Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy

Table of Contents - December 2011 - Volume 32, Issue 04  

Articles

Stages of Change Theory in Family Therapy for Sibling Sexual Assault

Elizabeth McNevina1 c1

a1 Queensland Association of Family Therapy, Brisbane

Abstract

Family therapy understands the benefits of therapeutically supported dialogue amongst family members when there are challenging themes and topics that need to be discussed. This paper is an attempt to explore ways that family therapists can work with family members who are thrust into therapy rather than ‘voluntarily’ signing up for it. It applies ideas from the drug and alcohol field such as Stages of Change theory and Motivational Interviewing. The paper explores how these ideas and approaches might help family therapists to formulate a concept of resistance and to make helpful dialogue more likely. They are applied to families experiencing sibling sexual assault, where they become involved with a legal response that necessitates a therapeutic intervention.

Keywords:

  • family therapy;
  • stages of change;
  • motivational interviewing;
  • sibling sexual assault

Correspondence:

c1 Address for correspondence: Elizabeth McNevin, PO Box 8218, Woolloongabba QLD 4102, Australia. Email: Emm1@y7mail.com