In this introductory chapter we explain the perspective taken in this book, i.e., that regardless... more In this introductory chapter we explain the perspective taken in this book, i.e., that regardless of their theoretical orientation, therapists need to purposefully balance their alliances with multiple family members in order to empower individuals, subsystems, and the couple or family unit for therapeutic gain. The more complex and resistant the family, the more essential and decisive it is to create strong alliances. As a theoretical framework we introduce our pan-theoretical, systemic perspective on alliances in couple and family therapy (CFT), the distinguishing feature of which is a primary concern with shifting the interpersonal dynamics that maintain psychosocial problems and family dysfunction. Next, we describe in a very practitioner-friendly language, our System for Observing Family Therapy Alliances (SOFTA; Friedlander, Escudero, & Heatherington, Therapeutic Alliances with Couples and Families: An Empirically-Informed Guide to Practice. Washington, DC: American Psychologi...
We tested the process of change in Alliance Empowerment Family Therapy (AEFT; Escudero, 2013), a ... more We tested the process of change in Alliance Empowerment Family Therapy (AEFT; Escudero, 2013), a systemic, team-based approach for treating child welfare involved families. Since building and balancing strong personal and within-family therapeutic alliances are crucial for motivating and sustaining change in these multistressed, overburdened families, we assessed alliance perceptions over time in relation to two indices of therapy outcome, youth functioning, and family-specific goal attainment. Specifically, we administered the self-report version of the System for Observing Family Therapy Alliances (Friedlander et al., 2006) following Sessions 3, 6, and 9 to 156 Spanish families seen by 20 therapists in six agencies whose mission is to serve child welfare referred maltreated youth. Results showed that AEFT delivered in M = 11.04 sessions (SD = 3.29) was effective in attaining family-specific goals and improving child functioning, d = 1.16, as rated by the therapist team in coordination with the referring caseworker. A unique aspect of the study was the modeling, at each time point, of the shared therapeutic system alliance, a latent variable consisting of the therapist's rating of the alliance as well as the alliance ratings of the youth and primary caregiver. As we hypothesized, shared alliance perceptions strengthened with time and positively predicted posttreatment outcomes. Moreover, a comparison of linear growth models with and without the therapist's perspective showed that inclusion of the therapist ratings in the shared alliance variables improved the predictability of child and family outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Parental‐adolescent conflict is part of the normal developmental cycle of families, but when it o... more Parental‐adolescent conflict is part of the normal developmental cycle of families, but when it occurs in a dysfunctional way, it is associated with the appearance of various harmful conditions for the family system and for the adolescent in particular. Family therapy is one of the main options for psychotherapeutic intervention in these cases and has ample evidence of its effectiveness. The success of this intervention is conditioned to the construction of an adequate therapeutic alliance with the family, but the process of this task has not been clarified yet. The present study is a task analysis, the purpose of which was to create a heuristic model of how an expanded alliance may be built in these kinds of cases. The model was revised and improved from the intensive analysis of six cases. The resulting model can be a useful guide for family therapists in that it describes the specific client and therapist behaviors involved in balancing the alliance, as well as the potential obst...
Studied expressed emotion (EE) among schizophrenic patients during the period that schizophrenia ... more Studied expressed emotion (EE) among schizophrenic patients during the period that schizophrenia symptoms were in remission. 32 male and female Spanish adult Ss (mean age 32 yrs) with chronic schizophrenia, living in community, and no hospitalization in previous 9 mo were studied. 50 normal male and female Spanish adult Ss (mean age 47 yrs) who were family members of schizophrenic patients were studied. Family members of schizophrenic patients completed the Camberwell Family Interview (C. E. Vaughn and J. Leff, 1976), and the relationship between EE and clinical deterioration during the subsequent 18 mo was assessed. (English abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
In this introductory chapter we explain the perspective taken in this book, i.e., that regardless... more In this introductory chapter we explain the perspective taken in this book, i.e., that regardless of their theoretical orientation, therapists need to purposefully balance their alliances with multiple family members in order to empower individuals, subsystems, and the couple or family unit for therapeutic gain. The more complex and resistant the family, the more essential and decisive it is to create strong alliances. As a theoretical framework we introduce our pan-theoretical, systemic perspective on alliances in couple and family therapy (CFT), the distinguishing feature of which is a primary concern with shifting the interpersonal dynamics that maintain psychosocial problems and family dysfunction. Next, we describe in a very practitioner-friendly language, our System for Observing Family Therapy Alliances (SOFTA; Friedlander, Escudero, & Heatherington, Therapeutic Alliances with Couples and Families: An Empirically-Informed Guide to Practice. Washington, DC: American Psychologi...
We tested the process of change in Alliance Empowerment Family Therapy (AEFT; Escudero, 2013), a ... more We tested the process of change in Alliance Empowerment Family Therapy (AEFT; Escudero, 2013), a systemic, team-based approach for treating child welfare involved families. Since building and balancing strong personal and within-family therapeutic alliances are crucial for motivating and sustaining change in these multistressed, overburdened families, we assessed alliance perceptions over time in relation to two indices of therapy outcome, youth functioning, and family-specific goal attainment. Specifically, we administered the self-report version of the System for Observing Family Therapy Alliances (Friedlander et al., 2006) following Sessions 3, 6, and 9 to 156 Spanish families seen by 20 therapists in six agencies whose mission is to serve child welfare referred maltreated youth. Results showed that AEFT delivered in M = 11.04 sessions (SD = 3.29) was effective in attaining family-specific goals and improving child functioning, d = 1.16, as rated by the therapist team in coordination with the referring caseworker. A unique aspect of the study was the modeling, at each time point, of the shared therapeutic system alliance, a latent variable consisting of the therapist's rating of the alliance as well as the alliance ratings of the youth and primary caregiver. As we hypothesized, shared alliance perceptions strengthened with time and positively predicted posttreatment outcomes. Moreover, a comparison of linear growth models with and without the therapist's perspective showed that inclusion of the therapist ratings in the shared alliance variables improved the predictability of child and family outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Parental‐adolescent conflict is part of the normal developmental cycle of families, but when it o... more Parental‐adolescent conflict is part of the normal developmental cycle of families, but when it occurs in a dysfunctional way, it is associated with the appearance of various harmful conditions for the family system and for the adolescent in particular. Family therapy is one of the main options for psychotherapeutic intervention in these cases and has ample evidence of its effectiveness. The success of this intervention is conditioned to the construction of an adequate therapeutic alliance with the family, but the process of this task has not been clarified yet. The present study is a task analysis, the purpose of which was to create a heuristic model of how an expanded alliance may be built in these kinds of cases. The model was revised and improved from the intensive analysis of six cases. The resulting model can be a useful guide for family therapists in that it describes the specific client and therapist behaviors involved in balancing the alliance, as well as the potential obst...
Studied expressed emotion (EE) among schizophrenic patients during the period that schizophrenia ... more Studied expressed emotion (EE) among schizophrenic patients during the period that schizophrenia symptoms were in remission. 32 male and female Spanish adult Ss (mean age 32 yrs) with chronic schizophrenia, living in community, and no hospitalization in previous 9 mo were studied. 50 normal male and female Spanish adult Ss (mean age 47 yrs) who were family members of schizophrenic patients were studied. Family members of schizophrenic patients completed the Camberwell Family Interview (C. E. Vaughn and J. Leff, 1976), and the relationship between EE and clinical deterioration during the subsequent 18 mo was assessed. (English abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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