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“A classic and invaluable resource for family therapy educators, practitioners, and students from multiple disciplines. In this third edition, the well-respected authors offer up-to-date, developmentally informed, and biopsychosocially oriented guidance on the conduct of family therapy from beginning to end. The book provides a clear picture of what actually occurs in sessions with families and articulates strategies for addressing a diverse array of situations. All readers will benefit from reflecting on the thoughtfully presented information about health care reform, emerging trends in treatment, and the personal and professional journey of being a therapist.”

—Nadine J. Kaslow, PhD, ABPP, Department of Psychiatry, Emory University; past president, American Psychological Association


“This significant revision of the definitive basic family therapy text provides exactly the kind of nuts-and-bolts information that beginning family therapists need. The third edition systematically covers each of the crucial topics that need to be mastered, within an evidence-based practice framework. Written in a very interesting way and filled with clinical examples, this book should be a required text in every marriage and family therapy program, as well as in family classes in counseling, psychology, or social work. Among the many family therapy books out there, this is the single go-to text.”

—Jay L. Lebow, PhD, ABPP, LMFT, Senior Scholar and Clinical Professor, The Family Institute at Northwestern University


“Essential Skills in Family Therapy, Third Edition, is a clear and practical guide for all new psychotherapists who want to facilitate individual and relational growth and problem solving in clients, while at the same time tending to their own self-awareness and self-care. Emphasizing the integration of mind and body, the book equips students and clinicians with important systemic skills for participating in evolving health care systems.”

—Susan H. McDaniel, PhD, Dr. Laurie Sands Distinguished Professor of Families and Health, and Director, Institute for the Family, University of Rochester Medical Center

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Table of Contents

1. The Beginning Family Therapist: Taking On the Challenge

2. Before the Initial Interview

3. The Initial Interview

4. Guidelines for Conducting Assessment

5. Developing a Treatment Focus and Treatment Plan

6. Basic Treatment Skills and Interventions

7. Working with Families and Children

8. Working with Older Adults and Their Caregivers

9. Working with Couples

10. When a Family Member Has a Mental Illness

11. Getting Unstuck in Therapy

12. Termination

13. Family Therapy in the Future

Appendix. Screening Instruments

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About the Authors

JoEllen Patterson, PhD, LMFT, is Professor of Marital and Family Therapy at the University of San Diego and Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, Division of Global Health, and the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego. She is on the editorial boards of five journals focused on families and has published five books. Dr. Patterson has written books and articles on family therapy training and the integration of mental health services into primary care. In addition, she has received Fulbright Awards to work in Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Norway.

• Author's website
• All titles by JoEllen Patterson

Lee Williams, PhD, LMFT, is Professor of Marital and Family Therapy at the University of San Diego. He is a Clinical Fellow and Approved Supervisor in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and does couple therapy with veterans at the VA San Diego Medical Center. His research and publications have focused primarily on marriage preparation, couples with religious differences, and family therapy training.

• Author's website
• All titles by Lee Williams

Todd M. Edwards, PhD, LMFT, is Professor and Director of the Marital and Family Therapy Program at the University of San Diego. He is a Clinical Fellow and Approved Supervisor in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and a Voluntary Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego. His primary research interests are family therapy training and supervision, integrative family therapy, and friendship in adulthood.

• All titles by Todd M. Edwards

Larry Chamow, PhD, LMFT, is Clinical Professor of Marital and Family Therapy at the University of San Diego and is in full-time private practice at the Pacific Family Institute in Carlsbad, California. He is a Clinical Fellow and Approved Supervisor in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Dr. Chamow's interests and publications focus on couple therapy, supervision, the self of the therapist, and family businesses.

• All titles by Larry Chamow

Claudia Grauf-Grounds, PhD, LMFT, is Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy at Seattle Pacific University and served as a clinical faculty member at the University of Washington School of Medicine for over 10 years. She conducts research, publishes, and presents on family therapy training, supervision, and collaborative healthcare models that embrace spirituality. Dr. Grauf-Grounds is a Clinical Fellow and Approved Supervisor in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Honored as Supervisor of the Year by the Washington Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, she enjoys mentoring the next generation of psychotherapists, pastors and physicians.

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Audience

Graduate students, instructors, and practitioners in family therapy, clinical psychology, social work, psychiatry, mental health and pastoral counseling, and psychiatric nursing.

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Course Use

Serves as a text in direct practice and therapy courses within family therapy, social work, clinical psychology, and counseling programs.

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Previous editions published by Guilford:

Second Edition, © 2009
ISBN: 9781606233054

First Edition, © 1998
ISBN: 9781572303072

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New to this edition:

• Discussions of addictive behaviors (pornography, gambling, video games, social media); children's brain development; premarital counseling; divorce therapy; preventing premature terminations; and uses of technology in clinical practice.
• Chapter on working with older adults and their caregivers.
• Revised throughout with current research and evidence-based practice recommendations.
• Extensively rewritten chapter on treatment planning.
• Chapter-opening vignettes, plus new and revised case examples throughout.
• New assessment resources, including an Appendix on screening instruments.