[Family therapy--encounters with a therapeutic fashion (author's transl)]

Following the boom in Group Therapy, the Federal Republic of Germany now experiences a similar boom in Family Thera;y. An attempt is made in the present article to show the stepwise progress from individual to group psychotherapy and finally to family therapy, and to describe and calssify the family therapy approach. The present family therapy boom is considered to be a kind of fashion. In the long run, however, family therapy as such will prove to be an important tool within the therapeutic spectrum. A cause for concern is the high demand made on the training and skill of family therapists. This deters those who had always considered family therapy as an integral part of their work in everyday paractice. This results in a plea for remaining close to actual practical conditions. The article close with recommendations for reading up relevant literature.