Customer Reviews

Family Therapy: Concepts and Methods, 9th Edition

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Although the author states that therapists need to be cautious of bias, this book reads as if written in the 1950s. Abusers are all men, with the author going so far as to state that female abusers are not a risk because they lack the strength to do any damage. I was stunned to see that this text had been updated in 2010 - the author and editors clearly missed updating for sexual and gender stereotypes. In the world of this author, sexual abusers are always men and mothers always become the primary caregiver in the case of divorce (but a good therapist can convince fathers to step up). Gays get a small mention but not as parents, only due to the need to recognize that families receiving the news of a child coming out can react with upset, fear, etc., there is no mention of reacting with acceptance and love. Simple read but seriously out of touch.

As a family therapist, I believe this book has never been very good, but it gets begrudgingly used in family therapy courses because there are so few overviews out there. After you read it, you will know very little about family therapy, much less how to be a family therapist. The real crime is that these authors keep making minor changes to create new editions, so students have to pay $80 for a new edition. Get a used copy of the 7th edition (Family Therapy: Concepts and Methods (7th Edition)). You'll save a ton and won't miss much of the little this text has to offer.

This text is multiculturally ignorant as well as sexist. I don't typically review much of anything, but this text is bad enough that I feel the need to.

At one point in the book, the author takes the stance that if somebody in a family is physically abusive, it's the man. If the woman IS abusive (as well as the man), then it should be noted that unless she has a weapon, she isn't much of a threat as she isn't as physically powerful. Another point in the text states it's best not to take time to become culturally competent (as you'll never know everything), but rather it's best just to be inquisitive. It also includes nearly no mention of non-traditional families.

Bottom line: It's shameful that a book updated in 2010 is as narrow and outdated as this is. I'd recommend exploring all possible options before buying it. I keep all my texts, but this one's getting sold when the class is over.

I absolutely love this book. I have learned so much from this book more than other texts I have had in my MFT program. Everyone who has an interest in how families function or is a prospective therapist, should definately buy this book. Buy the 9th edition and don't worry about the cost because it does have more info than onther editions.

This book was in better condition then expected, shipped quickly and arrived ontime. I will definitely order books from them again in the future and recommend them to friends & family.

I received the item quickly and it was in perfect condition! There weren't any marks in the book and there weren't any signs of wear.

I had to order two books for one class and I ordered late, thank goodness the book came right on time and was in like new condition. I couldn't have asked for more.

If you are interested in learning about Family Therapy, this book is great. It is undergraduate reading level, but this makes it very clear and easy to understand some of the more complex theories and techniques. It is a great over view of all the different paradigms and their theories, development of norma and abnormal behaviors, and then the techniques used. It is well organized, and each chapter is organized in the same fashion as mentioned above. It is a great way to look at all the different paradigms, and makes it easy to contrast and compare between them. Highly recommended if you want to learn about Family Therapy and how different paradigms break down the abnormal behaviors.

This text is comprehensive and provides one of the most extensive overviews of the various theories or models of marriage and family therapy. It is not designed as a how-to manual. It is designed to provide an underlying theoretical perspective for the reader. If the reader chooses to work with a particular model or integrate an orchestrated approach with several models, this will provide an ability to examine critically in thought the underlying premises of a given theory. In turn, one may then add anecdotal experiences as well as research as well as one's own underlying philosophic biases to explore how best to serve a patient, client, customer, co-journeyor, or whatever lens one applies to viewing the issues of one(s) in need of services to achieve some form of change in the most effective manner possible for all involved. The book allows the reader to see various theories as differing lenses with which to view the same issues. Another analogy might be that it allows the reader to view the same issues as differing languages saying the same thing with differing underlying philosophic perspective's influencing the final expression. I use the text as a historical overview of marriage and family therapy. There are other books and actual supervision to refine the practical application of the content. That is not the primary scope of this text. If one wishes to gain the content for licensure, then this text has a solid overview to aid in test preparation for theoretical knowledge of diverse theories and models. No text has all theories as all will be somewhat behind the trends simply due to time lag for publishing. Also, no author is bias free. Hopefully, the reader will use his or her intellect and experience to filter how best to consider the material in a useful manner. The idea of females involved in physically abusing adult males is real. The reported aspect that it tends to remain at about 5% as opposed to 95% for males does influence presentations at times. However, one should not ignore the 5% involved in physical abuse. Size is not everything nor is gender. The book does lack some of the more current alternative lifestyle material or whatever terminology one chooses to use with respect to the newer perspectives as some of this is very new. This is a solid text and has good value within the scope of its intent.

The book arrived quickly. It is a good book for an entry level course. Wouldn't recommend it for graduate level. Seemed a little outdated.