Family Therapy Skills and Techniques in Action

Mark Rivett is the director of Family and Systemic Psychotherapy training at the University of Exeter and a family therapist in South Wales. He is a past editor of the Journal of Family Therapy. Joanne Buchmüller is a specialist family and systemic psychotherapist in an adolescent inpatient unit in South Wales and a visiting lecturer in systemic family therapy at the Universities of Bristol and Exeter.

• Preface Chapter One: Introduction, setting the scene Chapter Two: Listening to the orchestra Chapter Three: Assessment, finding out what we need to know Chapter Four: Integrative family therapy, a contemporary practice Chapter Five: Structural family therapy, creating a dance with families Chapter Six: Strategic family therapy, making language therapeutic Chapter Seven: Milan and Post-Milan Family Therapy, changing rules and meanings Chapter Eight: Narrative family therapy, interpreting the story Chapter Nine: Working Systemically with Individuals, opening up a different view Chapter Ten: Reflective Practice in Family Therapy

"Family Therapy Skills and Techniques in Action is the best book available for learning about family therapy and the skills involved in it. Writing in a crisp parsimonious style, Mark Rivett and Joanne Buchmuller capture the essence of family therapy and each of its major methods in a way that is fully intelligible to the beginning therapist or more experienced practitioners new to family work. The value of this book is immensely enhanced by its unique format, which incorporates film clips with accompanying transcripts to enable understanding how the conceptual material is utilized in real therapy contexts. Filled with tables that summarize material that readers are sure to continue to refer to over the years, Rivett and Buchmuller’s book should be an essential part of every family therapist’s library."-Jay L. Lebow, Clinical Professor, Family Institute at Northwestern and Northwestern University."This is the book for which systemic practice trainers and students have been waiting. Mark and Joanne discuss complex concepts in a manner that is clear, engaging and jargon free. They pull out key ideas and link them to excellent practice examples illustrated with film. Highlights include an excellent chapter on formulation a thorough exploration of the family life cycle and reworking of older concepts into a modern practice environment. Highly recommended for all trainers and students."-Judith Lask, Former Chair of Systemic College of UKCP and AFT and former Head of Family Therapy Training at Kings College London.