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Treating the System or Symptom: Investigating Family Therapy for Alcohol Problems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 June 2009

Ian Bennun
Ian Bennun
Affiliation:
University of Exeter
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Abstract

This paper investigates two contrasting family therapy approaches in the treatment of alcoholism. Twelve families were randomly assigned to either a symptom-focused or systems-focused treatment. Measures of marital satisfaction, family satisfaction and alcohol dependency were recorded before treatment commenced, after treatment and at a six-month follow up. The results showed that both treatments were equally effective in producing desired change, thus offering clinicians increased choice in the range of effective family interventions.

Type
Research Article
Information
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy , Volume 16 , Issue 3 , July 1988 , pp. 165 - 176
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 1988

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