Systems Theory and Family Therapy - Raphael J. Becvar, Dorothy Stroh Becvar, Lynne V. Reif

Systems Theory and Family Therapy

A Primer
Buch | Hardcover
158 Seiten
2023 | Fourth Edition
Rowman & Littlefield (Verlag)
978-1-5381-8566-7 (ISBN)
57,35 inkl. MwSt
A concise, readable introduction to systems theory (and especially second-order cybernetics) with practical applications to family therapy.

This book provides an overview of the basic concepts of a systems theoretical perspective using families and family therapy as examples and illustrations of their application in professional practice. This meta-perspective focuses on viewing problems in context. The difference between first-order and second-order cybernetics is explicated. Readers then are invited to see themselves as parts of the systems with which they are working consistent with a second-order cybernetics perspective. Along the way a difference between modernism and post-modernism as well as constructionism and social constructionism also are described. In addition, theories of individual and family development are presented with implications for their use in family therapy. The book concludes with more than 100 examples of how the meta-perspective of systems theory can be used in work with families.

In addition to providing concise descriptions of essential systems concepts, the book explains the process of change that occurs with family systems, especially those that the family finds difficult to adapt to. The text is replete with ideas for therapists to identify those changes and work with the family through their identified challenges according to the family’s narrative.

Raphael J. Becvar, retired endowed chair in marital and family therapy, was a licensed psychologist, licensed marriage and family therapist, and an approved supervisor with many years of experience in both academic and private practice contexts. He has authored and co-authored many books and articles in professional journals. His particular focus is on philosophical/metaperspectives on mental health and the practice of therapy and a widely recognized teacher of systems theory and family therapy. Dorothy Stroh Becvar, Professor Emerita in the School of Social Work at St. Louis University, was a licensed marital and family therapist, and a licensed clinical social worker. She published extensively and presented workshops and taught courses, both nationally and internationally, on a wide variety of topics. She was also president/CEO of the Haelan Centers(R), a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to promoting growth and wholeness in body, mind, and spirit. Dorothy died on August 31, 2021. Lynne Reif, licensed professional counselor, began her career working with at-risk youth in the foster care system. In 2000 she became a middle school counselor and continues in that role today. Lynne has extensive background in working with children and families and was a part of the Leadership Team that created and ran the Empowering Young Women conferences hosted by the University of Missouri St. Louis for 20 years. In 2012, she traveled to Uganda to co-teach a first of its kind course in school counseling to educators there, and to work with girls in the schools. This experience significantly expanded her cultural awareness and understanding of the significance of context in the lives of children.

Acknowledgments

Foreword

Sally St. George and Dan Wulff

Preface

Raphael J. Becvar

Introduction

Chapter 1: About Theories

Chapter 2: Systems Theory/Cybernetics: A Paradigm Shift

Modernism

Postmodernism

Constructivism

Social Constructionism

First-Order and Second-Order Cybernetics

Chapter 3: First-Order Cybernetics: Definitions of Concepts

Boundaries

Communication/Information Processing

Context

Entropy and Negative Entropy

Equifinality

Homeostasis, Morphostasis, and Morphogenesis

Open and Closed Systems

Positive and Negative Feedback

Recursion

Relationship

Wholeness

Summary and Conclusion

Chapter 4: Second-Order Cybernetics: Definition of Concepts

Autopoiesis

Consensual Domains

Epistemology of Participation

Feedback

Non-Purposeful Drift

Openness and Closedness

Reality as a Multiverse

Structural Coupling

Structural Determinism

Wholeness and Self-Reference

Summary and Conclusion

Chapter 5: Family Interpretive Systems/Stories

Chapter 6: Family Development Through the Life Cycle

Chapter 7: The Family as System

Chapter 8: A Critique and Defense of the Systems Perspective

Chapter 9: Patterns to Ponder

Chapter 10: Implications for Family Therapy

Stability and Change

General Principles

Engaging the Family, Assessment, and Therapeutic Goals

Pragmatics

Final Thoughts

Chapter 11: In Conclusion

References

Index

About the Authors

Erscheinungsdatum
Vorwort Sally St. George, Dan Wulff
Verlagsort Lanham, MD
Sprache englisch
Maße 158 x 240 mm
Gewicht 431 g
Themenwelt Geisteswissenschaften Psychologie Familien- / Systemische Therapie
Medizin / Pharmazie Medizinische Fachgebiete Psychiatrie / Psychotherapie
Sozialwissenschaften Pädagogik Didaktik
ISBN-10 1-5381-8566-0 / 1538185660
ISBN-13 978-1-5381-8566-7 / 9781538185667
Zustand Neuware
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