This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Hammond, R. T. Articles by Nichols, M. P. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

How Collaborative Is Structural Family Therapy?

Central Texas Veterans Administration Hospital, Temple, Texas

Michael P. Nichols

College of William & Mary, mpnich{at}wm.edu

In response to the charge by "collaborative" therapies, such as solution focused and narrative, that structural family therapy is an aggressive, confrontational, and impositional approach, this investigation examines the role of therapist empathy in creating a collaborative partnership in structural family therapy. Twenty-four videotaped therapy sessions were used to correlate therapists' empathic response to family members and in-session change in the family's core problem dynamic. Findings suggest that empathy is not only evident in structural family therapy, but may be an essential ingredient in establishing a collaborative relationship and facilitating within-session change.

Key Words: structural family therapy • empathy • collaborative therapy

The Family Journal, Vol. 16, No. 2, 118-124 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1066480707313773


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?