[Indications for family therapy in university ambulatory psychotherapy]

Research about indications for family therapy is almost lacking. There are only few studies dealing with the issue which problem or which intrapsychic or interpersonal conflicts should be addressed by family therapy. Clinical decisions concerning family therapy should be based on empirical studies to get more knowledge about the criteria, in which case a specific modality of family therapy and/or a specific setting are indicated. The differential and adaptive indication process complements one another by means of the interaction of the therapist-family system. Our study includes 67 decision making processes which took place at an university outpatient clinic. Our results show that the decisionmaking process is based on a selection of indications. The modality of treatment--individual or family therapy--run either in combination or in a sequence, is related to criteria with respect to the patient and his family. The style of application for psychotherapy--whether one family member is registering the family as a whole or the patient seeks help only for himself--makes the difference. The style of application seems to clear the way for the treatment suggested by the therapist.