Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy最新文献

Developmentalists have demonstrated that the quality of relationships established by infants with their proximal social environment is crucial for lifecourse development. However, studies of parent–infant relationships have mostly centred on the mother–child dyad. Stemming from family systems theory that considers interactions within the whole family as critical for an individual's personal development, a group of family therapists and researchers in Lausanne (Switzerland) tried to bridge the gap between systemic and developmental thinking by stressing the need to establish the mother–father–infant triad as a collective unit of study. In response, they created the Lausanne Trilogue Play (LTP), a method to systematically assess the quality of mother–father–infant interactions. The LTP is an observational situation during which parents are asked to play with their infant in four parts: (i) one parent plays with the infant, while the other parent is ‘simply present’; (ii) the parents switch roles; (iii) all three play together; (iv) the parents discuss in front of the infant. The theoretical model underpinning the LTP is the family alliance model, which postulates that the quality of the coordination demonstrated by the triad to achieve this task can be assessed mainly through careful observation of non-verbal behaviours as indicators of the achievement of four interactive functions (i.e., participation, organisation, focalisation, affect sharing); fulfilment of these functions determines the quality of relational functioning within the system. This article introduces the clinical, theoretical, and empirical foundations of using the LTP method with the family alliance model; its use in clinical and research contexts; and the most recent advances in the field of research on mother–father–infant interactions based on the LTP situation.

Tracing its beginnings to the mid-1990s, coparenting theory and research, guided greatly by Minuchin's structural family theory, have deepened socialisation perspectives in the field of developmental psychology. Coparenting theory has perhaps had its largest impact in the field of infant-family mental health, where empirical investigations of coparenting and family-level dynamics have dovetailed with studies of family alliances and triangles and inspired creative interventions to support families of infants and toddlers. In this article, the authors retrace some of the early accounts of coparenting and triangular interactions during infancy, highlighting symmetries with analogue conceptualisations discovered in the field of family therapy. Emphasising key concepts and lessons divined from the infant-family mental health literature holding value for the practice of family therapy, the article also recognises the dominant Euro-Western bias that has shaped much of the extant literature to date. A closing section addresses two important areas calling for more concerted attention by infant-family mental health experts and family therapists alike – under-appreciated and misunderstood elements of men's psychology connected to their core self-definition, and cultural distinctions in normal family processes. In both cases, if misread or misunderstood by the helping professional, the recipients of therapeutic services may experience failures of empathy.

In working with Māori to address family violence and the trauma that arises when it is occurring across generations, three elements are essential. The first is helping whānau (family members) to recognise and reconnect with the impact of the violence they are caught up in. The second is to do so in a way that contextualises this because it never involves and affects individuals alone. And third is to do so by being conscious of the whole of a person's being and being aware that the spiritual realm is the entry point. For 30 years, Fay Pouesi has been working with Māori whānau, initiating kaupapa (approaches) that include these three elements. This article details one kaupapa, known as Black Rain, which has been successfully helping men and women to break the cycles of intergenerational violence within their whānau since 2010. To do this, we will draw upon Fay's work and that of two colleagues who now work with her.

Complex trauma generally refers to a child's exposure to multiple traumatic events often within the context of an interpersonal relationship. Childhood traumatic events are commonplace and can have significant implications for physical and mental health. However, traumatic events are often not assessed by clinicians involved in their care. This paper outlines an approach to assessing complex trauma in young children in clinical settings. This approach involves an initial interview, an assessment of traumatic events and trauma symptoms in the child, an assessment of the parent–child interaction, an understanding of the child's functioning in multiple settings, and an assessment of parental trauma where relevant. Complex trauma takes time to assess and is dependent on the parent's ability to recognise and acknowledge the effect trauma has had. The paper concludes with some of the challenges when assessing complex trauma in young children in clinical settings.

Metaphors are valuable tools of expression, which give meaning to situations and allow the spontaneous processing of feelings and emotions. As therapists, we can support clients to develop and create their individual metaphor to explain their own meaning of experiences or communicate their perception of problems. Creativity provides us with a rich landscape to explore, expand, and enrich ourselves as therapists and consequently our clients. As systemic therapists, we are responsible for the co-creation of a human process, which has at its core safety in allowing expression, connection, and movement. Through a respectful and curious approach, we can develop pathways to tap organically into our ‘creative selves’ while reaching into our clients' creativity and selves as catalysts for connection and positive change. Creative resources and therapies have been successfully used in psychotherapy to enhance the mental and emotional well-being of children, particularly children with autism who have limited verbal capacity or who are non-verbal. These children also wish to be understood in expressing their thoughts and feelings; however, they use other methods of communication – sometimes obvious, sometimes not. Therefore, it is important that a therapist can access diverse ways to support the child through this process. The creative use of animals in therapy neutralises spaces, eliciting calm, safety, and healing. This is particularly the case when working with this group of children. This paper is derived from my conversation with an elder statesman of the family therapy profession, Professor Carmine Saccu. He is a jovial master storyteller who craftfully communicates via metaphors. Through creative means, play, and humour, he has developed a remarkably unique way of working with children, especially non-verbal children with autism. He uses his canine, co-therapist Mafalda, as a powerful resource and intervention strategy to safely elicit engagement and connection in the therapeutic space.

A single-session consultation model for low-needs youth on the autism spectrum is presented with the mental health concern of emotional self-regulation, a common issue in family psychotherapy. This research is contextualised within the growing field of short-term therapy as it intersects the growing demand to therapeutically address clients on the autism spectrum. The treatment intervention is delineated through five sequential phases within the walk-in clinic setting for the practitioner clinician. A rationale, overview, and instruction for the practitioner clinician utilising this novel model is provided through a case study format. By using a more structured and integrated approach to treatment, organised through an externalised metaphor, it is suggested that the current model will be more effective for this specific clinical population. Additionally, a case illustration is provided that scaffolds the treatment model, which includes table formats and pictures. The case study illustrates the self-regulation map metaphor visually and interactively linking client challenges, strategies, and motivations simultaneously on multiple electronic devices in session. Relevant works were selected to explore the effectiveness of single-session consultation models for those presenting on the autism spectrum. Treatment interventions for specific clinical populations are recommended, especially within walk-in clinic therapy. This clinical research introduces a paradigm shift towards therapeutically addressing emotional self-regulation with low-needs youth on the spectrum through virtual, interactive technology.

This paper documents the development of a programme component within an alcohol and other drugs residential service. Designed to improve relational competence, this pilot component was designed to have multiple levels of function: from the specific, for example, stimulating residents to formulate and monitor relationally oriented goals, to the more pacific, for example, embedding relationally focused learning as an ongoing rehabilitative concern. Development of the component began with a literature review. After finalising a set of relationship types (friends, siblings, etc.), this review identified three domains: ‘values’, ‘knowledge’ and ‘skills’. To create an initial draft, these categories were populated by items selected from a multi-stage inspection of the relevant literature. This draft was then reviewed by multiple stakeholder groups. Feedback from these consultations resulted in substantial modifications to the initial draft. In addition to the component having a broad-spectrum interventive purpose, the authors propose that this component could play a role in (i) pre-admission assessment and (ii) programme evaluation insofar as data concerning individual residents are aggregated and analysed.

This study examines the impact of social media-based drama therapy and family counselling in reducing symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD) in women aged 18–34. The researchers used a quasi-experimental design and randomly assigned the participants (n = 303) to the control, drama therapy, and family counselling groups. The key findings of the study are as follows. First, at baseline, women not only showed more symptoms of PPD than their male counterparts, but men also reached the PPD threshold of 12/13. Second, the difference between women and men regarding their PPD scores achieved statistical significance (p = 0.004). However, during the post-intervention assessment, men who received drama therapy intervention reported a significant drop in their PPD below the threshold of 12/13. Only women whose spouses received family counselling on spousal support reported a significant drop in their PPD. However, those whose partners did not receive family counselling on spousal support still reported PPD scores within the threshold. In both instances, women in the control group still had high PPD scores. Finally, during the 6-month follow-up assessment, even men in the control group did not have significant symptoms of PPD as their scores dropped below the threshold. On the contrary, women in the control group still had high PPD, indicating that PPD lasted more in women than in men. Also, women whose husbands received family counselling on spousal support reported PPD scores below the threshold. However, women whose husbands did not receive spousal counselling still had PPD scores at the threshold, even though their scores marginally dropped.

The externalising of problems and implementation of interactive metaphors may improve emotional regulation of those clients presenting with autism spectrum disorder. This paper describes a new eight-session treatment protocol in terms of using preferred interest metaphors with the strengths and strategies of client and family across the home, school, and community settings of client life. This exploratory treatment intervention uses externalising metaphors therapy as a brief treatment modality, addressing emotional regulation concerns of youth on the autism spectrum. The treatment model concretises affective states and creatively leverages visual strengths to improve this common presenting concern for this population. A case study on family therapy is presented with the protocol overview and illustrations. Further research is needed to address the testable hypotheses and identify the mediators of change resulting from this current model. This research would help to establish best practices in a clinical population for which there is no broadly accepted treatment paradigm. Mr. McGuinty has indicated that there are no conflicts of interest in this manuscript.