An Introduction To Family Therapy: Systemic Theory And Practice

by Rudi Dallos

The fourth edition of the bestselling An Introduction to Family Therapy provides an overview of the core concepts informing family therapy and systemic practice, covering the development of this innovative field from the 1950s to the present day.

Genres: Psychology

488 pages, Paperback

First published June 28, 2000

Reviews

[Chava · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is part of my Master's degree in Clinical Family Therapy. I will be finishing with it in October 2015.

[PlayfulProcess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this book does a solid job surveying foundational Marriage and Family Therapy concepts—such as systems thinking, circular causality, and communication patterns—it often leaves something important behind: clarity.

I read it for an MFT class, and more than once I needed to turn to additional sources to fully understand key ideas. For example, the double bind, a concept introduced by Gregory Bateson and colleagues to explain paradoxical communication patterns contributing to distress, is mentioned but not deeply explained.

Double binds place a person—often a child—in an impossible relational situation with contradictory injunctions, such as:

“Be spontaneous!” — Obeying negates spontaneity; disobeying breaks the rule.

What’s powerful about this idea is that it extends well beyond MFT. The double bind has influenced communication theory, anthropology, philosophy, and even broader cultural discourse — showing up in writers like Alan Watts, who reflected on paradox, identity, and relational tensions from a more spiritual and existential angle.

In this book, however, those wider implications are easy to miss. The concept is introduced briefly, without historical grounding or relatable clinical examples, making it harder for newcomers to grasp why it matters, or even what they actually mean.

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Više mi se čini kao presjek razvoja sistemske terapije, nego alat koji se može iskoristiti u radu. I previše stranica knjige je iskorišteno za pozivanje na literaturu, od koje je na naš/e jezik/e prevedeno 0,03%

[Mary M · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Christopher Schaffalitzky · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good book. I enjoyed reading it a lot. I guess it could be more systematic and elaborate more on certain concepts. But I would recommend it.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave me some interesting ideas for things to try in mediation, e.g. family sculpting. Added to my growing wonder about the limits of mediation and the overlap (or not) with therapy... I've heard people say that mediation is in the phase that family therapy was in in the 1950s/60s. What would a more developed systemic approach to conflict resolution look like?

This is a fairly straight introductory text but a good one for those who like to know how fields have developed over time, in this case from the 1950s (in Britain). A good starting point for further study I hope.

[James Byrne]

Good overview of history of development of systemic therapy ideas.