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Monica McGoldrick stands as a towering figure in the field of family therapy. Initially earning a Masters in Russian Studies, she then pivoted to social work and systems thinking. McGoldrick's illustrious career has been marked by significant contributions to family therapy, particularly through her work with family genograms, mapping family relationships and histories to identify patterns across generations. She expanded the use of genograms to incorporate cultural, ethnic and gender contexts, revolutionising the field. Her work emphasises understanding individuals within their historical, social and cultural contexts. She has authored multiple seminal texts, including ‘Ethnicity and family therapy’, and Genograms: Assessment and treatment, which are essential reading in family therapy training. McGoldrick has also been a trailblazer in addressing issues related to gender and power in family therapy. In this candid interview, she contextualises and frames her experience in a historical scaffold at a pivotal time in the evolution of family therapy. Monica details her involvement in the development of important endeavours such as the Multicultural Family Institute and the Women of Stonehenge where she emphasises the vital role of women in our community and the profound contribution of women in our profession, often dismissed and undervalued. We also discuss her notable contribution in the development and expansion of family genograms where she highlights the central and fundamental role of culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including Bowen family systems theory's focus on family as treatment unit, triangles managing anxiety, and differentiation promoting resilience.

Family violence is becoming increasingly visible in Australia, with many state and federal governments taking on more responsibility to address family violence and its impacts on those affected. Current efforts are focused on practice frameworks, identifying and responding to risk factors, and social justice frameworks including legislating against family violence in a range of jurisdictions and addressing more broadly the structural and cultural forces that perpetuate violence and further oppress those victimised. Family violence is not unique to Australia, with prevalence rates internationally suggesting family violence occurs irrespective of country, race, age, culture, effectiveness of social policies or socioeconomic status. This paper explores relevant foundational concepts of Bowen family systems theory (BFST) as it relates to family violence and explores opportunities to evolve practice in this area. BFST offers a unique contribution towards addressing family violence, particularly in relation to the public health challenge of addressing family polyvictimisation. The paper also explores how BFST conceptualises family violence and the role of the professional in working with the family as a single emotional unit. The unique focus of BFST on observing and defining self within the emotional family unit through observation of the underlying multigenerational emotional patterns of functioning provides unique opportunities to evolve and develop both the capacity of clinicians and responses to families who are navigating the serious and challenging impacts of family violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dr Murray Bowen, developer of Bowen family systems theory (BFST), had this to say to clients about working in family systems: if you get bogged down in one area, move into another (Bowen & Kerr, 1985). This statement, along with the knowledge of BFST, offered an inspiration for thinking about a method of therapy. This article highlights a method of working with an individual through a systemic lens. Two ideas are integral to this focus. One is that a client can move more easily into observing self within the system when they are not just observing self in one context or relationship but rather looking at how they function in different contexts or relationships. And second, by moving into different contexts of the system, the therapist is better able to manage the tendency towards symptom focus and stay centred on the work of differentiation. A therapist can truly have a stadium view of the system when speaking with the client about how they function in different areas of life. This method defined happens in three phases: in phase 1, the client observes themselves in their system in different contexts and looks for patterns in their functioning; in phase 2, the client takes this new self‐recognition and experiments with different ways of being in one context; and in phase 3, the insights gained from experiments in one context are applied in other contexts. Both client and clinician will benefit from less symptom focus and increased ability to observe patterns in relationships, both of which are core tenets of the work of differentiation in BFST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of differentiation of self and its relationship to the natural capacity of humans and other social animals to adapt underpins clinician and researcher Victoria Harrison's long‐term investigation of the biology of reactivity in relationships. Victoria's early research related to infertility and reproduction demonstrated how reactivity in at least three prior generations can contribute to chronic conditions, such as endometriosis, that are less amenable to intervention. Her most recent project, the 'Observations of Change in Physiology and Family' research, highlights how work on differentiation of self improves functional outcomes in physical and mental health for the family. While an individual may not experience the 'calm mind' that is often the goal of conventional therapeutic intervention, a significant reduction in symptoms and an improvement in overall functioning and relatedness are outcomes. This occurred when participants focused on increasing person‐to‐person contact with extended family members, reducing their emotional reactivity to significant others in the important triangles of their life and family and maintaining intellectual activity, often described as curiosity, even while reacting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This participatory research project highlighted the views and experiences of young people who are the brothers and sisters of children and young people who have experienced child sexual abuse. By working with young people who had experienced sexual abuse and their siblings, this practitioner research sought to give these young people a voice. The research involved a group process with young people who have experienced sexual abuse and have siblings, and one‐to‐one online consultations with the brothers and sisters of young people who have experienced abuse. All the young people spoke of their sibling and family relationships as unique and requiring unique responses to these relationships by services and health‐care professionals. Siblings' needs in the aftermath of a child sexual abuse discovery are often overlooked. This research describes how just as children who have experienced sexual abuse may feel anger, fear, guilt, shame, anxiety, and confusion, so do their siblings. Brothers and sisters of young people who have experienced sexual abuse describe significant relational trauma with intense emotional experiences of isolation, confusion, sadness, and anger. There is a real need to support young people and families to find words and develop capacities to talk about child sexual abuse ‐‐ a need to find supportive ways to speak about what has occurred and understand its impact on all. The study clearly demonstrated the significant level of need and impact on brothers and sisters of young people who have experienced sexual abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This position paper from a core group of infant mental health academics and clinicians addresses the conspicuous underrepresentation of the infant in mainstream family therapy. Despite infants' social capacities and clear contributions to family dynamics, they remain largely overlooked within this therapeutic context. We suggest that family therapists have moral and professional responsibilities to support the participation, protection, and well‐being of all family members, including the infant. Here, we emphasise the importance of including the infant in the family therapy setting. By highlighting their frequent omission, we aim to amplify infants' often unheard 'voice,' role, and contributions to family development, especially recovery from distress. A shift towards infant inclusion as the rule rather than the exception represents a new frontier of integration. We first highlight the relational nature of infant development with a focus on the infants' psychosocial capacities and vulnerabilities. We then consider reasons why the infant may be overlooked in family and systemic therapies and offer a rationale for inviting the infant into these settings, illustrated through the use of a clinical case vignette. To facilitate infant inclusion, we propose a series of guidelines to meaningfully incorporate infants into family therapy practices. We conclude by encouraging shifts in family therapy research, training, and practice to better incorporate and understand the unique contributions of the infant to family life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developmentalists have demonstrated that the quality of relationships established by infants with their proximal social environment is crucial for lifecourse development. However, studies of parent–infant relationships have mostly centred on the mother–child dyad. Stemming from family systems theory that considers interactions within the whole family as critical for an individual's personal development, a group of family therapists and researchers in Lausanne (Switzerland) tried to bridge the gap between systemic and developmental thinking by stressing the need to establish the mother–father–infant triad as a collective unit of study. In response, they created the Lausanne Trilogue Play (LTP), a method to systematically assess the quality of mother–father–infant interactions. The LTP is an observational situation during which parents are asked to play with their infant in four parts: (i) one parent plays with the infant, while the other parent is 'simply present'; (ii) the parents switch roles; (iii) all three play together; (iv) the parents discuss in front of the infant. The theoretical model underpinning the LTP is the family alliance model, which postulates that the quality of the coordination demonstrated by the triad to achieve this task can be assessed mainly through careful observation of non‐verbal behaviours as indicators of the achievement of four interactive functions (i.e., participation, organisation, focalisation, affect sharing); fulfilment of these functions determines the quality of relational functioning within the system. This article introduces the clinical, theoretical, and empirical foundations of using the LTP method with the family alliance model; its use in clinical and research contexts; and the most recent advances in the field of research on mother–father–infant interactions based on the LTP situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the impact of social media‐based drama therapy and family counselling in reducing symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD) in women aged 18–34. The researchers used a quasi‐experimental design and randomly assigned the participants (n = 303) to the control, drama therapy, and family counselling groups. The key findings of the study are as follows. First, at baseline, women not only showed more symptoms of PPD than their male counterparts, but men also reached the PPD threshold of 12/13. Second, the difference between women and men regarding their PPD scores achieved statistical significance (p = 0.004). However, during the post‐intervention assessment, men who received drama therapy intervention reported a significant drop in their PPD below the threshold of 12/13. Only women whose spouses received family counselling on spousal support reported a significant drop in their PPD. However, those whose partners did not receive family counselling on spousal support still reported PPD scores within the threshold. In both instances, women in the control group still had high PPD scores. Finally, during the 6‐month follow‐up assessment, even men in the control group did not have significant symptoms of PPD as their scores dropped below the threshold. On the contrary, women in the control group still had high PPD, indicating that PPD lasted more in women than in men. Also, women whose husbands received family counselling on spousal support reported PPD scores below the threshold. However, women whose husbands did not receive spousal counselling still had PPD scores at the threshold, even though their scores marginally dropped. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child focus is a central construct within Bowen family systems theory (Bowen theory). A clinical implication is that mental health treatment focusing on a child may unwittingly reinforce the operation of child‐focused processes, which undermine rather than enhance child well‐being. The concept of child focus in Bowen theory presents significant implications for professionals working in school settings and in fields such as children's mental health, which are inherently child‐focused. Bowen theory is the guiding theoretical framework for School‐Based Filial Therapy (SBFT). SBFT is a play therapy intervention that was initially established in remote and outer‐regional New South Wales, Australia in response to the low availability of children's mental health services and the significant barriers associated with caregiver engagement in children's mental health treatment. It involves trained school personnel facilitating therapeutic play sessions with children experiencing emotional–behavioural problems. The intervention occurs on school grounds, during school hours, and children's family members do not participate in the intervention. This mixed‐methods study examines the impact of children's participation in SBFT upon family functioning. Interviews with caregivers (n = 10) of children who participated in 10 SBFT sessions were analysed using content analysis. Quantitative data were collected using the Differentiation of Self Inventory – Short Form and Visual Analogue Scale – Family Functioning. A Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to analyse the pre‐ and post‐data. Qualitative outcomes indicated changes in the categories of child functioning, caregiver functioning, and extended family functioning, whilst child‐focused processes remained dominant but changed in intensity and valence following SBFT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the common parenting style tension around nurture versus limit‐setting often evident when working with families with a symptomatic child. Firstly it will delve into the parenting 'soft/hard split' with an overview of the literature on parenting styles. Next, it summarises the appearance of this phenomenon in the family therapy literature during its formative days, noting how Bowen, Minuchin, Haley, MRI (Bateson), and the Milan associates respond to this parent presentation in their approaches. Next, the paper outlines recent iterations of these family therapy interventions. An expanded discussion follows on Bowen theory's understanding of the parenting tension triangle. The article then outlines elements of the author's qualitative research study of parents' experience of adolescents' mental health treatment where the 'soft/hard split' emerged as a repeating theme. Finally, a clinical intervention based on Bowen theory, the Parent Hope Project, is outlined for how it addresses the parenting 'soft/hard split.' The goal is to contribute to understanding this phenomenon and its implications for clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Milan approach, pioneered by Selvini‐Palazzoli, Boscolo, Cecchin, and Prata, has significantly contributed to the field of psychotherapy, particularly in the realm of systemic and family psychotherapy. While rooted in systemic principles and concepts, over time the original Milan group demonstrated differences in their clinical orientations and practices which led to their regrouping into two teams. The paper explores the divergences in their views and directions on family dynamics and the role of symptoms within the system. It delves into the influence of Boscolo and Cecchin, two of the 'Milan Four' on the Centro Padovano di Terapia della Famiglia. Drawing from a conversation with Andrea Mosconi, a mentee and collaborator of Boscolo and Cecchin, the paper examines the reconfiguration of the original 'Milan Four' team and its impact on their clinical approach. Key Milan principles and concepts such as hypothesising, circularity, and neutrality are examined with particular emphasis on the work of Boscolo and Cecchin's systemic work. These principles, intertwined and interconnected, provide a fertile ground for the construction of multiple hypotheses and circular questioning. The paper also highlights the concept of reflexivity, which originates from Bateson's work and plays a crucial role in family relations and communication while explaining the birthplace of paradox taking place when two levels of meaning are 'confused.' The Milan approach continues to be highly regarded, as its early concepts and ideas have evolved and left a lasting impact on the field of family therapy. By reflecting on the distinct contributions of Boscolo and Cecchin, and using examples, Mosconi offers valuable insights into the rich legacy and ongoing relevance of the Milan approach to contemporary therapeutic practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trauma affecting youth and families takes a variety of forms, from random one‐time events such as accidents and natural disasters to chronic and highly personal trauma from child abuse or intimate partner violence. Though trauma has received increasing attention in theory and intervention research over the last several decades, the prevailing theories and treatments have limitations due to a linear perspective focused on the trauma problems of the individual. This is particularly concerning given the high dropout rates for trauma‐focused treatments and the complexities of intergenerational trauma that cannot be adequately conceptualised at the level of the individual. To inform and improve family‐based treatment of youth and family trauma, this paper proposes a theoretical framework informed by social constructivism and systems theory. Social constructivism upholds that reality is constructed through communication as an adaptive process for survival, with multiple potential realities possible. Systems theory promotes a non‐linear view of causality within a system, such that the structure and properties of a system determine outcomes more than the inputs that go into the system. Together, the principles of these meta‐theories contradict the orthodox focus on traumatic events causing trauma symptoms, and instead imply that family‐based treatment should focus on helping families shift assumptions and dynamics that sustain the problem in the present. The joint application of a social constructivism–systems theory framework for trauma introduces several new principles to inform family‐based treatment: (a) post‐trauma realities; (b) mutual survival; (c) power–justice balance; and (d) adaptive reorganisation. The implications of these principles for youth and family trauma treatment will be discussed. Future intervention development and research should consider these principles in the ongoing effort to improve family therapy for youth and family trauma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescent relational violence has significant and pervasive impacts for young people's current and future relationships. It is known that there is a cross‐over between adolescent family violence and other offending behaviour, meaning there is a need for youth justice systems to recognise and respond to these forms of violence. This paper outlines a pilot intervention, the KIND Program, run in Youth Justice South Australia, and aimed at intervening with adolescent family and dating violence. KIND aims to provide tailored systemic intervention to young people and their support network, reducing violence while increasing connection and strength within relationships. The pilot of KIND ran for seven months in 2017, and had eight families participating in the program. Participation in, feedback from, and impact of the program suggest that participation was worthwhile and useful for young people and their families. The KIND Program would benefit from a more extensive pilot period to explore the outcomes of this form of intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores an abusive wife's symptoms and risk factors of intimate partner violence (IPV) in a heterosexual relationship. A qualitative approach, using a conceptual cluster network, was used to analyse the family therapy case of a wife abusing her husband. Findings indicate that the wife's IPV‐related symptoms included victim mentality, despair, depression, insomnia, aggression, and the desire to divorce the husband. The wife's risk factors were present at the personal, family‐relational, and sociocultural levels. This study indicates that therapists counselling violent Korean couples may explore couples' communication styles, undifferentiation of self, transference, the culture of filial piety, and the influence of Confucian culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a model of care focusing on family emotions in the treatment of adolescent obsessive‐compulsive disorder, which is illustrated by a case study. It is concluded that augmenting current treatments by targeting family emotions may enhance adolescent outcomes and improve family functioning. The model is illustrated by a case study, and further systematic research with a larger sample size is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects on the nuanced way in which the therapeutic dialogue establishes a safe space for families to address and give meaning to mortality and the different ways in which they hear, understand, and communicate about impending death. Intergenerational patterns of families responding to and navigating a terminal diagnosis are also considered. Language, the therapist's own narrative and experience, familial and intergenerational experiences as well as meanings of life‐threatening illness are explored. The concept of impending death as haunting is introduced and explored. Adding this 'existential' haunting into the formula allows us to consider that impending death offers as an opportunity to 'unblock' communication between and within families and at the same time to identify 'blocked' communication patterns, thus providing a deeper understanding through an elucidation of rifts between family members and/or developing unexpected possibilities for movement and reconciliation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genograms are a key technology for family therapists, but in many respects they remain distinctly underexplored. This is especially the case when it comes to the basic structure of the genogram. Other authors have added other lenses on top (e.g., the cultural genogram, the spirituality genogram, and many others), but very few have explored in depth the core assumptions of the circles and squares which make up a genogram. In this article, I engage with the genogram literature to suggest that these shapes lead the genogram session to proceed in a way which privileges gender identity ahead of all other social graces, through the process of deconstruction. I then consider if a model of genogram creation which uses a universal symbol and then refers to gender later through symbology might allow for greater flexibility and curiosity in genogram sessions. This idea is offered with the intention that practitioners will engage with this deconstruction of the genogram in a variety of different ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the importance of Bowen family systems theory in the field of family therapy, there have been few studies examining family unit functioning. To fill this gap, a self‐report instrument, the Family Unit Functioning (FUF) questionnaire has been developed. The FUF questionnaire is a multidimensional measure specifically for adults (aged 25+) about nuclear and family‐of‐origin responses to challenges. Eighty‐six adults who were enrolled in Bowen theory training programs participated in an online questionnaire. The FUF assessment tests five dimensions of family unit functioning developed by Papero (2020). The investigators employed a confirmatory factor analysis, and the following analyses results indicate support for four of the five proposed FUF dimensional constructs: 1. resourcefulness; 2. connectedness and integration; 4. systems thinking; and 5. goal structure. However, the third construct, tension management, requires further validation using a larger data source to generate a more favourable result. The potential contribution of the FUF instrument for testing Bowen theory, use as a family psychotherapy assessment tool, and as an indicator of psychotherapeutic outcomes is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Couple and family therapy is distinguished from individual therapy due to its focus on the interactional patterns between family members. However, there is plenty of overlap because of the reciprocal relationship between individual psychopathology and its relational contexts. Many clients seeking individual therapy aim to improve their relationships, and couples and families who have relational difficulties often have at least one partner with some type of psychopathology. This article presents integrative systemic therapy (IST) as a method for integrating individual, couple, and family therapy. IST is a multitheoretical and multisystemic perspective that utilises concepts and interventions from a variety of therapies for a broad variety of presenting concerns and populations, including individuals, couples, and families. In IST, a repetitive pattern of interaction is co‐occurring at two levels – within an individuals' minds (i.e., intrapsychic) and externally in people's interactions with others in their system (i.e., interpersonal) – and they influence each other. Therefore, IST therapists utilise various interventions from individual and couple and family therapy within a case to disentangle problems occurring at various systemic levels. The paper begins with a summary of the theoretical assumptions of IST and introduces basic terms such as sequences. This is followed by specific descriptions of two critical tools, essence and blueprint, which walk therapists through the steps of how to conduct IST and integrate individual, couple, and family therapy. Finally, two case examples are used to demonstrate this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics, including "Walk-in Together: a pilot study of a walk-in online family therapy intervention", and "More than just pain?! A systemic compass for working with people with chronic pain".