Description

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This book provides an overview of the basic concepts of a systems theoretical perspective using families and family therapy as examples and illustrations of their application in professional practice. This meta-perspective focuses on viewing problems in context. The difference between first-order and second-order cybernetics is explicated. Readers then are invited to see themselves as parts of the systems with which they are working consistent with a second-order cybernetics perspective. Along the way a difference between modernism and post-modernism as well as constructionism and social constructionism also are described. In addition, theories of individual and family development are presented with implications for their use in family therapy. The book concludes with more than 100 examples of how the meta-perspective of systems theory can be used in work with families.

About the Author

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Raphael Becvar is a Licensed Psychologist, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and an Approved Supervisor with many years of experience in both academic and private practice contexts. He has authored and co-authored many books and articles in professional journals. His particular focus is on philosophical/meta-perspectives on mental health and the practice of therapy and a widely recognized teacher of systems theory and family therapy. Dorothy Becvar, Professor Emeritain the School of Social Work at Saint Louis University, is a Licensed Marital and Family Therapist, an Approved Supervisor, and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She has published extensively and has presented workshops and taught courses, both nationally and internationally, on a wide variety of topics. She is also President/CEO of The Haelan Centers(R), a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to promoting growth and wholeness in body, mind and spirit.