New directions in family therapy

With maturity, the field of family therapy has shifted from its exclusive focus on the family's current interactional patterns to an increasing emphasis on the individuals who compose the family. This shift has been apparent in therapists' recognition of the impact of chronic mental disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, manic-depressive illness) and in their efforts to attend to gender, culture, race, and class, not only in terms of the family system as a whole, but also with respect to the individual members of the system. The author addresses two major developments in the field: (1) the integration of individual and family treatment, and (2) the use of gender as a lens through which family process can be viewed.