Basic Family Therapy

The challenge facing the authors of texts that address the multiplicity and complexity of problems that may afflict families can be intimidating. Philip Barker has addressed this challenge head-on in each of the editions of this book. This task has been greatly facilitated by the contributions of the new co-author, Jeff Chang, and in this edition provides a clear, easily read and readily understandable introduction to family therapy. Much has happened in the field of family therapy since the fifth edition of Basic Family Therapy was published in 2007. New developments covered in this book include: * Emotionally Focused Therapy * The Gottman approach to couples therapy * Mindfulness and psychotherapy * The common factors approach to psychotherapy and to family therapy * The increased emphasis on empirically supported treatments * High-conflict post-divorce parenting Basic Family Therapy will be of value to readers new to family therapy and to those in the early stages of training. It was a pleasure and a privilege to read the sixth edition of this book. It is more difficult, however, to write an adequate introduction, as there are few enthusiastic phrases that have not already been invoked to describe the various editions of Philip Barker's book that have appeared since the first in 1981. I would like to be clear that this is an eminently readable book for those who are new to the discipline. Anyone who is not new to the discipline, however, and has seen a previous version will know this; readers and reviewers before me have commented on the skill of the author, who could write a book on the complex and theoretically diverse domain of family therapy that is at once scholarly yet thoroughly accessible. Readers of previous editions will find the update worthwhile and may be reassured to note a familiar ordering to many of the chapters. Glenda M. MacQueen, MD, FRCPC, PhD. - Vice Dean, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Canada.