Reunification Family Therapy

Book excerpt: A unique, evidence-based treatment manual for repairing parent–child relationships Childhood problems are often related to and worsened by the disintegration of the family structure, whether through parental separation and divorce, military service, or incarceration. Reunification therapy is a therapeutic process incorporating different empirically based methods (CBT, humanistic, and systemic) to help repair relationships between parents and children and restore not only physical contact but also meaningful social, emotional, and interpersonal exchanges between parents and children. This unique manual, bringing together the vast experience of the author, outlines the many situations numerous families currently face and why the need for reunification therapy exists. The therapist works firstly with the individual family members and then with all the family in conjoint sessions. The manual expertly guides clinicians through pretreatment decisions and processes to enable them to decide where, when, and in what form reunification therapy is appropriate, taking into account ethical, legal and special family issues. Detailed chapters outline the structure and issues for the individual and conjoint sessions, as well as a step-by-step treatment plan template. Additional tools in the Appendix enable clinicians to monitor and effectuate change