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Up to half of clients in psychotherapy do not return after their initial session, and clients in family therapy are more likely than those in individual therapy to terminate after the first session. Recent research has identified six therapist-related conditions in the family therapy session that have influenced client decisions to continue after the first session. This article reports the findings of a review of the professional literature aimed at operationalizing the six therapist-related conditions by identifying specific family therapist actions that can be deliberately applied during initial family therapy sessions to increase the chances that client families will return. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hurricane Katrina has profoundly altered the lives of New Orleans residents as they continue for years following the storm to attempt to rebuild their community and their lives. Natural disaster literature has historically focused on the impacts on individuals and correlating variables. Significant literature gaps exist regarding family systems and disaster and analysis of the relationship of social class to recovery. Further, social class has traditionally been examined solely as it relates to socioeconomic status. This qualitative investigation situated in an emancipatory paradigm investigated the relationship between social class and family changes for seven families recovering from Hurricane Katrina. Participants self-identified as members of marginalized social classes. Cross-case themes emerging as significant in the process of familial recovery included Relationship to Community, Interpersonal Relationships, Constructions of Class, and Growing and Changing. Study conclusions revealed significant shifts in family identities evolving around participant geographic connectivity to kinship networks, perceptions of social class status, and levels of cohesion between individual and relational domains within a family. Implications for professionals in the fields of disaster preparedness and recovery are outlined, with emphasis on the connection between practice and study findings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The considerable number of essential skills identified in the literature creates a challenge for family therapist instructors and supervisors who must develop a coherent curriculum for clinical training and supervision. This study used a modified Delphi method to obtain a consensus from experienced structural family therapists concerning the most essential skills needed by novice structural family the rapists. The therapists concluded that relational skills are of primary importance to establish a therapeutic relationship that would facilitate the structural interventions. A critical component of the relational factor was the ability of the novice therapist to provide a vision of hope to clients and establish expectancy for change. The study provides an added dimension to understanding the essential training needs of novice structural family the rapists from the practitioner's perspective and brings research in essential skills for novice therapists closer to actual clinical practice. Implications for further research and clinical training are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an analysis on how structural family therapy has adapted to client families and professional demands of the twenty-first century. An explanation of Salvadore Minuchin's structural family therapy approach is offered. Also mentioned is the Minuchin Center for the Family, a training and consultation resource regarding structural family therapy.

This article reports the findings of a study that examined why families choose to return to family therapy after their first family therapy session. The 87 families that were referred to a university family counseling center for assistance with their children's behavioral problems at school completed an author-developed survey in which they rated the influence of various therapist-related and family-related factors on their decision to return for a second session. Factor analysis of the survey data revealed that the families' positive experience of the therapist during the first session had the strongest influence on their continuation decision. The findings suggest that family therapists are not helpless victims to client attrition after the first session, but rather, have the strongest potential for influencing client decisions to come back. Specific family therapist actions for maximizing family continuation after the first session are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]