CHAPTER SUMMARYOver the years, group, family, and couples therapies
have become more viable treatment options. Group
therapy developed primarily out of the necessity of
managing heavy caseloads. However, some clinicians
came to view group therapy as a treatment of choice.
Unlike its predecessors, contemporary group therapy
is typically time limited (meeting for a predeter-
mined number of sessions) and focused in the pres-
ent. These groups are efficient and economical for
clinicians, managed behavioral health care organiza-
tions, and clients. Unfortunately, from a research
perspective, we know relatively little about group
therapy other than it is more effective than no treat-
ment but no more effective than other forms of
psychotherapy. Again, its main attractions are econ-
omy and efficiency.
The origins of family therapy can be traced
back to the 19th-century social work movement.
Problems of individuals came to be conceptualized
in systemic terms, as a manifestation of some type
of family dysfunction. As with group therapy, many
forms of family therapy exist. They are distinguished
by their methods and techniques as well as by their
underlying theoretical orientation (e.g., behavioral).
Marital therapy, the traditional name for couples
therapy, is a misnomer because there is no require-
ment that participants be married or of different sexes.
The two most frequently studied forms of couples
therapy are behavioral marital therapy (BMT) and
emotionally focused couples therapy (EFT).
There is evidence to suggest that several
forms of family and couples therapies are effica-
cious. Among family therapies, eclectic and behav-
ioral/psychoeducational treatments for obsessive-
compulsive disorder and schizophrenia in a family
member appear useful. Among the varieties of cou-
ples therapy, research most strongly supports the use
of BMT and EFT.KEY TERMSbehavior therapy groupsAn approach in which
patients with similar problems (e.g., depression,
agoraphobia, pain) are treated as a group using
standard behavioral or cognitive-behavioral
methods. In behavior therapy groups, little atten-
tion is generally given to group dynamics.
behavioral family therapyAn approach to family
therapy that views family relations in terms of
reinforcement contingencies. Here, the therapist’srole
is to generate a behavioral analysis of family problems
and induce family members to reinforce each other so
as to increase the frequency of desired behaviors. A
more cognitively focusedtherapist might teach
individual family memberstoself-monitorprob-
lematic behaviors and patterns of thinking and
challenge their interpretations of family events.
behavioral marital therapy (BMT)Aformof
couples therapy that applies principles of reinfor-
cement to a couple’s interactions. Major compo-
nents of BMT include contingency contracting,
support-understanding techniques, and problem-
solving techniques.
collaborative family therapyAformoffamily
therapy where each family member sees a different
therapist, and the therapists meet periodically to
discuss their patients and the family as a whole. A
variation of this approach involves having
cotherapists work with the same family.
communicationThe verbal or nonverbal
exchange of information about facts, thoughts, or
feelings.
concurrent family therapyAformoffamily
therapy in which one therapist sees all family
members in individual sessions. In some cases, the
therapist may conduct traditional psychotherapy
with the principal patient but also occasionally see
other members of the family.
conjoint family therapyAformoffamily
therapy in which one therapist meets with the
entire family at the same time.454 CHAPTER 15