Treating Family of Origin Problems

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This groundbreaking volume demonstrates how cognitive therapy's clarity and discipline can effectively address family of origin issues, such as alcoholism and incest, while maintaining depth and clinical sophistication. Unlike many books focused on adult children of dysfunctional families, this work uniquely employs an integrative cognitive model and structured techniques. It illustrates how concepts from various therapeutic orientations, including family therapy and Twelve-Step programs, can be translated into cognitive terms and incorporated into a cognitive approach. The text begins by discussing the characteristics of dysfunctional families and provides an overview of the cognitive model. Subsequent chapters delve into coping strategies, treatment goals, diagnostic considerations, and assessing family of origin issues. It also examines how therapists' own family backgrounds and attitudes can influence the treatment process, highlighting metacommunicative elements that affect clients' engagement in therapy. Illustrative clinical material demonstrates how clinicians can navigate resistance, address acting-out behaviors while maintaining a supportive stance, and focus on underlying mechanisms of distress rather than merely symptoms. The book concludes with discussions on building coping strategies and variations in the recovery process. Aimed at mental health professionals across disciplines, this comprehensive work serves