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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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article addresses the issue of intimate partner violence (IPV) and its impact to couple and family therapy in Australia. The author's reflection on a number of papers related to IPV is discussed including one by Costello that focuses on the difference between the American and Australian system, another by Alan Jenkins regarding the role of shame in IPV and a paper that presents a program in dealing with individuals around issues of IPV.

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual health has been declared a sexual right and part of human rights on health and freedom from discrimination. Over 40 years ago the World Health Organization, and other international organisations since, have called for marital, couple, and family therapists to be trained in working with sexuality in a respectful, positive manner that affirms sexual health and sexual expression. Despite this, there have not been significant strides in helping therapists understand a view of sexual health focused on freedom of expression and pleasure, nor significant advances in requirements for professional training in a broad conceptualisation of sexuality. There is also evidence that practitioner comfort with the topic has not significantly changed over time. In this paper, ethical issues impeding the advancement of sexual health services within mental health professions are explored and recommendations for training curriculums are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A therapist's ethical values will not always match those of his/her clients; nor may the values they share be congenial with those central to their acquaintances outside. To whose values should a therapist then be responsible? Here it is useful to think in terms of first and second order ethics. First order ethics are those common to everyday life; they are under continuous production, and may or may not be fully articulated. They are also in frequent conflict, inciting animosity and hatred. A second order ethic, however, is one that places the supreme value on the relational process from which all ethics spring. It is thus an ethic that prizes those actions that can bring multiple and conflicting voices into productive communication. Illustrative therapeutic practices are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Therapeutic practice must be, above all, ethical. And, in most cases, what is designated as ethical is equated with what is legal and just. But what counts as ethics in a world of multiplicity, difference, and complexity? Shifting from the modernist world of certainty (where ethics codes are created) to a relational sensibility where complexity and uncertainty serve as guideposts, we also must release our grasp on the idea of a universal, decontextualised notion of ethics. A relational ethic directs our attention to how we might create opportunities for different conversations, conversations built on curiosity where we can search for local coherence. With an ethic of discursive potential, we can attempt to coordinate multiple moral orders and imagine a future that is relationally sensitive. We can harness the potential of coordinating differences to move beyond simple solutions, universal resolutions, and our desire to eliminate difference once and for all. In this article, I argue that an ethic of discursive potential sensitises us to the contextual and relational nuances of daily life and thereby avoids decontextualised legalised ethical judgments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethical dilemmas in the field of family therapy continue to evolve; this article addresses ethical issues family therapists are currently confronting or may confront in the future. We begin by examining a movement in the field towards relational ethics, which is inclusive of context, values, and power that permeate all relationships. Using this framework in relation to both our clients and our practice, we discuss defensive and risk-aversive practice of family therapy within our current socio-political context, family therapists working with child alienation in cases of non-normative divorce, the impact of digital technology on families and family therapy, and the polarisation of sexual value issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family therapists in private practice are required to negotiate monetary issues with clients regularly. However, therapists may hold conflicting feelings about receiving payments in family therapy, given the mix of therapeutic and financial implications. Such internal conflicts may be enacted and contribute to unhelpful consequences when families also bring their own monetary conflicts into the therapeutic setting. This paper outlines a case study of a joint enactment of monetary issues, where the family silently misses payment for several sessions, and the therapist responds first with silence and then with a clumsy, nontherapeutic attempt to address the issue. The family drops out of therapy but fortuitously returns later and provides a context for their monetary issues, which contributes to a positive therapeutic outcome and highlights several important implications for family therapy in private practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are numerous unique legal and ethical concerns that clinicians should consider when counselling children, adolescents, and their families. These, however, are not generally emphasised in most ethics courses in graduate training programs. While ethical codes vary among professional organisations (e.g., marriage and family therapy, counselling, social work, psychology), this article addresses many subjects that are common across disciplines, such as (1) informed consent, (2) types of confidentiality, exceptions, and reporting issues, (3) sharing information revealed to the practitioner to parents, and (4) subpoenas. Other important topics are the importance of counsellor competencies, multicultural considerations, and special topics including the use of touch and the role of the professional in divorce situations. Additionally, the role of computing and social media can enhance relationships for children, or be sources of stress or trauma. Lastly, laws, which typically supersede ethical codes often vary from state to state and nation to nation, and it is imperative that clinicians are cognisant of those in their jurisdiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses technology and social networking issues for couple and family therapists in their professional relationships with couples and families. Despite the prevalence of technology in many spheres of contemporary clients' lives, the potential for intrusion, unrealistic expectations of accessibility, and boundary violations can adversely affect therapy relationships. The article specifically addresses: (a) technology and the ecology of therapy, (b) the therapy relationship and boundary management, (c) social media within and outside the therapy relationship, and (d) ancillary uses of technology in therapy. It concludes with recommendations for addressing and managing technology in the therapy relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Couple and family therapy has a long history as a valuable and necessary intervention, and yet the complexity of providing services to multiple parties has not been commonly explored in professional literature. Managing clients at different ages, stages, and capacities, working with multiple agendas and multiple systems, fostering and maintaining rapport with a range of people, all requires more thought with couple and family work. While codes of ethics offer values and principles for decision making, managing the specifics of practice when working systemically tend to be developed in supervision. While this can work well, habits of practice and blind spots can occur in positive, established professional relationships. This article looks at how the fundamental ethical requirements of practice differ in relation to couple and family work: competence, juggling multiple imperatives, boundaries, confidentiality, and informed consent. Its aim is not to provide rules for management, but to raise awareness and foster dialogue about perennial issues in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child Protection Unit (CPU) therapists work with the family system, providing support, counselling, and facilitating change. At the same time the counsellor is part of the wider child protection system, its legislation, organisation, and practices, and the justice system. Social workers must act in accordance with the law and organisational directives, and are encouraged to critically reflect on ethical decisions while observing professional values. When these directives conflict with perceived moral obligations, and complex systems intersect in a way that is at times unhelpful and at the worst re-traumatising for children and families, CPU counsellors may find themselves in a state of 'ethics anxiety'; attempting to juggle the systemic imperatives, the needs of the child and the family, ethics, and the law. While our experience arises from the CPU context, the themes we will discuss are relevant for anyone working with people whose presenting problem relates to a court process such as in matters of domestic violence and adult sexual assault. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Derrida tells us languages are bearers of culture that are never neutral but always political; they impose a kind of cultural violence on the persons who speak them. If to speak a language is to participate in a form of political violence, then one challenge for family therapy becomes ethical: how to avoid forms of linguistic oppression that impose a language on others. Such ethics take precedence over questions of epistemology or approach: theory, knowledge, and language are in the service of others. As narrative, systemic, or dialogical family therapists, we speak the language of therapy so others can speak their own discourse and form their own language community. However, to be called a 'therapist' there is also a responsibility to help others in the best way possible, which may require speaking non-relational, evidence-informed professional discourses. The paper discusses an ethical family therapy as one that engages a range of therapeutic discourses while speaking the language of the client. This is illustrated by a practice example of integrative family therapy with a depressed, self-harming, and suicidal teenager. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the therapeutic use of relational ethics, the role of ethics in the universal context and the significance of multiple languages in mental health practice.

Child abuse and neglect often occur within the context of multiple risk factors, in particular parental mental health (MH) and/or drug and alcohol (D&A) problems. Interventions aimed at improving parental MH and D&A issues can have a positive impact on children now, as well as in the future. However, implementing sustainable service models that facilitate positive change for families with multiple risk factors is challenging. The purpose of the present study was to gain feedback from key stakeholders on a service model targeted at families where there are parental D&A, MH and child protection concerns to identify possible strengths and limitations of the model. This identified possible strategies for service improvement from the perspective of discharged clients and clinical staff. Gaining feedback from key stakeholders on service models is increasingly recognised as central to service evaluation and development. Ten interviews were conducted with clinical staff and twenty interviews with discharged clients of a pilot service that works with families where the child or children are at risk of significant harm in the context of parental MH and/or D&A issues. The interviews with clinicians highlighted difficulties working with this complex client group and its impact on staff burnout. Clinicians suggested how the model could be changed to better support clinical staff from burnout. Interviews with discharged clients highlighted the importance of the relationship with the worker in establishing client engagement and facilitating change. The way in which these recommendations informed the design of the service model is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout his long career in counselling and family therapy, Ron Perry has seen enormous ups and downs in the field. He studied with, and worked alongside, family therapy masters such as Virginia Satir, Jay Haley, MRI and the Milan team and his dedication to counselling and psychotherapy culminated in an Order of Australia medal in 2005. In this conversation, Ron provides an intimate understanding of family therapy emphasising the value of teams and interventions that achieve good outcomes for families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little information exists on the specific reflective processes that precede therapists' choice of including or not including a structured feedback procedure in their established practice. In the present study, we aim to describe and explore experienced couple and family therapists' expectations for how the comprehensive therapy feedback procedure Systemic Therapy Inventory of Change might influence their practices. Through a thematic analysis of six focus group interviews, two main themes were elicited. The first main theme involved values embedded in current practice, with the following subthemes: (1) balance between the therapist's expert knowledge and the client's experience-based knowledge; and (2) making time to build alliances. The second main theme concerned the presumed influence on current practice, with the following subthemes: (1) 'Systemic Therapy Inventory of Change will disturb the therapist's capacity to stay present'; (2) 'Systemic Therapy Inventory of Change will shape conversations'; and (3) 'Systemic Therapy Inventory of Change will contribute to increased qualitative depth'. We discuss these results in relation to the notion of Systemic Therapy Invention of Change as a 'third party in the room'. We also discuss the results in relation to implications for collaborative practices, and for client and therapist autonomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner violence ( IPV) is a major issue for many Australian families and yet progress towards the development of effective prevention and behaviour change programs has been relatively slow. In this paper, it is proposed that the tendency to treat perpetrators as a homogenous group has hampered progress, and that treatment outcomes can be improved by tailoring treatment responses to a small set of personal and offence-related characteristics. It explores the developmental origins and trajectories of these presentations and identifies some new directions for further research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on the authors' clinical experience as family therapists, working predominantly with families who have experienced trauma such as sexual abuse, physical abuse and neglect, to demonstrate that taking a systemic trauma-informed approach is a powerful therapeutic modality that can facilitate positive outcomes for all family members. The paper discusses the impact of trauma on relationships, and then outlines a rationale for a trauma-informed, systemic approach with those traumatised families who are, at times, challenged by excessively heightened behaviour and emotional dysregulation. Drawing from parenting research, it includes a discussion of the place of parent work and how this can be integrated with systemic family work. Key constraints and considerations are highlighted followed by a discussion of key interventions the authors have found useful in building a clinical framework for this work, including what is critical for the therapeutic process. While working with traumatised families is complex and challenging, offering a safe place for families to be in the presence of each other's pain and 'ride the wave' of emotions can be a powerful path to recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including Narcissism; Muslim Women; and family therapy.

In this article, the author shares his experience of being a family therapist and also his experience of working with family therapy team at Relationships Australia. Topics discussed include information on the structural family therapy model; initiatives taken for improving parental subsystem; and inspirations gained by the author from Salvador Minuchin.

The article offers information on Salvador Minuchin who was founder of Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic which inspired therapists and offered therapeutic interventions for poorest and disadvantaged families. Topics include works of Salvador Minuchin in the sector of social injustice and poverty; training received by Salvador Minuchin as the New Freudian psychoanalyst at the White Alanson Institute in New York; and contributions of Salvador Minuchin in the field of psychotherapy.

The article discusses the requirement of constructing knowledge in daily clinical practices. Topics include challenges derived from understanding social constructionism, difficulties faced by therapists while attending specific proposal, and making use of constructionist discourse in everyday practice without forming new approaches.

The article discusses the role of Maudsley Family-based Treatment (FBT) for adolescents and children with anorexia nervosa. Topics include requirement of providing attention to the moderators and mediators of outcome; requirement of more than one type of anti-depressant trial to some patients due to genetic and other variability in responsiveness; and Evidence-based international guidelines for treating people with people with anorexia nervosa.

A correction for the article "Systemic integrative practice: A meta-framework" is presented, which is published in the March 4, 2022 issue of the periodical.

A feeling in the body approach invites a way of knowing that includes the body, which can contribute to a quality of noticing often not visible in our talk. We often rely on descriptions of emotion to convey our feelings. However the use of words like sad, angry, depressed or happy does not show the affects of emotion. And even when we try to touch on feelings in the body, one is often hard pressed to see what it looks like. If we are to give bodily perspective a platform alongside dialogue we must use the language of the body in descriptions of our world and the world of others and include sensorial ways of understanding. The paper does not focus on one particular sense but explores how the systemic might interact with the senses from which emerge bodily feelings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An obituary for Italian family therapist Luigi Boscolo is presented, highlighting his professional life which includes being one of the founders of family therapy in Italy.

This paper develops a systemically informed tool-kit of therapeutic ideas for working with stepfamilies. First, systemic thinking is applied to the stepfamily context, and compared to traditional stepfamily lenses. Second, an integrative frame is used to incorporate a range of systemic therapeutic practices, to match four specific stepfamily issues. These practices are demonstrated through a fictional clinical vignette weaved throughout the paper. Finally, the challenge of being flexible in integrating theory is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systemic consultation is a form of tertiary case supervision derived from the principles of systemic family therapy. The present study defines the process and outcomes of systemic consultation through the experiences of case managers ( CMs) working with people who have an intellectual disability. CMs were invited to present and discuss one of their complex cases with a team of consultants and attend a follow up session 4 to 6 weeks later. Measures of levels of stress, perception of workplace functioning, and workflow information were completed pre and post-intervention and compared to measures completed by a second group of CMs receiving regular supervision only. After participation in systemic consultation, the networks of people CMs consulted about the case were significantly smaller and they scored significantly higher on a network measure of efficiency of information flow. The CMs experienced lower levels of stress and higher perception of workplace functioning, these differences approached significance. After attending the consultation outcome, themes included a reduced sense of being stuck and stressed, becoming an agent of change and taking perspective. The approach allows CMs space for reflection on practice and new perspectives to be heard. Case management has been under-represented in documented research and evidence-based training and supervision models, and is an area in which professional theory appears to be lacking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An obituary for Italian family therapist Luigi Boscolo is presented, highlighting his occupational achievements and work ethics.

An obituary for Italian family therapist Luigi Boscolo is presented, highlighting his childhood, occupational achievements, and job experiences.

An obituary for Italian family therapist Luigi Boscolo is presented, highlighting his occupational achievements, views on therapeutic error, and practise of constructionism.

An obituary for Italian family therapist Luigi Boscolo is presented, highlighting his hobbies and relationships with colleague Gianfranco Cecchin and wife Jacqueline Pereira.

Studies exploring the experiences of recovering from mental health difficulties show the significance of social and relational aspects. Dialogical practices operate within the realm of social relations; individual perspectives are not the primary focus of attention. The present study is part of a series of qualitative studies from southern Norway, exploring dialogical practices and change from the perspective of lived experience and in relationship with network meetings. Two co-researchers, who themselves had experienced mental health difficulties, were part of the research team. Material from qualitative interviews was analysed through a dialogical hermeneutical process where ideas from Emmanuel Lévinas and Mikhail Bakhtin were used as analytical lenses. Six interdependent dimensions emerged from our interpretative analysis, comprising three temporal dimensions (1. Dialogues open the moment, 2. Dialogues open the past, and 3. Dialogues open the future) and three dimensions of speaking, which operated across the three temporal dimensions (4. Ethical: Dialogues open through inviting attentiveness and valuing, 5. Expressive: Dialogues open for new vitality, and 6. Hermeneutical: Dialogues open for new meaning). These dimensions were incorporated into one main theme: Dialogues - beginning by others being invitingly attentive - open for moving and living. The way the findings point to change events as an opening for movement - 'moving in' as if from the outside, and 'moving on' as opposed to being stuck - are discussed in relation to other studies. We conclude by suggesting that the salient point of change-generating conversations is in the ethics of being invitingly attentive, and such conversations should take into account multidimensionality, that relates to the past and the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dialogue in marital and family therapy ( MFT) is by definition a multi-actor dialogue. This raises important challenges for therapists since the conversation is often tension filled and can have dramatic real life consequences for family members. In this paper I focus on the challenges presented in working with couples. In the first part of the paper I develop a theoretical frame, which relies on the MFT literature on the therapeutic relationship as well as on the discussion in the field around the therapeutic relationship and the concept of not knowing. I question the therapeutic effectiveness of the therapist's egalitarian intentions and the idealistic view of the naturally healing dialogue implicit in not knowing. I especially highlight the validity of some of the concepts of Mikhail Bakhtin (e.g., addressivity, responsivity) to address the specific complexities of the MFT encounter. Then I present a case study, which is limited to a microanalysis of the first minutes of a first session of a marital therapy. In the third part of the paper I discuss what I have learned from the case study against the background of some of the central ideas developed in the first part. This leads to the conclusion that the marital and family therapist cannot escape the uncomfortable position of being responsible to find ways to actively contribute to a helpful dialogue with clients; a dialogue that is not a natural given, but rather a project that needs the therapist's constant consideration and care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article contains a description of the context, development and delivery of No kids in the middle, a group approach for divorced fighting parents and their children. After addressing the social and legal context of high conflict divorces, we describe the main characteristics of this destructive dynamic. We describe some aspects of the approach and give examples. Key principles for the project include: keeping the child in mind; working in groups; stopping legal processes; making free space for interactions; creative presentation ceremonies; and reaching out to the network. The outcomes are promising. Research on the project has started. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the potential relevance of dialogical ideas to psychiatric practice and asks: Is it possible to be a bit dialogical? A practice predicament is offered as a point of reference that is explored in light of the ideas presented. The notion of voice is used to introduce some ideas that inform dialogical approaches to clinical practice. Voice is then considered with respect to a medical setting, through examination of the biopsychosocial model, psychiatry's contract with society, the example of Open Dialogues, and Recovery. The conclusion acknowledges the possibility that tension is experienced between therapeutic ideals and contextual constraints. The original question may assist the clinician in defining a set of values that acknowledges this tension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Tom Andersen talked a great deal of the importance of his 'inner dialogues,' he did not explicitly talk of himself as being a dialogical therapist. However, in trying to articulate what is important in the nature of all dialogically-structured practices, I want to use examples of his therapeutic practices, Tom Andersen's way of being Tom Andersen, examples that in fact exhibit many relevant features of such dialogically-structured practices. Central to them all is a move away from the Cartesian idea that events in the 'outside' or 'external' world are represented or pictured within us in some way (i.e., in our heads somewhere), and a move towards, a responsive understanding, a felt tendency or anticipation to go on in a particular way in relation to a particular circumstance out in the world at large. Something that the generalities described in theories, models, recipes, sets of principles, etc., that are common to all situations do not do. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family therapy shaped by the twin contributions of radical humanism (after Freire) and dialogism together create a binocular vision for practice. This vision encompasses the intricacies of moment to moment responses that are seen to occur within a politically informed and socially structured relational context. The breadth of practice possibilities shows no allegiance to any particular 'school' of family therapy but rather advocates for an orientation that humanises the relationship between therapist and family. This humanising orientation counters 'technologies' of practice that reduce the social or relational complexity of human existence creating categories of deficiency or pathology that individualise distress. Practical applications of aspects of dialogism are described and illustrated with a focus on multi-actor participation and attention to embodied responsiveness by the therapist. An attitude that encourages joint experimentation, serious playfulness and the 'performative' are offered as examples of the scope of a dialogically informed humanising practice. In addition practice challenges are considered, in particular where contexts of power 'over' the other are a necessary part of one's professional context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the development of a family therapy service in a regional Australian public mental health service for children and adolescents, using a service model of therapy in the family home which draws on the 'dialogical' and 'collaborative' principles of Seikkula, Anderson and others. The implementation of this service has incorporated training, peer supervision and reflective practice, which has been congruent with dialogical and collaborative principles. Clinicians from a wide range of backgrounds and levels of experience have had a positive experience of learning to work in a dialogical framework. The 'Mobile Family Therapy Team' consists of around 20 clinicians (nurses, allied health clinicians, consultant psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists) who work in teams of two or three, and who work with one to four families each. Most therapy is conducted in the family home, and clinicians experience this as rewarding but also challenging. This service model is seen as acceptable and accessible to families. Our experience has been that this form of family therapy has been a useful and effective component of treatment for families with complex, severe and high risk problems who have not benefited from previous interventions. Many of these families would not have accessed traditional clinic-based family therapy. We see supervision and reflective practice as essential to the sustainability of this service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The philosophy of Martin Buber, the author of the seminal text I and Thou, offers profound insights into the dialogical approach to family therapy and research, in particular the understanding of the moment-to-moment relational encounters between therapist and client, or researcher and participant. This paper provides an introduction to Buber's dialogical philosophy of relation as based on his extensive writing. It opens Buber's scholarship beyond the ideas of the I-It and I-Thou relationships, to explore a relational process involving an ongoing movement between I-It and I-Thou. The author's conceptualisation suggests that Buber's poetic terms reveal different layers of this dialogical process that may lead to intersubjective moments, those which offer dialogical knowing and the possibility of transformation. The author proposes that such an understanding may increase the therapist's and researcher's awareness, sensitivity and attunement to this dialogical process and to moments of dialogical knowing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]