016
    There is no abstract available for this paper.
    September 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1164   open full text
  • Not Broken but Strengthened: Stories of Resilience by Persons with Acquired Physical Disability and Their Families.
    Elaine Schembri Lia, Angela Abela.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. September 21, 2016
    This study seeks to understand the processes in families of resilient individuals with an acquired physical disability. Specifically, we were interested in getting to know more about the role of the family in the individuals’ resilience, and in turn, the impact on the family of the individuals’ disability and resilience. A multiple‐case narrative methodology with three families was adopted. In total 19 family members participated in the construction of three stories. This described how the families were transformed and how family members continually moved and energised one another in virtuous circles of support. Empathy and altruism were motivators for these virtuous circles whilst adequate amounts of support contained the experience of each family member. Identifying, strengthening, and building on these relational processes was found to be vital in enabling both the individuals affected by disability and their families to grow following their adversity.
    September 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1156   open full text
  • Constructing Personal and Couple Narratives in Late‐stage Cancer: Can a Typology Illuminate the Caring Partner Perspective?
    Louise Anthias.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. September 21, 2016
    There is a large body of work focusing on the well‐being and relationships of couples facing late‐stage cancer. The systemic study underpinning this paper explored a less researched topic: How do people caring for a partner with terminal cancer construct their experience and relationships through personal and couple narratives? This UK‐based study drew upon dialogical approaches to narrative analysis to focus on six caring partners and their care relationships. Following individual case analysis, two methods of cross‐narrative analysis were developed, and an analysis of narrative themes and a typology of archetypal narratives were drawn from the data. This paper focuses on the typology. The clinical implications of the study are considered, focusing on the contribution of a typology to this and future studies.
    September 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1173   open full text
  • Attachment‐Based Family Therapy in Australia: Introduction to a Special Issue.
    Guy S. Diamond, Ingrid Wagner, Suzanne A. Levy.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. June 10, 2016
    In Australia the movement toward evidence based practice was supported by the first National Mental Health Strategy. For mental health clinicians the shift from evaluating process to outcome measurement also brought greater focus on specific disorders and targeted interventions, raising questions about the efficacy and effectiveness of treatment. The gap between research and practice is well documented, and has engendered much debate particularly in regard to empirically supported treatments (ESTs) and the technologies to widely disseminate practice whilst supporting treatment adherence. In this paper we first, describe the Attachment Based Family Therapy (ABFT) model before giving consideration to the criticisms of ESTs, and reviewing the dissemination of ABFT in Australia, and the perspectives of Australian clinicians in respect to the model and its relevance to their practice. Finally, we turn to the mission of this Special Issue which is to increase the awareness of ABFT primarily amongst practicing clinicians as we introduce the selected papers that demonstrate the application of the model to a variety of clinical presentations, and clinical settings.
    June 10, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1148   open full text
  • Attachment‐Based Family Therapy for Suicidal Adolescents: A Case Study.
    Syreeta Scott, Guy S. Diamond, Suzanne A. Levy.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. June 10, 2016
    Suicide is the primary cause of death in Australia for youth between the ages of 15 and 24. This is common worldwide as well. Unfortunately, very few treatments have been developed, tested, and successful for treating this difficult clinical problem. Attachment‐Based Family Therapy (ABFT) is one of the therapies demonstrating a significant decrease in suicide ideation and attempts. The effectiveness of this model may rest on the fact that ABFT targets the clinical context (e.g., family, trauma, etc.) of this problem as well as intrapsychic processes. Based on attachment theory, the model aims to help adolescents recover a more secure attachment relationship with parents so that secure‐based parenting can help protect the adolescent from future stress and self‐harm. A case study is used to demonstrate how the model unfolds, systemically seeking to repair the attachment relationships while also keeping the adolescent safe from suicidal thoughts and behaviours.
    June 10, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1149   open full text
  • Attachment‐Based Family Therapy for Teen Suicidality Complicated by a History of Sexual Trauma.
    Dara M. Winley, Feven Ogbaselase, Tamar Kodish, Elizabeth Okunrounmu, E. Stephanie Krauthamer Ewing.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. June 10, 2016
    This article describes the application of Attachment‐Based Family Therapy to the treatment of a 14‐year‐old female adolescent presenting with clinically significant suicide ideation complicated by a history of sexual trauma. The article begins by providing an overview of the use of attachment theory to inform treatment with this population. Then, the case study is presented to illustrate clinical application.
    June 10, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1150   open full text
  • Attachment‐Based Family Therapy for Suicidal Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adolescents: A Case Study.
    Suzanne A. Levy, Jody Russon, Gary M. Diamond.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. June 10, 2016
    The majority of sexual minority adolescents are well‐adjusted and healthy, however, on average, 28% report suicidal ideation and between 15% and 40% make a suicide attempt each year. These rates are two to seven times higher than those found among heterosexual youths. Research has shown the protective function of parental support and acceptance, as well as the deleterious effects of parental criticism, invalidation, and rejection on the mental health of sexual minority adolescents. Given these risk and protective factors, these adolescents might benefit from an intervention that targets family relationships. Toward this goal, Attachment‐Based Family Therapy (ABFT) specifically aims to improve the quality of adolescent–parent relationships. In prior treatment developmental work, ABFT was adapted and pilot tested for depressed and suicidal lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adolescents. By adopting an evidence‐based case study format, this paper provides a case summary to illustrate how the therapy was conducted. The case study consists of a vignette, followed by therapy task descriptions and illustrative transcripts. Examples of key therapeutic moments in ABFT, for depressed and suicidal LGB adolescents, are discussed in the context of the case.
    June 10, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1151   open full text
  • Attachment‐Based Family Therapy as an Adjunct to Family‐Based Treatment for Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa.
    Ingrid Wagner, Guy S. Diamond, Suzanne Levy, Jody Russon, Richard Litster.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. June 10, 2016
    Adolescent anorexia nervosa (AN) has a significant and long‐standing impact for the health and well being of young people and their families. The determinants of illness are multi‐factorial, however, adolescent AN has been consistently associated with parental distress (e.g., depression, anxiety, alcoholism), family conflict, and low parental warmth toward the adolescent. Whilst Family Based Therapy (FBT) for adolescent AN is the recommended first line of treatment, a substantial proportion of patients do not experience remission by the end of therapy or may relapse following remission. Although a range of adjuncts to FBT have been proposed, no preferred model has emerged. In this paper, we compare and contrast Attachment‐Based Family Therapy (ABFT) with FBT, and argue that ABFT's focus on relationships, rather than behaviours, could make a substantive contribution to the practice of FBT. We present a case study to demonstrate how ABFT may help to alleviate some of the maintaining factors of adolescent AN through the repair of parent–child relational ruptures.
    June 10, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1152   open full text
  • Dissemination of Attachment‐Based Family Therapy in Sweden.
    Magnus Ringborg.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. June 10, 2016
    Attachment‐Based Family Therapy (ABFT) was introduced in Sweden in 2009, and has since spread widely, mainly within child and adolescent psychiatry, but also to some social family services. ABFT is now mentioned in clinical guidelines for the treatment of depression and suicidality in Sweden. Many therapists report successes with the model after relatively short training. Training and research efforts are presented. Difficulties in implementation of the method are examined as therapist, process, and context issues. A number of small clinical research studies have been published and are presented.
    June 10, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1153   open full text
  • Attachment‐Based Family Therapy Between Magritte and Poirot: Dissemination Dreams, Challenges, and Solutions in Belgium.
    Tara Santens, Ilse Devacht, Steven Dewulf, Gust Hermans, Guy Bosmans.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. June 10, 2016
    Attachment‐Based Family Therapy (ABFT) was introduced into Belgium in 2009. Since then, three home‐based services (Child Welfare System) and one inpatient young adult psychiatric unit (Mental Health Care System) have implemented ABFT as a treatment model. Although financial and organisational barriers exist, preliminary data suggest that ABFT can be successfully implemented in Belgium and yields promising results. ABFT appeals to counsellors and therapists who receive training. Future dissemination will be facilitated by the establishment of a new ABFT training centre in Belgium.
    June 10, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1154   open full text
  • Collaboration: Suggested Understandings.
    Rolf Sundet, Hesook Suzie Kim, Ottar Ness, Marit Borg, Bengt Karlsson, Stian Biong.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 05, 2016
    In this article, we suggest that collaboration can be specified as a set of processes built around turntaking as the key process, with the processes of negotiation for common goals and putting differences to work as the two‐dimensional focus in collaborative practice. Turntaking connects therapeutic work to establishing relationships instead of focusing on motivational states. Common goals connect collaborative practice to the therapeutic alliance. Putting difference at the centre places collaborative practice within a dialogical perspective. We specify dialogue as the overarching perspective in this article, differentiating two different types of conversation within the concept: dialogical and dialectical as the processes of change. The dialectical leads to an agreement of goals and perspectives, while the dialogical is oriented to accepting differences in goals and perspectives. These are connected to two different paths to change within the present moment. The first describes a process of moving along in present moments that turn into now‐moments and are resolved in a moment of meeting. This could be seen as a description of dialectical conversations at a micro level. The second path to change occurs during quieter moments of therapeutic processes when participants are engaged in an intersubjective quest to negotiate the best fit between one's own intentions and those of the other. The therapist's skills to realise this include the use of service user feedback and following the lead of the family.
    April 05, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1137   open full text
  • Like a Parent and a Friend, but Not the Father: A Qualitative Study of Stepfathers’ Experiences in the Stepfamily.
    Lies Blyaert, Hanna Van Parys, Jan De Mol, Ann Buysse.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 05, 2016
    Research about the experience and position of stepfathers in stepfamilies is scarce. Using data from semi‐structured interviews with eight stepfathers, we aim to explore how stepfathers experience family life and their relationships with their (step)children and extended family members (biological father and grandparents), as well as how they describe their position within the stepfamily. Interpretative phenomenological analysis revealed three main themes: most participants saw themselves ‘like a parent and a friend.’ While none of them considered themselves as ‘the father’ – this position being assigned to the biological father – they described acting like a parent or a father figure in their relationships with the children. Secondly, despite some difficulties in the initial stages of formation of their new families, most participants described a positive evolution over time and were satisfied with their current family situation. Thirdly, the stepfather's positioning towards non‐cohabiting family members such as the biological father and grandparents added complexity but was managed well. Research findings are discussed in light of the current family therapy literature on working with stepfamilies.
    April 05, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1138   open full text
  • What Do We Do When We Discuss? A Micro‐genetic Analysis of Couples’ Conflict.
    Pablo Fossa, María Elisa Molina, Sofía Puerta, Michelle Barr, Luis Tapia‐Villanueva.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 05, 2016
    This article focuses on dialogic discursive dynamics present in couples’ conversations about unresolved conflicts. The phenomenon of conflict is addressed as a semiotically mediated process of co‐construction of the self and the relationship. The purpose of this article is to report on patterns of meaning construction in couples’ conflict, with the identification of strategies that promote or hinder resolution. A qualitative exploratory approach was used to focus on the interactional process at the micro‐processing level. Eight married couples participated in the study. The procedure considered asking the couple to discuss unresolved conflict. Recorded data of couples’ dialogues were transcribed to text and assessed through semiotic analysis using a microgenetic protocol (Molina, Del Río, & Tapia, 2015). The results document the use of strategies for conflict regulation such as psychological distancing, opposition, and generalisation on the border between protecting the bond and regulating tension. The dynamics of non‐resolution manifested in polarisation and rigid patterns with increased tension. The ‘in‐motion’ nature of dialogue about conflict is pushed by the semiotic tension that induces variations in subjective positions manifested in speech and actions.
    April 05, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1136   open full text
  • Commentary: An Australian Educator's Perspective.
    Magella Lajoie.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 05, 2016
    There is no abstract available for this paper.
    April 05, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1143   open full text
  • Commentary: Thoughts from an Australian Advanced Trainee in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
    Emma Kate Gilbert.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 05, 2016
    There is no abstract available for this paper.
    April 05, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1142   open full text
  • Commentary: Reflecting on a Psychiatric Trainee's Account of Family Therapy Training.
    Kristof Mikes‐Liu.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 05, 2016
    There is no abstract available for this paper.
    April 05, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1141   open full text
  • ‘So I Feel Like I'm Getting It and Then Sometimes I Think OK, No I'm Not’: Couple and Family Therapists Learning an Evidence‐Based Practice.
    Robert Allan, Michael Ungar, Virginia Eatough.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 05, 2016
    This research concerns itself with the experiences of couple and family therapists (CFTs) learning about and using an evidence‐based practice (EBP). The engagement with EBP is growing across many aspects of the mental health and health care systems. The EBP model is now being applied in a broad range of health and human service systems, including mental and behavioural health care, social work, education, and criminal justice (Hunsley, 2007). The dialogue about the role of evidence‐based approaches in the practice of CFT and research literature is also evolving (Sexton et al., 2011; Sprenkle ). Interestingly, while the research delves into what are the best approaches with different populations and presenting issues, little research has explored the experience of CFTs themselves, particularly while learning an EBP. Using a phenomenological approach called interpretive phenomenological analysis (Smith, Flowers & Larkin, 2009), this research explores the experiences of CFTs learning and using an EBP. The paper reports on key issues, challenges, and areas for CFTs, educators, and supervisors. As researchers, educators, administrators, policy makers, and CFTs struggle with what works best with which populations and how best to allocate resources, this research contributes to dialogues about how best to educate and support CFTs, and the complexity of doing research in real‐life settings.
    April 05, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1134   open full text
  • How and Why Do Family and Systemic Therapies Work?
    Alan Carr.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 05, 2016
    My reviews of the evidence base for family therapy conducted over the past 15 years have been guided by four key questions. Does systemic therapy work? What sorts of systemic therapy work for specific problems? What processes occur in effective systemic therapy? Is systemic therapy cost‐effective? In this paper answers to these questions are given. Systemic interventions are effective for about two out of three cases. Specific models of effective systemic therapy have been developed for most common mental health problems. There are many processes shared by evidence‐based models of practice that can be incorporated into the routine practice of research‐informed family therapy. Systemic therapy is cost‐effective and in many cases leads to medical cost‐offsets. Available evidence indicates that family therapy can make a very significant contribution to alleviating suffering and making the world a better place to be.
    April 05, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1135   open full text
  • Commentary: Explaining the Diagnosis of Functional Disorders: Trust, Transparency, and Avoiding Assumptions.
    Jon Stone.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 05, 2016
    There is no abstract available for this paper.
    April 05, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1147   open full text
  • Commentary: Similarities and Differences between Conversion Disorder in Adults and Children.
    Richard A. Kanaan.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 05, 2016
    There is no abstract available for this paper.
    April 05, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1139   open full text
  • The Body Comes to Family Therapy: Utilising Research to Formulate Treatment Interventions with Somatising Children and their Families.
    Kasia Kozlowska.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 05, 2016
    Children and adolescents with functional somatic symptoms are challenging to understand and to treat. The challenges begin at the very outset of the intervention – with the neurological and psychiatric assessments. Patients presenting with functional somatic symptoms, as well as their families, frequently deny any emotional or family problem, and parents are often genuinely baffled as to why a child has suddenly become so ill and why no medical explanation is forthcoming. Families can be unwilling to engage in family assessment and therapy, and therapists may find that standard approaches to family therapy simply can end up alienating these families – the door to therapy is slammed shut. This article is the story of my struggle to understand somatising children and their families and to find a common language to enable us to co‐construct formulations, to agree to a treatment plan, and to work together towards a pathway to health. It is also about the role of research and how knowledge from different system levels – and most specifically about the body – may need to be integrated into the therapy to help bring about change.
    April 05, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1133   open full text
  • On Family Therapy Training in Psychiatric Education: A Recent Trainee's Perspective.
    Timothy R. Rice.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 05, 2016
    Family therapy has been labelled a neglected core competency of psychiatric residency training programs. Several models of effective integration into training in both general and child and adolescent psychiatry have been proposed, yet the restraint exhibited in educational guidelines to guide developed family therapy programming results in varied trainee experiences. This perspective piece offers the narrative of a trainee's progression through one educational program that offered a generous elective engagement with family therapy. This piece intends to complement in an original manner the existing literature supporting family therapy training for psychiatric trainees that are usually authored by senior clinicians and/or established proponents of family therapy. The program described in this piece is an American model that entailed mandatory seminar didactics with elective active case involvement and clinical supervision. The author's three‐year engagement with a family consisting of a young man diagnosed with schizophrenia and his mother, who comprised the active case component, is presented with a description of how both the family and the clinician developed through the process. The conclusion comments upon how this work facilitated ongoing work with severely disturbed children and their families upon the trainee's graduation to serve as a unit attending on a child and adolescent psychiatry acute inpatient service. This piece illustrates in a personal narrative the importance of family therapy training to the contemporary graduate and recommends greater immersion for psychiatric trainees in this modality.
    April 05, 2016   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1140   open full text
  • The Gift of Giving: Empowering Vulnerable Children, Families and Communities in Rural Uganda.
    Caleb Wakhungu.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 28, 2014
    Caleb Wakhungu and the Mt Elgon Self‐Help Community Project use narrative ideas and practices to spark and sustain local economic ‘development’ projects in rural Uganda. Their innovative work links community work, therapy and development. This short paper describes the significance of moving away from a children's rights model (which had been imported from the West) to a model of empowering children and families in ways that are congruent with local cultural practices and understandings.
    April 28, 2014   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1042   open full text
  • Michael White and Adventures Downunder.
    David Denborough.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 28, 2014
    This paper explores the personal‐professional historical development of the work of the late Michael White. It was written at the request of Maurizio Andolfi and first published in Italian in Terapia Familiare No. 102, July 2013. It is published here for the first time in English with permission. The paper is written as a response to four questions: What were some of the key steps in Michael White's historical development from a personal‐professional perspective? From where did Michael draw his main inspirations? What have been his major contributions? And what has Michael left to the younger generations?
    April 28, 2014   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1049   open full text
  • Ethnography, Co‐research and Insider Knowledges.
    David Epston.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 28, 2014
    This piece revisits some of the intellectual histories of narrative practice, in particular the development of an ethnographic, co‐research approach to working with families. By tracing the influence of anthropological and sociological thought on the development of what has become ‘narrative therapy’, this piece invites current practitioners to read beyond the boundaries of any professional field in order to generate new forms of practice.
    April 28, 2014   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1048   open full text
  • Uh Oh! I have Received an Unexpected Visitor: The Visitor's Name is Chronic Disease. A Brazilian family Therapy Approach.
    Lúcia Helena Abdalla, Ana Luiza Novis.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 28, 2014
    Based on our clinical experience with people with chronic diseases, we have developed a narrative methodology we have named ‘The Pantry of Life’ (also known as ‘The Unexpected Visitor’). This reflective approach invites the person and their family to imagine and describe the appearance of adversity in their lives as an ‘Unexpected Visitor’ who arrives unexpectedly and uninvited. Consisting of six reflexive exercises, this methodology enables families who have felt hostage to the problem, to reclaim the authorship of the stories of their lives. By promoting new understandings, expanding conversations and validating the skills and resources of family members, those living with chronic diseases are offered a chance to respond to serious problems in playful and creative ways.
    April 28, 2014   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1047   open full text
  • Narrative Family Therapy and Group Work for Families Living with Acquired Brain Injury.
    Franca Butera‐Prinzi, Nella Charles, Karen Story.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 28, 2014
    Acquired brain injury profoundly challenges the identity of the affected person and family relationships. Narrative practices offer valuable therapeutic tools to assist families to face the enormous task of adjusting to an acquired disability. The integration of family therapy and group work provides multiple avenues for families to have their experiences validated and to support reconnection with strengths, values and goals. It is from this more empowered position that families can find ways to live their lives to the fullest, in spite of the difficulties.
    April 28, 2014   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1046   open full text
  • Narrative and Open Dialogue: Strangers in the Night or Easy Bedfellows?
    Val Jackson, Hugh Fox.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 28, 2014
    This paper briefly describes narrative and open dialogue approaches before exploring their shared values, ways of working, their differences and the possibilities for integration. Both authors have extensive experience in using a narrative therapy approach, while Val Jackson, a family and systemic psychotherapist, also uses an open dialogue approach in her work in an early intervention in psychosis service in Yorkshire, UK.
    April 28, 2014   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1045   open full text
  • Weaving Net‐works of Hope with Families, Practitioners and Communities: Inspirations from Systemic and Narrative Approaches.
    Glenda Fredman.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 28, 2014
    Over the last decade, inspired by systemic family therapy and narrative approaches, Glenda Fredman's team in the UK has found ways to bring families, practitioners and communities together to respond to medical, mental health and social care crises. This work has taken place with children, adolescents, older people and people affected by intellectual disability and their families. This paper shares an inspiring story of this work and describes ways of ‘conducting’ and ‘weaving’ networks of hope.
    April 28, 2014   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1044   open full text
  • Narrative Therapy and Cultural Democracy: A Testimony View.
    Makungu M. Akinyela.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 28, 2014
    In this article I discuss my personal introduction to narrative therapy as an African American family therapist and my discovery of the similarities between narrative practices and my own approaches to therapeutic work. I also examine the cultural relationship between narrative therapy and the therapies of a growing number of communities outside of European dominant culture. The article questions the dominant approach to multiculturalism in the field today and introduces the idea of cultural democracy as an alternative approach to managing the relationship between narrative and other Euro‐culture grounded therapies and the therapies of non‐European peoples which may be similar to, yet culturally unique from, Euro‐cultural therapies. This difference is not superficial or inconsequential. The article argues that a cultural democracy view challenges the emotional/psychologically colonizing links based in presumption of Euro‐cultural superiority of the ideas of Europe over the rest of the therapeutic world. This cultural democracy perspective creates a relationship of mutual respect and cross cultural influence between narrative therapy and other Euro‐cultural therapies and the therapies developed by non‐European peoples.
    April 28, 2014   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1041   open full text
  • Creating Different Versions of Life: Talking About Problems with Children and their Parents.
    Geir Lundby.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 28, 2014
    When working with families, many parents have told us that externalizing the problem is the single most important thing they experienced in our work together. This paper describes how externalizing conversations and double‐story development can assist children and their parents talk about problems and create different versions of life. Examples from narrative family therapy conversations with two Norwegian families are included.
    April 28, 2014   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1039   open full text
  • Witnessing and Positioning: Structuring Narrative Therapy with Families and Couples.
    Jill Freedman.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 28, 2014
    In this paper, the author describes a way of structuring family therapy that fits with the narrative metaphor, creating space for stories to be understood, deconstructed and further developed. In this process, people move between positions of telling and witnessing. Family members engage in shared understanding and meaning making.
    April 28, 2014   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1043   open full text
  • Creating Stories of Hope: A Narrative Approach to Illness, Death and Grief.
    Lorraine Hedtke.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. April 28, 2014
    A narrative approach allows psychosocial teams to stand alongside children who have cancer, or life‐threatening illnesses, and their families at critical times and to create stories of agency. Rather than dwelling on stories of loss and despair that potentially enfeeble families, a narrative approach builds on stories of strength that engender hope by asking questions that separate the person from the problem. Developing such stories supports people in taking action against the effects of cancer. It also facilitates the formation of a legacy that can sustain family members, even after the death of a child. This legacy serves as the foundation for remembering the dead, folding their stories into the lives of the living, and constructing lines of relational connection that can transcend physical death. Not only do families benefit from this approach, but the psychosocial team that provides professional and medical services can be uplifted through witnessing practices of strength and love in the face of hardship.
    April 28, 2014   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1040   open full text
  • DSM and the Diagnosis‐MacGuffin: Implications for the Self and Society.
    Eugene Epstein, Manfred Wiesner, Lothar Duda.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. July 17, 2013
    The authors posit the idea that over the past 50 years, the psychiatric and psychotherapeutic discourses of the western first world have infiltrated practically every aspect of our culture and society. It is the authors’ belief that the introduction of the new DSM‐5 will only serve to further that expansion. What are the implications of this development for our society as well as our range of options for understanding the self?
    July 17, 2013   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1012   open full text
  • DSM‐5 and Evidence‐Based Family Therapy?
    Tom Strong, Robbie Busch.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. July 17, 2013
    The publication of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, (DSM‐5) extends a profession and practice‐defining direction for family therapy. Warranting and expediting this medicalised direction has been a scientific and administrative coupling of diagnosed symptomatic conditions with evidence‐based treatments for addressing those conditions. For systemically or poststructurally oriented family therapists tensions can follow from this direction which we elaborate upon in this article. Specifically, we examine the premises behind this medicalised direction for family therapy, juxtaposing these premises with systemic and post‐structural premises of practice. We relate these juxtapositions to tensions family therapists may need to reconcile in their work with families. We close with an overview of this special issue's contributions that pertain to the DSM‐5 and family therapy.
    July 17, 2013   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1009   open full text
  • Fictions from a Medicalised Family Therapy Practice.
    Kate Nobbs.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. July 17, 2013
    The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV ‐ TR (DSM) is currently employed by the Mental Health Services of the Netherlands as the basis of an integrated system of keeping track of clients and their progress through psychotherapy. Using a story from a narrative therapy practice to illustrate the current situation, concerns about the use of the DSM and Routine Outcome Monitoring as policing strategies will be discussed. Ethical and moral issues relating to the medicalisation of psychotherapy practice in the Netherlands under this regime are considered.
    July 17, 2013   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1011   open full text
  • Dancing with the DSM – The Reflexive Positioning of Narrative Informed Psychiatric Practice.
    Glen Simblett.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. July 17, 2013
    Davies and Harre's positioning theory and Foucauldian ideas of power and resistance are used to describe a range of positions that post‐structuralist informed practitioners might take up in relation to narrative knowledges and practices, and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) knowledges and practices. These positions are considered through the metaphor of dancing with DSM discourse. Different possible subject positions are defined by changes in dance style, dance lead and dance partner. Examples from narrative informed psychiatric practice are offered for each of these positions. An exploration of the intersectional space(s) between these professional knowledges as a means to create new dances is offered as both a means to reconcile DSM and make new discoveries on how to work with people who would traditionally become subject to DSM knowledge and practice.
    July 17, 2013   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1007   open full text
  • Dialogues from the ‘Coalface’: DSM‐5 and Emotional Process in a Clinical Setting.
    Megan Chambers, Chloe MacDonald, Kristof Mikes‐Liu.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. July 17, 2013
    In this article, we propose that emotional reactivity can influence dialogue around the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM‐5) and the wider issues included in the debate. We explore this emotional process and the impact that it has on our clinical practice, our clients’ experiences, our experience of ourselves as clinicians and the ways we work with other professionals. We begin by presenting clinical scenarios, then briefly summarise key ideas from the DSM‐5 debate, and draw on Bowen Family Systems Theory to explore a number of ways that emotional reactivity to these ideas can manifest itself in multidisciplinary and collegial relationships. We conclude that it is helpful to increase awareness of our own emotional processes to best avoid becoming reactive to, or dismissive of, alternative paradigms or knowledge bases that may be of use to our clients. We describe a number of principles and ideas that we have found useful in this context and identify ongoing dilemmas in our practice.
    July 17, 2013   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1008   open full text
  • DSM‐5 and the Family Therapist: First‐order Change in a New Millennium.
    Wayne H Denton, Chance Bell.
    Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. July 17, 2013
    Family therapists have struggled to find a place in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and the fifth edition of the manual will provide no relief. Small first‐order changes in DSM‐5 continue the same paradigm in place since DSM‐III wherein mental disorders are defined as occurring only in an individual. This was not always the case, however, as DSM‐I viewed mental disorders as a reaction between the environment and biology while DSM‐III through DSM‐IV‐TR utilised a multiaxial system of evaluation (eliminated in DSM‐5). Many proposals were made for both DSM‐IV and DSM‐5 to allow for an inclusion of relational processes in diagnosis but were met with limited success. The DSM approach now, however, is being attacked from a new direction. Neuroscientists have exposed limitations in the validity of the DSM categories and have proposed an entirely new system called the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) project, which offers new hope for systemically oriented practitioners and researchers.
    July 17, 2013   doi: 10.1002/anzf.1010   open full text