Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

 FAMILY THERAPY 
One specialized form of group therapy is family therapy. As 
the name implies,  family therapy  involves two or more fam-
ily members, one (or more) of whose problems led to treat-
ment. But rather than focusing simply on the members of the 
family who present the initial problem, family therapists con-
sider the family as a unit to which each member contributes. 
By meeting with the entire family simultaneously, family therapists try to understand 
how the family members interact with one another (Cooklin, 2000; Strong & Tomm, 
2007). 
Family therapists view the family as a “system” and assume that individuals in 
the family cannot improve without understanding the confl icts found in interactions 
among family members. Thus, the therapist expects each member to contribute to 
the resolution of the problem being addressed. 
Many family therapists believe that family members fall into rigid roles or set 
patterns of behavior with one person acting as the scapegoat, another as a bully, and 
so forth. In their view, that system of roles perpetuates family disturbances. One goal 
of this type of therapy, then, is to get the family members to adopt new, more con-
structive roles and patterns of behavior (Minuchin, 1999; Sprenkle & Moon, 1996; 
Sori, 2006).
 SELF-HELP THERAPY 
In many cases, group therapy does not involve a professional therapist. Instead, 
people with similar problems get together to discuss their shared feelings and expe-
riences. For example, people who have recently experienced the death of a spouse 
might meet in a bereavement support group,  or college students may get together to 
discuss their adjustment to college. 
One of the best-known self-help groups is Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), designed 
to help members deal with alcohol-related problems. AA prescribes 12 steps that 
alcoholics must pass through on their road to recovery; they begin with an admission 
that they are alcoholics and powerless over alcohol. AA provides more treatment for 
alcoholics than any other therapy; AA and other 12-step programs (such as Narcotics 
Anonymous) can be as successful in treating alcohol and other substance-abuse prob-
lems as traditional types of therapy (Bogenschutz, Geppert, & George, 2006; Galanter, 
2007; Gossop, Stewart, & Marsden, 2008).
Evaluating Psychotherapy: 
Does Therapy Work?
Your best friend, Ben, comes to you because he just hasn’t been feeling right about 
things lately. He’s upset because he and his girlfriend aren’t getting along, but his 
diffi culties go beyond that. He can’t concentrate on his studies, has a lot of trouble