Australian Association of Family Therapy …NEWSLETTER Australian Association of Family Therapy...

NEWSLETTERAustralian Association of Family Therapy

Volume 38

No.4: December 2016

Section 1

Conversations With Myself About Solution Focused Therapy: 1978 To The Present…. Page 5Eve Lipchik

“Rethinking Love: Inside the Mind of a Family Therapist” 4Alex McGrath

Couple’s Therapy and Humour: The Ten Lessons Page 15Janice Florent

Healing Relationships, Promoting Resilience EFFT Workshop – Brisbane Page 20Hayley McMahon

The Call Of The Wild…Or…The Adventures Of Dr Lindy Latte Page 21Dr Lindy Latte

Section 2

Changes to the number of classes of Membership for AAFT…. Page 22

President’s letter Page 23Margaret Hodge

President’s Report AGM 2016 Page 24Margaret Hodge

Cairns Conference Review Page 26

AAFT Award for children’s literature Page 29

Australian Family Therapists’ Award For Children’s Literature Report To The A.g.m. Page 30Margaret Hodge

PACFA Report for 2016 AGM Page 31Ian Goldsmith

Audit Papers Page 32

Report to the October, 2016 AGM for the Australian Association of Family Therapy Page 38 Catherine Sanders

TAD Report for the AGM 2016 Page 38Flora Pearce

Ethics Report 2016 Page 39Livia Jackson

Notes from the AAFT offi ce Page 40Danielle Anderson

AAFT Profi t & Loss Report Page 41

AAFT Balance Sheet Report Page 44

AAFT Resources for members Page 50

The AAFT newsletter (AAFTNews) is published by the Australian Association of Family Therapy Inc

RESEARCH COMMITTEE

VACANT

ETHICS PANEL

Livia Jackson

TRAINING AND ACCREDITATION

DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

Lawrie Moloney

AAFT ADMINISTRATION

Danielle Anderson,Offi ce ManagerMia Trujillo, Administration Offi cerAAFT Inc.PO BOX 2351RICHMOND VIC 3121 Ph: 03 9429 9938 Fax: 03 9429 9948Email: [email protected]: www.aaft.asn.au

Office Holders and Committee

PRESIDENT Margaret Hodge (VIC) 0408 014 007 [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT Ian Goldsmith (QLD) 0402 157 888 [email protected]

SECRETARY Tonia Keating (SA) 0408 596 519 [email protected]

TREASURER Ben Assan (VIC) 0417 002 106 [email protected]

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

Livia Jackson (VIC) 0418 589 652 [email protected]

NEWSLETTER EDITOR Sophie Holmes (VIC) 0412 752 663 [email protected]

ACCREDITATION SUBCOMMITTEE

Margaret Hodge (VIC) 0408 014 007 [email protected]

ETHICS PANEL Livia Jackson (VIC) 0418 589 652 [email protected]

TRAINING AND ACCREDITATION

Lawrie Moloney (VIC) 0448 383 003 [email protected]

ANZ JOURNAL REPRESENTATIVE

Rebecca Sng (NSW) 0412 977 101 [email protected]

AWARD FOR CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

Margaret Hodge (VIC) 0408 014 007 [email protected]

PACFA REPRESENTATIVE Peter Cantwell (VIC) 0402 309 560 [email protected]

Ian Goldsmith (QLD) 0402 157 888 [email protected]

BRANCHES CONVENER Catherine Sanders (SA) (08) 8221 6066 [email protected]

STATE BRANCH / RURAL REPRESENTATIVES

Jacqui Perkins (NSW Rural)

0404 311 477 [email protected]

Anne Holloway (WA) 0407 991 495 [email protected]

Raymond Ho (QLD) 0412 460 928 [email protected]

Sarah Jones (VIC) 0439 201 570 [email protected]

Tonia Keating (SA) 0408 596 519 [email protected]

Lyndal Power (NSW) 0450 565 855 [email protected]

Sonia Grealish (TAS) 0439 134 927 [email protected]

David Jones (ACT) 0423 622 608 [email protected]

3

Volume 38 No. 4, December 2016Australian Assoc. of Family Therapy Inc.

Wishing AAFT members & Friends

a most Happy Christmas & Happy

Hanukah and a Wonderful New Year.

NEW MEMBERS 4


New Members

Anne Marie McVeigh-Dowd VIC

Peter Fowler VIC

Louise Last Vic

Christine Carey NSW

Mark Danko VIC

David Jones ACT

Lisa Clement NSW

Louise Fewtrell QLD

Terri Sugars WA

Monique Harding QLD

Helen Farquharson NSW

Lisa Taylor VIC

Alexander Neerwoort WA

Christopher Nicholls WA

Donna Shepherd TAS

Gree Yee ACT

Rebecca Codrington NSW

Jacqueline McDiarmid NSW

Benjamin Ong NSW

Deborah Cheung VIC

Federica Kumpulainen QLD

Christine Senediak NSW

NEW ASSOCIATE MEMBERS:

NEW CLINICAL MEMBERS:

Rebecca Codrington

Christine Senediak

NEW ACCREDITED SUPERVISOR:

Foot note: This article is

based on parts of a speech

by Eve presented at the

Conversationfest Conference

in Houston, Texas on March 15,

2013 and at the 7th International

OAS Kongress in Vienna, on May

16, 2014

Abstract

What I am about to share with you are conversations I have had with myself for more than 35 years about the therapy I practice. My hope is that these conversations will give you a historical glance at the development of solution-focused therapy, and also my personal path as a therapist and colleague. Before I begin, I just want to tell you how sad it makes me to have to be the last practicing therapist of the core group that started the Brief Family Therapy Center in Milwaukee (commonly known as BFTC). Unfortunately, Steve de Shazer, Insoo Berg, Jim Derks and Elam Nunnally have all passed away. Marilyn La Court is still alive but retired from the fi eld over a decade ago

I also want to honor the memory of Lyman Wynn, a father of the family therapy fi eld, who was Chief of Psychiatry at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York when we fi rst encountered him. In l981 our team went to a small meeting in Connecticut where the then most distinguished family therapists gathered for a week-end of show and tell. We were not sure how we had even gotten on their mailing list and felt a bit anxious about participating, but decided to take a chance.. Lyman responded to our video tape with immediate interest, and from that time on was a frequent visitor at BFTC and our staunchest advocate and supporter.

THE BIRTH OF BRIEF FAMILY THERAPY

It was l978. I was a student in an AAMFT Approved Family Therapy Training Program at Family Service of Milwaukee. Insoo was my supervisor. Insoo and Steve de Shazer were newlyweds. They fi rst met in Palo Alto when Insoo and Jim Derks, a colleague from Family Service, went to the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto for a workshop about the brief-therapy developed there. Steve was living and working in Palo Alto, and hung out at MRI whenever he could. Jim, who witnessed Steve’ and Insoo’s meeting said they fell in love instantly. Steve moved back to Milwaukee, his hometown, to be with Insoo, and took a job as a therapist a Family Service, as well.

Steve had a dream and Insoo, who was

able to accomplish anything once she set her mind to it, was determined to help him realize it. He wanted to start his own institute – a think tank for developing a brief family approach. In preparation for this, he and Insoo met one night a week in their home with a group of like minded people, mostly from Family Service, to experiment with diff erent ideas. In those days, before Wisconsin licensed therapists, they could only see clients at a state certifi ed mental health clinic, , so they beat the bushes for relatives, friends, or friends of friends who would volunteer and present a problem, or dilemma they wanted help with. The group explained its goals and procedure to the volunteers and got their written permission for the video taping. The volunteers seemed to be kind of amused by this unusual process and took it in stride. During the interview the group would observe from a staircase in the house while one therapist worked with the volunteer in the living room. Much like in Selvini-Palazzoli’s Milan model (Selvini-Palazzoli et al, l978) the group then took a break in an upstairs bedroom to develop hypotheses about the problem and construct a message that the interviewer was to deliver to the volunteer subjects after the break. . After the clients left, the group would look at the tape and discuss it. One day Insoo invited Marilyn LaCourt, another trainee and me to attend one of these evenings.I was really intrigued by what I saw there. It cut to the quick for me. I had left psychodynamic play therapy because it seemed too slow, and lacked family involvement. On the other hand, I wasn’t totally convinced and comfortable with the strategic aspect of what I was watching.

Not too much later Steve and Jim Derks left Family Service and rented a small offi ce. A number of people in the evening group were invited to make a modest fi nancial contribution toward the start up costs of the Brief Family Therapy Center, including Marilyn LaCourt and I. Signing on meant an indefi nite time without an

income, and only those of us who were not breadwinners could do so. For that reason Insoo stayed at Family Service for a while longer. One of the unfortunate people who really wanted to join, but could not, was a man named Don Norum, a therapist at Family Service, who wrote a paper in l978 called “The Family has the Solution.” He could not get it published at the time. It was fi nally given its due in 2000 in the Journal of Systemic Therapies (Norum,(pp 3-16).

The fi nal core group was quite diverse;

Steve de Shazer, born and raised in Milwaukee, a shy man, a multi talented man, who was an accomplished musician, painter, cook , beer brewer and student of sociology.

Insoo Kim Berg, born and raised in Korea who had studied pharmacology before coming to the US where she studied to become a social worker. She was willing to tackle anything new and when she did, she did it extraordinarily well like cooking, sewing, gardening, and other activities..

Jim Derks, raised on a large pig farm in Iowa was a man who spoke his mind more often in metaphor than directly. He was a talented carpenter and wood carver, who went home at night to his own farm outside of Milwaukee where he raised animals and grew fruit and vegetables.

Elam Nunnally, a professor of Family Relations at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. He was a warm and gentle man, devoted to his family,, married to a woman from Finland. He and his family spent many summers in Finland where he later taught solution-focused therapy to a large segment of the therapeutic community.

Marilyn LaCourt, a former teacher with a Masters Degree in Communication, and a drive to think outside the box. She was also a wonderful cook.

And I, Eve Lipchik, a child of the holocaust, born in Vienna, raised in New York City; an

Conversations With Myself About Solution Focused Therapy: 1978 To The PresentEve Lipchik

(cont’d on p.14)

EVE LIPCHIK: CONVERSATIONS WITH MYSELF5


aspiring playwright in college; a former psychodynamic play therapist, who then became a family therapist. I enjoyed a bit of painting, as well, and yes, like the others, I loved to cook and eat.

Steve and Jim accepted a few Masters Degree fi eld placement students from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) School of Social Work as soon as they opened the fi rst offi ce. Among them was Alex Molnar, a Professor of Education at UWM, who was interested in family therapy and was studying for a Masters Degree in Social Work. After he graduated he continued to participate in our activities and was a very supportive research partner for Steve, who valued his thinking greatly. (de Shazer & Molnar, l984)

Our modus operandi was conversation. We had conversations about subjects like the Moebius strip , about strange and charmed loops or just about anything that might fi t with our goals. But most of all we talked about what seems to work or not work.

TO JOIN OR NOT TO JOIN BFTC?

Accepting the off er to join BFTC was not as easy a decision as it may seem, in spite of my interest. It required an extensive conversation with myself about my identity. Did I want to change my orientation and commit to an as yet to be developed way of working and thinking? I had just spent two years getting comfortable doing systemic family therapy. Was it wise to continue treading on uncertain ground? People I respected had told me one of my strengths as a therapist was that I could tune into people’s emotions. The brief therapy we had been experimenting with was much more about the head than the heart. A lot of the thinking was based on paradox, and that seemed manipulative to me. Could I be genuine practicing this way? Did I want to?

For some reason I still do not quite understand now, I decided to see some of the great family therapists work in order to make the decision. So I took some time to go to two and three day workshops by famous family therapists like Salvador Minuchin, Carl Whitaker, Jay Haley and Lynn Hoff man. Although I had studied Family Therapy intensely from books, I had had little opportunity to observe it in actual practice. In retrospect it occurs to me that I may have thought that if I watch family therapists who have diff erent approaches at work, I would get a better understanding of where Steve and Insoo’s work stood, and thus have an easier time making my decision. As I began to notice the diff erences between the work of the masters came away thinking that what really mattered was not personal style, but theoretical stance, and I was attracted to

the theoretical thinking I was questioning. What also stood out for me about all of these masters was they were more similar than diff erent in one very important way: their palpable desire to help their clients. That underlying commonality somehow made me decide that I was doing the right thing to join BFTC.

To this day I have never regretted that decision, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to have been part of the process. Those early days were fantastic. I can not say enough about them. The fi rst few months we had very few clients, so every day was one long conversation about so many diff erent ideas that we derived from reading, thinking, and observing the few clients we had. Above all, we had no one to account to; no fi nancial ties; we were free to spend our time any way we liked. I believe now that that freedom is a great basis for creativity. And we never worked alone without the support of a team. The underpinnings for what was called the ecosystemic approach (de Shazer, l982) were the cybernetics of Bateson (Bateson, G., l972, l979), and Milton Erickson’s work (Erickson, M.H., l976, l977). The theory was that the family system and the therapist/team system form a suprasystem, the interactions of which result in changed perceptions for clients, and therefore, changed behaviors. The intervention message that we read to the clients at the end of the session had to be isomorphic with their view of their problem in order to produce what was called “the bonus,” (deShazer, l982, p.9) something much like the depth perception that results from a binocular, rather than a monocular view An important part of this theory was the concept of “cooperating (deShazer, l982. p. 9-11) an Ericksonian concept of the therapist meeting the client where he or she is to circumvent resistance. We, at BFTC, defi ned this as “cooperating with how the client cooperates.” While this was really just another way of being strategic - it allowed me to feel more comfortable in my therapeutic skin because it was so client centered. Oh, the power of semantics!

That fi rst Brief Family Therapy Center offi ce had a unique set up. Let me show you!

DIAGRAM OF THE OFFICE

The therapy room was divided by a viewing room that had one-way mirrors facing both ways.

One team could observe by listing directly through the sound system, and the other team would have to listen with headphones. But what actually happened when we were lucky and had two cases was that we’d watch both of them, by switching headphones. We couldn’t bear to miss anything about any case that came our way.

The structure of our sessions was similar to the Milan team’s.in that we called the interviewing therapist the conductor, as they did.

A CONVERSATION WITH MYSELF ABOUT BRIEF FAMILY THERAPY

As I gradually took my turn as the conductor, I began to feel uncomfortable in the role. I understood that I had to focus on information about the problem so the team behind the mirror could compose an intervention message. But the team didn’t make it easy! It had a heavy hand on the buzzer that connected them to the interviewing room, always reminding me to get back to problem talk. They were somewhat impatient with me when I wanted to discuss that this made it diffi cult for me to focus on the conversation with the clients in the interview room. So what was my problem? Well, to be isomorphic we have to concentrate on the clients’ description of the problem. Perhaps my inexperience hampered me a bit, but I felt this role made it really hard to connect with clients. So I asked myself, if we, the family and the team, create a suprasystem (as the ecosystemic theory we used said), then could not all the interactions lead to change to some degree, even those not so clearly related to the problem the clients had sought help for? As I watched the video tapes, and we still had time to watch most of them, it looked to me that a lot more went on in the interview that could indirectly relate to the problem. I asked myself if one should really ignore

EVE LIPCHIK: CONVERSATIONS WITH MYSELF 6


the tangents clients went off on; their emotions or their body language? I wondered about how do clients feel when we, the therapists, don’t seem to respect what they want to tell us or understand how they feel, but keep asking about the problem ?.I told the group that I believed that the interview in it self may be as important as the intervention message for change. The team, in the spirit of research, or maybe to appease me, went lighter on the buzzer when I was the conductor. The importance of the interview for solutions did not become a point of interest for the team until l982 when we accidentally discovered that the clients’ focus on exceptions to their problem can lead to solutions.

By the way, I was not alone with my thoughts at that time. Carl Tomm was also beginning to think of the interview as an intervention and I remember discussing this with him. When I think back, that may have been the earliest occasion on which I became aware of the issue of inductive vs. deductive reasoning in our work. In our discussion I became more aware than ever that the assumption that the intervention message largely based on information about the problem being the vehicle for change is too reductionistic and random information clients may have to off er on their own can be valuable, or more so, to resolve their problem. Carl, too, had discovered at the time that focusing on the problem alone was limiting and spoke of thinking about the interview as a series of continuous interventions ((Tomm, K. l978a,b)

Soon BFTC got attention nationally and internationally by means of a publication started by Steve in 1981, called the Underground Railroad. It was sent out to people who were working on the cutting edge of the fi eld. Among the contributors, in addition to our group, were people like Bill O’Hanlon, Brian Cade, Tony Heath, Bradford Keeney, Cheryl Storm and others, many of whom continued to contribute to the therapy fi eld for many years to come. By late l981 we had more clients and students and moved to larger offi ce space that provided more rooms with mirrors. Many colleagues we had forged connections with began to visit our Center. BFTC was the fi rst place Michael White visited on his fi rst trip to the US. This publication also attracted students like Yvonne Dolan, Michele Weiner Davis, John Walter and Jane Peller, and others who later made names for themselves by contributing to the development of solution-focused therapy.

THE BIRTH OF SOLUTION FOCUSED THERAPY

As a result of the next development

the interview became our main focus and interest. It was late l982. Overall our therapy was a loose and creative process. We often went in the direction of randomness, with the belief that it can lead to diff erent and unexpected patterns of change. Sometimes we even went as far as to consult the I Ching. Every session was a research project. We were still problem focused, and our theoretical development was at a point of using some standardized “formula tasks” (de Shazer, l985, p. 119) which were somewhat similar to Selvini-Palazzoli and Prata’s “invariant prescription” (l980). The one that turned out to be the most signifi cant was one which asked the clients to come back with a list of what they want to change in their lives or relationships. But one day we were going to give this assignment to a family and someone (and there are now many versions of who that person actually was) said “why don’t we ask them what they don’t want to change?” In keeping with our “anything goes” attitude, we did. Paradoxical thinking, after all!

The fi rst time we asked that question the family came back reporting a lot of changes. We were pleased, so we tried the same question again. And again, there were reports of change. It seemed we were on to something! In the spirit of research we used this new questions as a standard fi rst session task over and over again and the rest is history. Our problem focused approach had become solution focused!

We realized that change occurs when clients focus on positives and exceptions. The challenge now became to use the interview to help clients discover what works for them, and gradually, the now famous techniques were developed: the exception question, the miracle question (that had its origins in Erickson’s crystal ball technique (Erickson, 1954)) the coping questions, the scaling questions. It worked amazingly well. Decision trees were developed to clarify, simplify, minimize and make it easily teachable and reproducible for anyone.

A number of years later, in his introduction to his l988 book Clues: Investigating Solutions in Brief Therapy de Shazer wrote:

“As my colleagues and I at BFTC continue to study solution development we have been forced by our analyses to look more and more at the process of the interview. We found it was no longer enough to use our perhaps overly simple idea that the interview led to the intervention strategy and therefore the task. “ (p. xiii))

Still, the underlying theoretical objective remained reductionism – minimalism – which suited my need to help clients as quickly and eff ectively as possible, but led to the next conversation I had to have with myself.

“BRIEFER:” – A Task Generating Computer Program

Around l984, one of our research associates, Wally Gingerich, a professor at the School of Social Work in Milwaukee, suggested we try to see if an expert computer system could be developed to determine which task a therapist should give at the end of the fi rst session. This idea was very appealing to Steve, who was also interested in computers, and always ready for new research. To accomplish this, we brought in a Masters Degree student, Hannah Goodman, who was looking to do a project on Artifi cial Intelligence for her dissertation. (Goodman l986; Goodman et al, l987). In order to write the program she interviewed each one of us in great detail about our interactions with clients. When I went through this process with her it became clear to me that in spite of the eff ectiveness of our techniques, things happen between clients and us that simply cannot be described concretely. I seriously questioned that this process could be computerized. Again, I asked myself, what about the clients’ emotional state? What about the role of subtle body language? But my colleagues always reminded me that we had a model based on cognitive/behavioral ideas , and emotion had no place in it (cognitive and behavior theories at this point in time did not include emotions or ideas of body language,as such). How could this be reconciled theoretically? When I discussed this with my colleagues they listened respectfully, but were again not about to go there with me. As it happened, the BRIEFER computer system turned out to be fairly accurate in matching the task given clients at the end of the fi rst session by a live therapist and team. But this did not resolve my dilemma about what to do with clients’ emotions.

Solution-Focused Therapy Takes Off

By the mid 80’s SFT had arrived. We had students, as well as requests for workshops and training from all over the world. Some members of the original group had left and new members, usually ex-students, like Kate Kowalski and Ron Kral took their place. The close bonds that had made the original group so fruitful were loosening. There was less opportunity for teamwork as Insoo and Steve traveled to spread the word, Those of us who had been part of the development from the start were both proud and a little amazed that we had accomplished more than we had ever expected to accomplish. For years we had focused very intensely on developing our model and barely explore other developments in related fi elds. I have to confess that we had also developed a considerable amount of hubris about the effi cacy of solution-focused therapy. However, once the work had succeeded those of us left at BFTC began to travel the world to teach the model. In the course of



this process I became more aware of what other cutting edge therapists were doing and more curious about their thinking. So I took some time to learn more about what others in the fi eld of therapy at the time were thinking and doing , like Lynn Hoff man who was moving toward a constructivist point of view (Hoff man, l988), Harry Goolishian and Harlene Anderson who were exploring language systems( Goolishian & Anderson, l987) and Michael White (l988/89) who was laying down the foundations of narrative therapy. While we shared with them a direction away from cybernetics to the interest in constructivism these innovators,unlike us, were gradually moving in the opposite direction, away from specifi c techniques to conversations with clients that had no specifi c goals but just allowed them to fi nd new ways of thinking about their situation in a way that may be helpful to them.

In l981 I was asked to consult to a womens’ shelter in Milwaukee.. This led to twenty-fi ve years of interest and development of ideas about how to use solution-focused therapy to treat spouse abuse. Lipchik, 1991; Lipchik & Kubicki, l996). The team joined me in treating these cases that were referred from the District Attorney’s offi ce and men’s and womens’ groups but unfortunately, we did not do any formal research in this area. It became very clear though, that our approach, that joined both partners while making them responsible for their own behavior was very eff ective with the less severe cases where there was some mutuality in the relationship. It helped preserve the family unit as opposed to separating it for months which was the general policy in the United States and in other countries at the time. These cases were part of our general outcome studies and fared as well as all our other cases. While there has been little change in policy in the United States about treating couples together without separating the men from their families I still hope that those years of national and international presentations may have made a little diff erence for some couples and families. ( This ongoing spouse abuse work was a powerful contributor to my feelings about the need for attending to emotions in our work and was one reason that I tried to develop a visual concept of the therapist/client relationship, or context in which techniques are applied, early on, inspired by MRI’s work on the “stance” of the therapist. ( Fisch, Weakland and Segal, l982)

DIAGRAM – EMOTIONAL CLIMATE

I now followed the clients more than I followed the general solution-focused model by the book, and was less bound to a specifi c order in using the techniques.

I also began to change my way of teaching.

When we started training we gave the trainees a month to six weeks of seminars before putting them in a room with clients. Most of them became increasingly anxious about meeting clients face to face and when they fi nally did, their anxiety often made for awkward sessions with too many phone calls into the room. After a while, Insoo, as Director of Training, with agreement from the team, suggested we change this procedure and put students into the room with clients as soon as they start, and with just a brief outline of the questions they should be asking. This was not an ideal situation either with students often looking down at the paper more than at the clients. At that time we really were not expecting “one session miracle cures” from the students at the beginning of training. That was more an expectation we had for ourselves, and of course, the students got to watch us work, too. I had a big problem with the students not developing a good connection with the clients right away because I felt without it clients can not fully focus on thinking about the answers to questions about exceptions and the future. So with my students I instituted a method where I asked them fi rst and foremost to listen ; to make sure they understood what clients were feeling and wanting; to make sure that the clients knew that they are being understood and not to worry if they had not defi ned goals clearly in the fi rst session. More clients came back for a second session than before reporting that they felt better even if they had not found a solution. This relaxed the therapists in training who were encouraged by these reports and then led to quicker solutions for clients. While our team created the theory and techniques together we had very diff erent styles of putting that into action, and that was true for how we taught as well. I believe that this was very isomorphic with our belief that the clients’

world view must be respected and utilized in order to be helpful.

I also developed a model of dual track thinking to help the students orient themself in the therapeutic conversation. Dual track thinking ( Lipchik, 2002, pp.31-33)is the process of interacting with clients while simultaneously monitoring one’s own thoughts and feelings. It is a tool that I found very helpful for making choices about how to respond to clients. For example, in a situation when the therapist feels overwhelmed by the client’s story and begins to feel helpless, he or she can refer to one of the solution-focused assumption, such as nothing is all negative, or clients have strengths and resources. These and other assumptions serve as reminders to keep probing for small exceptions or coping skills, and reduce unnecessary anxiety that cannot help but be transmitted to the client in some manner.

Around the same time I was thinking about all this, John Weakland came for one of his almost annual visits to BFTC. He and Steve had become very close friends by that time. John was Steve’s role model to the degree that Steve drove the same car John drove. John usually conducted a session with a client in front of the mirror for our trainees. These demonstrations refl ected the MRI brief therapy model very precisely and curtly. But during this particular visit he stayed in Milwaukee a bit longer, and asked us if we would like to see some of his tapes from his private practice. Of course we wanted to see them. Who would not want to observe the master at work! What a surprise that was! John was quite a diff erent person in his private practice then when he demonstrated his model. He engaged much more with clients, responded more empathically, and wove technique into conversation so seamlessly it was beautiful to see.. XXX What I saw him do in his private practice



clearly refl ected some of the ideas that I was trying to develop and to describe. If I needed any further encouragement to stay on my course, he had given it to me.

INDIVIDUATION

Some of you may recall the early 80’s when everyone became very interested in the work of Humberto Maturana. I remember going to an AFTA meeting and listening to presentations by Carl Tomm about Maturana and Varela’s theory of autopoesis and cognition . Afterwards everyone hesitatingly asked everyone else “Do you know what this has to do with family therapy?” Well, it did not take too long for family therapists everywhere to “get it” and the fi eld gradually became enriched postmodern ideas of thinkers like von Glaserfelds , Gergen, Wittgenstein and Derrida, to mention only a few. I appreciated this direction. It held so much promise for new and interesting ways of thinking about therapy and also resonated with my ideas about human connection, but I have to admit I hit that snag of uncertainty again. I really had a hard time with Steve de Shazer’s pronouncement that “there is no such thing as theory.” What he meant by this was that every linguistic interaction is unique and in the moment. It was his way of saying the course of the solution construction must not be planned or predictable but a spontaneous construction. But isn’t that a theoretical stance in itself, I thought? And what does that actually mean for the therapist and for teachers of therapists? Once again the conversations began in my head about how to reconcile all this for myself. I began to realize that I needed a both/and solution – one that was biological as well as philosophical. I searched the literature for past theories that fi t a constructivist lens but might also incorporate cognitive and emotional aspects of the therapeutic process. This search resulted in my rediscovering Harry Stack Sullivan’s interpersonal model , and an increased appreciation of Maturana and Varela ((l987). The work of these men had a biological foundation that considered human relationships as fundamental for human development, change and survival, They denied objective reality in favor of the experience in the moment and as driven by emotions though in a somewhat diff erent manner. Sullivan considered the basis of all problems presented by patients as emotional discomfort with self and others which he called “anxiety”(Sullivan, 1953). He defi ned his role as therapist as being a “participating observer.” (Chapman, l953, p. 18). Maturana and Varela considered emotions as the underpinning and motivation for all behavior described as “languaging,” (Maturana & Varela, 1987, pp 234-5) “a phenomenon that takes place in the recursion of linguistic interactions

– linguistic coordinations of linguistic coordinations of action” (Maturana & Varela, l987, p. 211). So essentially therapy is an emotionally based interaction both for Sullivan and for Maturana and Varela. Moreover, Maturana and Varela.’s notion that conservation of an organism’s basic resources are necessary for change and survival is highly congruent with solution-focused thinking. These ideas encompassed how I was trying to explain a solution-focused process that included emotions. But still, all this information and ideas collectively caused me to struggle with my loyalty to the solution-focused model that I, too, had helped to shape. Ideas of biology, cognition and emotions did not seem to have a place in the solution-focused minimalistic model that we had developed at this point.. I asked my self “ can I preserve and perpetuate the philosophy and basic concepts of the solution-focused model if my thinking veers too far from the party line? After a while I decided that there does not have to be a right or wrong, ,that there can be multiple descriptions of some basic principles. I believed that I needed to choose a way of thinking about therapy that was comfortable for me in the sense that it was congruent with my observations and the clients’ responses in therapy This was absolutely necessary if I was going to be helpful to people

Based on all my experience and the current ideas I have described I created my own theory and assumptions.

DIAGRAMS OF MY THEORY OF CHANGE AND ASSUMPTIONS

My Theory of change

Human beings are individual, biological entities that are unique in terms of their genetic make-up and social development. They have the capacity to change to the degree determined by these factors. They construct meaning about their world, themselves and their relationships through language. Problems are what they experience as distressing life situations they feel incapable of changing. Solutions become possible through conversations during which they discover resources within themselves to achieve what they defi ne as solutions

1. Every client is unique.

2. Clients have the inherent strength and resources to help themselves.

3. Therapists cannot change clients: they can only cooperate with how clients cooperate.

4. Every human being strives for emotional security.

5. Emotions can override cognition.

6. One cannot change the past; only exchange of language in the present can change the future.

7. The quickest solutions are arrived at slowly.

8. Nothing is all negative.

9. Change is a constant and inevitable; a small change can lead to bigger changes.

10. Best solutions are arrived at slowly.

11. If it works don’t fi x it: if it doesn’t work do something diff erent.

I have always found theory and assumptions to be important guideposts for therapists. Many years ago I used the following metaphor about learning how to ride a bicycle when teaching. It is diffi cult at fi rst not to keep falling over with the bicycle until one learns how to balance it. As one gets more and more competent one becomes more and more aware of the subtle movements one has to make to stay upright. In the same way, it is diffi cult to keep the therapy moving forward at the beginning without moments of faltering. Just as one does not always have someone running behind the bicycle to steady it one does not always have a team behind the mirror to call in a question or thought at that moment. A list of assumptions can help one keep the rhythm and direction of the therapy going. This is not only true for the beginner but for the experienced therapist, as well. There are always decision points we reach at which theory and assumptions are helpful guideposts.

Another thing that came to my mind as constructivism guided our thinking was an inconsistency between the session and the message we gave to clients at the end. In 1986 we had come up with the idea that clients really fall into three categories visitors, complainants and customers.de Shazer, 1988, pp 87-90) The idea was that visitors do not think they have a problem, complainant just want to complain and not change, and customers are the motivated clients who make our life so easy. The purpose of these categories was to decide whether or not to assign a task at the end of the session. The formula for the message had been standard for years: you start with compliments, then you reframe something, or normalize it, or make a comment or even a psycho education point and you end with “what we want you to do for next time” and give them a homework assignment.

This thinking caused me to have to have a conversation with myself again. I was disturbed that it did not seem consistent with our philosophy not to reify any concepts or to label people? Can these categories really be considered collaborative?

My experience had taught me that clients don’t necessarily maintain the position they come in with. The level of motivation can change considerably by the end of the fi rst session, and thereafter, depending on how the session progresses . More often than not, when I invited a reluctant partner



of a client to come in to see me once, by themselves, to tell me their side of the story, that resistant partner ended up becoming a participating “customer.” I also often found this to be true with families, or a parent who just planned for the child to have therapy.

So I asked myself what would be more congruent, and came up with the idea of mirroring the interview by starting with where the client is. Eventually I reconfi gured this message to what I now call a Summation Message. The discussions in the team bout this ….

SUMMATION MESSAGE

Instead of coming back like an expert and giving the client the message from the team I would say “What I heard you say today” and then ask the client if I heard them correctly or if they want to change something. Then I would reply with a message about my reactions to the interview with the usual reframes and comments but instead of assigning a task I would casually say “Sometimes, we have found that people in your situation fi nd it helpful to do….” and explain a task that the client could chose to do or not do until next time we would meet.

SUMMATION MESSAGE

1. WHAT I HEARD YOU SAY TODAY

This statement should include:

1.The complaint

2.The goals

3.Any progress that has already been made

4.What the client said about how the situation is aff ecting him or her (including emotionally)

2. MY RESPONSE IS:

This statement should include:

1.The therapist’s reaction to the situation

2.Reinforcement of positives and changes

3.Normalizations, reframes, or new information

4.Acknowledgement of clients’ feelings

3. TASK

This should always be stated as a suggestion that clients can choose to do, rather than an assignment.

My experience with this process has been very positive. Repeating what you heard the client says results in very focused attention on the part of the clients. It usually results in a “yes set” ( de Shazer, l982; Erickson et al., l976) reactions, a nodding of the client’s head that signals agreement or attentiveness, that we have looked for as reactions at BFTC since the very beginning.

Clients seem to appreciate being asked whether they were understood. Once clients agree that I heard them correctly the comments I follow them with are far less strategic than they used to be. They tend to be as positive as possible in order to maintain hope and motivation, but at the least not suggest things are hopeless or worse. Tasks have to be fi tted to clients. Some clients, like the more compulsive ones, need a behavioral task while other who are on the more creative spectrum do better with a “thinking” or “noticing” task. I do not always give a task or suggestion In other cases it may be suffi cient to say “you seem to be doing the right things to progress, so keep doing what you think is best for you. I’ll look forward to hearing what that is.” While this is not a “task” it is a defi nite message, and I think it is useful to end every session by saying something regarding the time between sessions.

IS THERE A RIGHT WAY TO DO SOLUTION

FOCUSED THERAPY?

In l987, I began to notice that in his interviews Steve de Shazer seemed to be asking questions as if he were hypothesizing which task fi t, more than co-constructing solutions. It felt to me like a throwback to the early days. After watching for a few weeks I told Steve. “You are hypothesizing about which task to give at the end.” He disagreed. Although we had come a long way from the early think tank where every new thought was food for a group discussion, Steve and I were not beyond a research challenge. So we decided that we would watch a video tape together, and stop after every exchange and share what we were thinking. This proved very interesting. Our thinking was really diff erent. Steve’s thinking about the client’s answers was not to question the meaning and to take it at face value, while I would be inclined to consider options based on the particular answer, or some that were given before. But, at the end of the session, we both came up with almost identical messages and tasks. We arrived at the same results from both inductive and deductive reasoning. Since Steve was a man of few words I do not know what conclusions he drew but to me this was evidence that there are diff erent ways to be solution focused.

As the years went by at BFTC, the graduates and next generation of trainers began to develop their own style. Some increasingly emphasized use of the techniques, while others became more relaxed. We had also gradually modifi ed our early belief that the solution-focused process can be applied, and works, regardless of a specifi c problem or situation. As early as l982 we had to accept this when we treated he spouse abuse cases I mentioned above.

It was imperative to assure the safety of victims regardless of our belief in any theoretical concepts. It wasn’t until the late 80’s though that it was acknowledged in publications that certain problems had particular complexities that had to be considered. So it became necessary to think “both/and” for example in areas like alcohol treatment,( Berg & Miller, 1992), geriatric dementia (Bonjean, 1989), school problems (Molnar & Lindquist, l989) and issues in social service systems(Berg, l994).

ICF CONSULTANTS, INC. I Begin a New Chapter

In l988, I left BFTC mainly because I wanted more time to myself and for my family. I have to say Insoo and Steve tried to accommodate me in any way I wanted so that my work load and time commitment would allow me to stay, but I had been having a conversation with myself for some time about being independent. After eight years of being associated with BFTC my reputation was built on being a member of the group. I wondered whether I could remain eff ective and creative as an independent practitioner. The process of convincing myself that I should take a chance on satisfying my curiosity took over a year.

When I fi nally made the decision, the plan was to rent a room somewhere and work part time. Well, it didn’t quite work out that way. Marilyn Bonjean, a family therapist specialized in working with geriatric patients and the chronically ill had been in private practice part time at BFTC. She happened to leave her full time job as Clinical Director at a Nursing Home about the time I left BFTC because of a change in management She wanted to try full time private practice , so we decided to share space. The idea of one or two rooms mushroomed when we fell in love with an old Victorian building, the fi rst fl oor of which had warmth and charm. We started our own center, ICF Consultants, Inc , in l988 where we did not generally practice as a team but shared some projects and administration. Last year we were proud and happy to celebrate 25 years of harmonious and successful partnership.

In keeping with my continuing curiosity about what really makes the diff erence for clients in SFT, one of the fi rst things we did at ICF was to set up a protocol to study that question. We developed two sets of questionnaires – one for the therapist and one for the clients. At the end of each session the therapist fi lled out a form predicting the outcome for the next session, and noting reasons for it, for example a particular conversation, a response by the client, or a particular intervention. Before every session after the initial one, clients were asked to fi ll out a questionnaire asking them if they had experienced any change, and if so, how



they account for it. Did the therapist say, do, or assign something last time that they think made a diff erence? We ended up with about 65 cases. What was absolutely astounding was that the therapists’ predictions, and the clients’ reports, never matched. Not one client ever credited a particular technique, or a homework task as having made a diff erence to them. Instead, they reported “The therapist accepted me, she understood what I was saying, she made me feel I wasn’t crazy, made me feel better about myself” and so forth. This affi rmed for us the importance of the relationship, or the emotional climate in therapy. It pointed up the fact that the techniques don’t work by themselves. Their eff ectiveness depends on the context in which they are used.

IDENTITY CRISIS? An Entirely New Perspective

In the mid 90’s, I was invited by Francine Shapiro to participate in training in EMDR (Shapiro, 1995).. This was the result of a casual conversation in which I mentioned my interest in the new neuroscientifi c fi ndings.

What I knew about EMDR before this point was that it was in essence the opposite of a solution-focused way of working.. But I had not taken any training of my own in years, and it seemed like fun to do something totally diff erent. Well, , I was blown away by what I, and my fellow trainees experienced. I saw how we produced amazingly rapid results in a totally diff erent way than any therapy I have ever read about. That EMDR attempted to deal with cognition and emotions, was also attractive to me. So I had to ask myself how I could I integrate this work with my solution-focused way of thinking? It seemed at fi rst that the stance of the therapist is totally diff erent, but with more training and practice I recognized that the EMDR process was also very client centered. So now I utilize EMDR in situations where solution construction seems to be at an impass because the client cannot get past a negative belief about him or herself in relation to something that happened in their past.

More recently I also teach people techniques to help regulate their emotions and stop obsessive thinking. Also thanks to Michael White’s externalization technique, I often provide emotional relief for clients by externalizing their inability to regulate their emotions . I explain that the emotional systems in the brain are much more extensive and powerful than the cognitive systems and they shut down rational thinking and control when they get too aroused. I usually get sighs of relief and “so it isn’t my fault?” or “I’m not crazy?” They are then in a better state of mind to focus on techniques to “tame that emotional brain” such as thinking about times when

they have done that in the past, or do so already at times.

I don’t know how other solution-focused therapists would describe me today. I am sure that I would not be considered orthodox. By the way, “orthodox” is a word that Steve de Shazer abhorred. He always said he never wanted solution-focused therapy to become an orthodoxy. In developing my views I often had to struggle with indecision about whether to follow my gut feelings or the thinking of colleagues for whose thinking I have the utmost respect. I now feel strongly about identifying myself as a solution-focused therapist because I feel grounded in the philosophy that problems are not pathology but the ups and downs of life; because I have a systemic, interpersonal perspective; and because I believe that people have inherent resources that I want to help them identify and build on in a way that works for them. This is a framework on which I hang other methods and techniques when necessary, with the rationalization that I have to help the best way I know how, rather than according to specifi c guidelines. Perhaps my impatience to help clients the best possible way and as quickly as possible has driven me to expand my solution-focused framework? Perhaps no one can keep doing something for thirty or more years without evolving? Perhaps one shouldn’t even try to stay the same? But, on the other hand, if it works, should one fi x it? I don’t know the answer to all these questions because I really believe every human being is unique.

So that is the development of my solution-focused working model to date. I hope I will be able to continue my journey.

References:Andersen, T. (l987). The reflecting team:

Dialogue and metadialogues in clinical work.Family Process, 26, 415-428.

Batelson, G. (l979). Mind and Nature: A necessary unity. New York: Dutton.

Berg, I.K. (l994). Family-based services: A solution-focused approach. New York: Norton.

Berg, I.K., & Kelly, S. (2000). Building solutions in child protective services.New York: Norton.

Berg, I.K., & Miller, S.D. (1992). Working with the problem drinker: A solution-focused approach.

New York: Norton.Bonjean, M. (l989) . Solution –focused

psychothereapy with families caring for an Alzheimer patient. In G. Hughston, V.

Christoopherson, & & M. Bonjean (Eds.),Aging and family therapy: Pracitioners perspectives on

Golden Pond (pp. 1-11), New York:Harworth Press.

de Shazer, S. (l982). Patterns of brief family therapy: An ecosystemic approach.New

York:Guilford Press.de Shazer, S. (1985). Keys to solution in brief

therapy.New York:Norton.de Shazeer, S. & Molnar, A. (l984). Four useful

interventions in brief family therapy.Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 10(3)297-

303.de Shazer, S. (1988). Clues: Investigating

solutions in brief therapy. New York:Norton.Erickson, M.H., & Rossi, E. (1979). Hypnotherapy:

An exploratory casebook. New York: Irvington.Erickson, M.H. (l964). Special techniques of brief hypnotherapy. Journal of Clinical and

Experimental Hypnosis, 2, 199-229.Fisch, R., Weakland, J.H., & Segal, I. (l982). Tactics of change:Doing therapy briefly. San Francisco:

Jossey-Bass. Goodman, H. (l986). BRIEFER: An expert system

for brief family therapy.Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Goodman, H. , Gingerich, W. J., & de Shazer, S. (l989). BRIEFER: An expert system for clinical

practice.Computers in Human Services, 5,53-67.Goolishian, H., & Anderson, H. (l984). Language systems and therapy: An evolving idea. Journal

of Psychotherapy, 23(3S) 527-538.Hoffman, L. (l981). Foundations of family

therapy. New York: Basic Books.Hoffman, L. (l988). A constructivist position for family therapy. The Irish Journal of Psychology,

9,110-129.Kiser, D.J., Piercy, F.P., & Lipchik, E. (l993). The integration of emotions in solution-focused

therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, l9(3), 233-242.

Maturana, H.R., & Varela, F.J. (l987).The tree of knowledge:The biological roots of human

understanding (Rev. ed.). Boston: Shambhala.Minuchin, S. (l974) Families and family therapy.

Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Molnar, A.,& Lindquist, B. (l989) Changing

problem behavior in schools. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Norum, D. (2000). The family has the solution. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 19(1),3-16.

Selvini-Palazzoli, M., Cechin, G., Prata, G., & Boscolo, L. (l978) Paradox and counterparados:

A new model in the therapy of the family in schizophrenic transaction. New York: Jason

Aronson.Shapiro, F. (1995). Eye Movement

Desensitization and Reprocessing: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures. New York:

Guilford Press.Sullivan, H.S. (l953).The psychiatric interview.

New York: Norton.Tomm, K. (l987a) Interventive Interviewing :

Part I. Strategizing as a fourth guideline for the therapist. Family Process, 26 ,3-113.

Tomm, K. (l987b) Interventive Interviewing: Part II. Reflective questioning as a means to enable

self-healing. Family Process, 26, 167-184.Watzlawick, P. , Weakland, J., & Fisch, R. (l974). Change:Principals of problem formation and

problem resolution. New York: Norton.White, M. (l988/9). The externalizing of the

problem and the reauthoring of lives and relationships.Dilwich Center Newsletter,

summer, 199-129.



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“It’s hard managing the fl ood of misguided, infl exible, unkind and narrow minded ways of thinking about our most precious and closest relationships….”

As someone who works with the ideas and practices of family & systemic therapy, I sometimes have the feeling that my world is fl ooded with unkind, misguided, infl exible and narrow conceptualisations about human relationships, and I’m one of a small group of people with a bailing bucket fi ghting the fl ood. When one of my close friends perhaps an engineer, radiographer, musician, landscape gardener or chef comes out with a ‘clanger’, either in the context of their own family relationships or as comment on social phenomenon, I am aware that I need to consciously clamp my jaw closed. I sometimes have to fi ght a compulsion to psycho-educate my friends; to launch into a speech, on topics like the diff erence between adolescent temperament, distress, internalising and externalising depression and aggressive behaviour; or the somatic link between extreme anxiety and tonic immobility; or how the body of research clearly shows that community and systemic interventions are vastly more eff ective than punitive measures in juvenile crime prevention.

There are two reasons as to why I hold my tongue so carefully, even though my landscape gardener friends might dispute it, The reasons are:

1) I know I don’t have all the answers, and I fall into the same traps as do other human beings, in thinking that I do know the answer. However, I do believe that family & systemic therapy gives me a way of asking better questions; not perfect questions, but better questions. And often, once the question is framed diff erently, the answer looks like it was always there. I really like my friends and I don’t want to be the one pretending to have all the answers.

2) I haven’t yet worked out a way to put what I want to say into words. I know I tend to be strident; I’m still practicing the gentle ways of being alongside others while they re-frame their experience. In a professional context, I’m still tuning my skills. In a personal context, I like my friends and I don’t want them to feel like I’m always trying to re-frame their experience and how they think.

But it’s hard, and then…..

I recently came across Claire Miran-Khan’s book “Rethinking Love: Inside the Mind of a Family Therapist”. This is not a ‘techniques and methods’ book off ering explicit guidance to family therapy professionals to hone their skills as I had originally thought, but a gentle and rather lovely way of re-introducing the non-therapist part of ourselves to a range of family & systemic therapy ideas. It’s the kind of book that I’d be pleased to hand to my

radiographer friend, when her core beliefs about family, duty and fairness have led to power struggles with her husband or her toddler.

Each chapter in this engaging book has a diff erent perspective on theme of ‘love’. It is clear that Claire has been rolling the ideas around in her head for many years, and in writing this book she has titrated them down to the essentials. As each chapter looks at love from a diff erent angle, the book covers a lot of ground very quickly: how love engages with power, how to manage self-love, love in the context of marriage or long-term relationships and children, the challenges of blended families, sex and gender, and anger and shame.

Claire has woven together diff erent types of ideas throughout the chapters, including research, theory and practice, and stories of her family and herself. She lovingly draws quite a bit from Minuchin’s structural family therapy and specifi c experience, her evolving personal perspective and clinical practice are clear threads evident in the fabric on the book. She has also gently made reference to other sources. I particularly liked how she brought in the ancient Greek distinctions between diff erent types of love. This added depth to the language used in the later chapters of the book. Her stories from clinical practice were well used, and the subtlety of Claire’s clinical work is evident.

One of Claire’s clinical narrative that has echoed in my mind is that of a mother whose family story was “…above all else, keep the children happy..” and to the mother’s great confusion and desperation, she fi nds herself in therapy because of terrible pain resulting from her most beloved 6 year old becoming a ‘terrifying tyrant’. Somehow, in the course of reading this story, I became aware how Claire compassionately captured the powerful impact that the mother’s family of origin experiences and family narratives fuelled the anxiously-tyrannical behaviour of her most precious son. To me this demonstrated that Claire deeply

understands the complexity of love, and how apparently small changes in balance between love and structure can improve or destroy relationships.

The chapters on marriage and gender roles I found both interesting and very useful. The stories appeared to be heavily informed by Claire’s professional practice and personal theories. I enjoyed reading how Claire touches lightly on the very useful ideas within family & systemic therapy around multi-generational stories, depression, addiction, illness, and working within a wider system or community, but give a privileged place to love. Her stories demonstrate a willingness to put deeply human qualities before formal theories. It is evident that above all she uses the combination of compassion, forgiveness and courage to add substantive texture to love, and so it has become her preferred professional compass.

Claire’s writing is engaging, light and deeply personal, it is not preachy and a long way away from superior or judgemental, and it evokes a desire to meet the person who speaks and writes like this. My abiding impression of ‘Rethinking Love’ is that Claire Miran-Khan has also wrestled with the compulsion to widen the discourse on love and diff erent kinds of relationships. She too may fi nd the level of emotional literacy of my friends diffi cult, but with gentleness, curiosity, and her many more years of experience, she responds very diff erently. Claire has produced a very digestible and personal voice to family & systemic therapy, and to which I can confi dently refer my chef and radiographer friends and not just when they are in pain or drop a ‘clanger’. Thank you Claire for the time an eff ort you put into writing!

Alex McGrathWRFTC

ALEX MCGRAPH: RETHINKING LOVE

“Rethinking Love: Inside the Mind of a Family Therapist” Author: Claire Miran-Khan, Budding Iris Publication, February 2016By Alex McGrath, WRFTC

14


Introduction

The challenge in the history of therapy is to decide how close and personal or impersonal are we willing to be. The most successful therapists create opportunities for the use of humour and feedback from both the clients and the therapist. To keep a client engaged in treatment it is important to identify accurately when they are not responding to our therapy and address the reasons for the lack of change so that we can fi nd a new direction (Duncan & Miller, 2008). This means we need to allow ourselves to be vulnerable and robust enough to handle whatever the client brings and refl ects about the therapy during and at the end of every session. Duncan & Miller (2008) encourage the use of standardised measures such as the Client Directed Outcomes Instrument to obtain feedback in the early stages of therapy about what is working or not. The vital lesson is to create an atmosphere of mutual refl ection where we can gain important information about the client, our alliance and whether our approach is working (Duncan & Miller, 2008). This is pertinent in our use of humour because if both client and therapist enjoy the interaction there is a feedback loop of shared laughter or smiles.

Humour is an important tool as an intensity regulator, which is particularly pertinent in couples and family work when communication becomes problematic or destructive. Often clients can be stuck in their story and seem to have no capacity for lightness. Humour can help to increase insight and promote objectivity. It can change the narrative from melodrama to a comedy of errors as emotions are re-adjusted, enabling us have a fresh perspective (Madanes, 2015). Gottman and Gottman (2015) discuss that couples who will not fare well are often bogged down in what they describe as the ‘Four Horsemen’ of relationships: criticism, contempt, defensiveness and stonewalling. They suggest that relationships that are likely to succeed use humour during confl ict by expressing empathy and understanding with a smile or saying something funny to make a small repair. The use of humour is a tightrope however as there is always the risk that inappropriate use or poor attempts may be experienced as invalidation.

In a similar way, the teacher/student relationship and all its tensions to achieve a robust education are enhanced by the use of humour as a facilitator of learning. It helps to build rapport and to encourage intuition and creativity. A key proposition in the teaching of family therapy is that it should parallel therapy itself, promoting openness and disclosure (Stagoll, Lang & Goding, 1979). The therapist’s fi rst task is to provide a safe space where the family

can explore and experiment with diff erent ways of relating to each other in the immediate present. Similarly, the teacher’s task is to create a learning environment that is open; where students can try out something new and develop experiential awareness of how powerful the here and now process can be (Stagoll, Lang & Goding, 1979).

This was certainly the case when I attended a workshop on Couple’s Therapy by Moshe Lang. As therapist and teacher, Moshe certainly upheld the tenet of “do it and show it rather than talk about it” (Stagoll, Lang & Golding, 1979, p.37). There was a mix of analytical and experiential through the rare experience of dissecting a DVD-recorded couple’s session, a case that is open to public scrutiny and debate, and then participating as an observing team member of a live role-play of a potential follow up session.

This article will focus on the ten lessons I learnt from attending Moshe’s workshop, including the use of humour in the process and relationship of Couple’s Therapy.

Introducing Moshe Lang: A therapist who champions the use of therapeutic humour

Moshe Lang is a master in the art of therapy and a pioneer in Australian Family Therapy. In 1979 Moshe founded Williams Road Family Centre, the fi rst independent family therapy centre in Australia after working as the senior psychologist for many years in the early days of the Bouverie Clinic. In 52 years of practice as a child psychologist, family and couple’s therapist, clinical supervisor, teacher, mentor and writer, Moshe has spent around 50,000 hours with clients. It is a sobering experience to watch someone counselling and teaching who can admit to mistakes, be highly self-critical and refl ective to keep improving and yet makes it look so easy. Biddulph (2012) quite rightly suggested that while novices may get weighed down by technique and the pressure to make a good impression, old masters keep it simple and are more human.

According to Moshe, as humans, any interaction that includes the use of humour with wisdom enhances everything.

Humour is under-rated as a teaching, therapy and communication tool. It is misunderstood by many professionals. There is a discrepancy between what we are taught and read and how we practice. Moshe asserts that the language of psychotherapy and change is poetic and strong in metaphor (Lang & Lang, 1981). Psychology and Couple’s Therapy are taught as a science and the language used in class and publications is formal and serious.

Psychology, Psychotherapy and Counselling are serious professions and we all struggle at times to assert our humorous selves in case we are ridiculed or seen as less worthy, or even worse, not funny. With the emergence of Positive Psychology as a leading construct that promotes wellbeing, gratitude and hope, humour should be valued as a character strength as it enhances intimacy, buff ers stress and makes us feel good (Gibson, 2016). Humour fosters better connection with others thus strengthening the therapeutic alliance, which research has shown to be the vital ingredient in eff ecting change more than any other factor (Shearer, 2016). We should also take note from the father of psychodrama Jacob Moreno who saw humour as so important he requested that his epitaph declared ‘the man who brought laughter to psychiatry’ (Johnson & Emunah, 2009).

Humour is the opposite of seriousness and therefore if we laugh it might seem we are not taking situations or people seriously. As well as being its opposite, humour is the facilitator of seriousness. As Moshe is fond of saying, “This is too serious a subject not to use humour”. Without humour, the seriousness might be too dark, painful, intense and anxiety provoking. It is our sense of the humorous that helps us to handle what life may bring and opens us up to both joy and sorrow (Shearer, 2016). Carl Jung believed the use of humour was so important he would make a point of seeing whether his clients had a sense of humour or not. He believed that people without humour were diffi cult to treat but that even severely psychotic people had a sense of humour. They may not be curable, but with humour, they could be kept buoyant (von Franz, 1997). Moshe

JANICE FLORENT: COUPLE’S THERAPY AND HUMOUR

Couple’s Therapy and Humour: The Ten LessonsJanice FlorentNovember 2016

15


JANICE FLORENT: COUPLE’S THERAPY AND HUMOUR

would say the only thing that is curable in this world is ham… We need to bring in a light touch at times in order to engage, to look at the issue and tolerate the intensity.

Lesson One: Humour- A tool of engagement for learning and therapy

It was a beautiful mid-winter sunny Saturday afternoon as Moshe Lang presented his workshop on Couple’s Therapy. While participating I continued my journey with Moshe to demystify and deconstruct the role of humour in therapy. I had written about this subject (Florent, 2016), after I fi rst met Moshe in 2015 at his workshop Humour in life and in therapy- a psychologist’s humour is no laughing matter! It struck a chord to consider that humour is central not peripheral to mental health treatment and life and helps us to connect more deeply. By listening to our client’s story across the spectrum from seriousness to hilarity, we may not respond across that range, but we gain more insight and understanding (Florent, 2016).

Humour is an eff ective engagement tool, which was clearly evident as Moshe taught this fi rst lesson, using his light touch to present his workshop. He began by telling his audience that his former work partner Brian Stagoll once introduced him by saying, “I’m sure Moshe is looking forward to hearing what he has to say” and Moshe quipped that he looked forward to what he might say today!

The workshop focussed around the training tool: ‘Behind Closed Doors’ (Lang, 2012). It is a package of two educational DVDs with a manual developed by Moshe to demonstrate his approach to therapy. “The Aff air” showcases Couple’s Therapy (which was to be the focus of the workshop) and “Coming Home” displaying Family Therapy with mother and son. The clients are professional actors from Playback Theatre who are highly skilled in improvisation. The actors and Moshe are given a brief outline of the issues that bring them to therapy. Moshe treats the actors as real clients so that the session is as close to real therapy as possible.

In typical Moshe style, he gave his participants options of how the workshop might progress. We were the experts in how we like to learn. We could be as intense or as relaxed as we wish. As the sun streamed in though the hallway, Moshe suggested we could:

• play the DVD in slices and stop to analyse the therapy along the way; then

• engage in a live ‘second session’ and workshop interventions, or

• we could simply watch and then go for a walk in that oh so inviting sunshine.

Moshe’s off er of learning opportunities was a very clever technique of using humour to gently invite everyone to participate.

Lesson Two: The client is the boss: Ask Them!

Moshe discussed the making of the DVD and explained how the fi lming was set up. A couple of days before the shoot, the producer and director Tarni James rang Moshe worried that perhaps the couple needed more background information to their story and/or more information on Moshe and his process. Moshe asked us to guess how he responded to the request, playfully asserting that no one had ever guessed correctly so far. Being good problem-solving therapists, the group entered into banter with Moshe: off ering suggestions, creative solutions and even mini formulations. There was laughter as wrong answer after wrong answer was off ered. Moshe warned that if we didn’t guess correctly within fi ve minutes the workshop would be over. One brave participant went against the grain and suggested that Tarni could ask the actors to decide for themselves what they needed and she won the prize.

Moshe’s second lesson of the day and to him the most important: Ask them! Our clients can most likely best answer what they need so why not ask them directly? We are not the experts on their life, while we may have valid formulations and hypotheses, we need to be careful not to assume or impose our ideas. A good therapist always maintains a stance of curiosity and respects client autonomy.

Lesson Three: The aim of the fi rst session- do we have a contract?

In “The Aff air” Alex and Andrew are a couple with a six month old baby, Lily. They suff ered the pain of a miscarriage before Lily, which they say at the time brought them closer together. It also seemed to have increased Alex’s fears of never having a successful pregnancy and therefore never being a mother. During the pregnancy with Lily, Alex became highly anxious and as what she described as “too careful”. She feared exercise and sex might do harm and wanted to do the best for their chances of having a family. Andrew described sex as part of the couple’s intimacy, a “way for us to fi nd our way back together”. For him, Alex withholding sex was a rejection and he felt the couple became more separate. The couple came to therapy because it turns out that Andrew had an aff air during the pregnancy. He is seen as the guilty party and has betrayed the marriage.

It was a very serious and often at times a painful session with humour adding some

levity at pertinent points. Alex brought great intensity while Andrew used humour. If Moshe was only serious he would lose Andrew, whereas by balancing seriousness with humour he was able to connect with the couple as individuals and as partners.

After spending time gathering information and getting to know the couple Moshe asks, “How can I best help you?” The couple laugh and say “We thought you would tell us!” Moshe doesn’t laugh with them but gently allows the story to develop further. Here Moshe off ered his third lesson for the day stating that a client might ask us to fi x them, but only dogs get fi xed! Moshe then discussed the aim of a fi rst session reminding us that the client is the expert in their life:

• why are they here and what do they want from me;

• is there a way for us to work together;

• is there a contract between us yet; and if not

• keep exploring the issue until a clear and mutual goal or contract is reached.

Lesson Four: Humour can turn a disadvantage into an advantage

The session progresses with Alex talking about her fears for this second pregnancy after her fi rst miscarriage and how her anxieties might have aff ected Andrew. The couple also talk about how the grief of the miscarriage brought them closer together; as Andrew said, “We hung in there, we won really…” Moshe summarises the couple’s experience from miscarriage to getting pregnant to having Lily:

“You get pregnant straight away and so that the very thing that you are keen to have happen to you, happens to you. And a year later or thereabouts you are in this room being miserable as hell”.

The couple laugh with Moshe. The humour here brought a moment of levity in what had been a very heavy session so far. It also gave permission for Andrew to engage in a diff erent way as he seemed to talk more freely.

Moshe then asks the couple what they could have done diff erently. Andrew responds by saying he would have liked to have listened to Alex’s fears more and that instead of looking for relief outside the marriage he should have used what he coined as “Mrs Palmer and her fi ve daughters” (masturbation to the unfamiliar). While Alex objects to what she describes as kindergarten humour, she is the one who laughs fi rst, which seems to act as a catalyst for banter to begin between Andrew and Moshe about “Mrs

16


Palmer”: who she is, why is she married, whether she is very experienced and ends with everyone laughing. Moshe tells the couple that “maybe the good news is you can still laugh together”.

Moshe refl ected, as the fourth lesson, that the interaction with Andrew was wonderful example of turning a disadvantage into an advantage. Having never heard the expression “Mrs Palmer” before, Moshe’s ignorance provided them with an impetus to laugh together. Also in that exchange, Andrew became the expert which levelled the playing fi eld. Moshe stated that couples’ therapy is a juggling act. We need to speak to the individual in their own language and in that moment of the session, Andrew’s language was humour.

Lesson Five: Don’t judge. Sometimes the vicious cycle needs a shock to move to the virtuous

According to Moshe, a shock whether humorous or painful, is a way of interrupting the interactive vicious cycle that can occur in relationships. In this case, it is hypothesised that Alex and Andrew’s intimacy diffi culties have a longer history. Alex had long term anxiety and depression issues that at times impeded her ability to be emotionally and physically available to Andrew. This is exacerbated during the pregnancy and Andrew feels hurt, rejected and unable to acknowledge his need for validation and closeness. Masturbation is not only about sexual relief but about self-comfort. Andrew needed comfort for his emotional pain. He has problems expressing this to Alex and Alex has problems in hearing it. Their pattern of communication degenerates to Alex criticising and expressing her pain, Andrew feels guilty and withdraws resulting in Alex off ering more criticism. The couple has a destructive chain of interaction that keeps escalating.

Moshe refl ected that perhaps if Andrew had only masturbated rather than have an aff air he may not have administered the ‘shock therapy’ the couple needed to break the vicious cycle. Moshe asked his audience, “When does a ball bounce back?” - the answer being when it hits bottom, meaning that the aff air is the circuit breaker for the couple that hopefully means they can build resilience, reconnect with levity and humour, and start to reinforce each other in a positive way.

This is not only important for the couple but also for their baby Lily’s wellbeing to interrupt the potential negative of impact her parents’ antagonistic relationship. For children who witness aggression, violence or trauma the healthy progression of their development will be negatively aff ected. Safety and nurturing are crucial for secure attachment and laughter is an important way to bond with children and build resilience (Fonagy, 2016). When Alex laughs and Andrew and Moshe join in, the virtuous cycle for the whole family begins.

Lesson Six: Therapy cannot be prescriptive. Neither can humour, but it helps to bring results.

When Giselle Solinski (2013) reviewed the DVD, she highlighted Moshe’s use of humour with Andrew, suggesting he was able to introduce something risqué into the conversation that lightened the mood. Moshe believes that therapy and humour cannot be prescriptive. Humour was not introduced by him as the therapist but rather that he was responding to what Andrew brought to the session. We need to be open and allow humour to emerge and respond in kind.

If there is virtue in responding to humour then the interaction between Moshe and the couple should have been a successful intervention. As the participants analysed this aspect a wealth of evidence in favour of this sixth lesson of the day came to light:

• where the body language had been closed and tight, the couple had turned towards one another;

• Alex began to admit that she was diffi cult to live with, which is evidence not that she accepts the aff air but that she has heard and acknowledged Andrew’s state of discomfort and she then started to refl ect on how her fears played a part in the couple’s issues;

• Andrew became less defensive and more receptive to Alex, which helped her to feel more understood;

• where Alex had earlier been expressing how impossible it seemed to continue to live together, she was now talking about their future and what she would do diff erently if they were to have another baby;

• Alex lost her combative stance and became softer, her eyes smiled and she was more refl ective; and

• perhaps this was the fi rst time in ages that they had truly laughed together and in and of itself, that was a good result.

Lesson Seven: In subsequent sessions, the client is still the boss. Collaborate to keep abreast of what the client might need and keep negotiating the contract.

The next part of the workshop revolved around a live ‘second session’, which continued the lessons in Couple’s Therapy and where humour may help.

Moshe scratched his head and shrugged his shoulders like a silent movie comedian as he turned to the only male participant in the room who laughingly volunteered to play the role of Andrew. Moshe then said to the participant, “I invite you to choose your bride!” Two very generous participants were now ready to play the roles of Alex and Andrew attending a follow up session with Moshe.

JANICE FLORENT: COUPLE’S THERAPY AND HUMOUR17


As Moshe began the ‘second session’ with Alex and Andrew, his skills of respecting the clients as experts in their lives were clear. He asked them how the passing week had been and whether they had any thoughts about the fi rst session. Reinforcing lessons two and three to the participants, he also asked the couple what would be most helpful to talk about today.

Moshe asserted as lesson seven that we need to keep abreast of what the couple might want and need and keep asking what would be helpful. He taught that the contract between the therapist and client is constantly negotiated over time and minute by minute, “What would you like to tell me?” This was highlighted when ‘workshop Andrew’ was given the opportunity to be heard as that was his goal for the session. Moshe asked his audience about their thoughts of conducting this part of the session as individual counselling within the couple’s therapy. Participants were rightly concerned about the impact on the ‘silent witness’ as focus was placed on the other person; whether this was ethically and clinically sound; and how to bring the session back to couples’ work.

Moshe challenged us to think about weighing up the desperate need of Andrew in that moment and whether not allowing him to unpack his thoughts would hinder his progress. Moshe also wondered whether having Alex silently witness Andrew’s individual therapy might help her to understand her husband as never before, which in turn might help the couple overall.

Throughout the session, Moshe would stop at pertinent points and ask the participants to feedback their thoughts, concerns, formulations and challenge to create a response to the couple as a way of learning the nuances of couples’ therapy. Serious discussion and some debating would occur and he would then either use one of the participant’s responses or off er to the couple his own response. Moshe constantly used the technique of summarising, refl ecting back what he had heard as a suggestion and then asking the couple where they would like to head next. It was an excellent example of how to use feedback eff ectively to negotiate treatment that created a sense of collaboration. This occurred both with the couple and with the workshop participants.

Lesson Eight: Lost? Using humour to gain perspective

As the session progressed it became clear that ‘DVD Alex and Andrew’ were not the same couple as ‘workshop Alex and Andrew’. The workshop couple came with the same issue as in the fi rst session but it played out so diff erently. The intensity between them was heightened and almost antagonistic and abusive. That we were in

the middle of chaos was clear. The central issue was no longer the same. It was almost as if baby Lily had never been born. It was interesting how Moshe seemed to time the session pauses to address the observing team as also a way to reduce the force of emotion rising in the workshop couple and indeed in the audience. This highlighted as lesson eight that his use of humour was important here to regain perspective. If the couple came out of role to join the observing team, Moshe would off er a quip along the lines of, “No you’re the husband, and you don’t get to speak. The audience will now speak about you!”

Brian Cade (1982) discussed the problem of refl ective teams becoming mired in the family’s pain and despair as transference of the aff ect-laden session occurred. He asserted that when the observing team began to use what he coined as a ‘manic defence’ by using humour and considering the absurd, the team became more objective, constructive and creative in fi nding ideas for therapeutic interventions (Cade, 1982). While Moshe did not ask the participants specifi cally to use humour to fi nd solutions for the workshop couple, he demonstrated therapeutic humour as a teaching tool to release the possible emotionally fraught transference from the workshop couple to the audience. At one point for example, Moshe put his hands to his head and laughing exclaimed, “I am seeing a totally diff erent couple and it’s doing my head in!”

Lesson Nine: Don’t make assumptions and it won’t do your head in

Moshe’s exasperation above opened up a lively lesson nine discussion about not making assumptions about our clients and taking the time to continually assess and formulate. Max Cornwell (2013) reviewed the DVD and noted how the session highlighted the way in which Moshe’s approach encourages a sense of hope, creates an atmosphere of shared understanding and respect. He also noted that Moshe’s style of engagement allows for the space to think and plan (Cornwell, 2013). While we can be prepared for a session there is always the possibility that it will take a surprising direction or detour.

It was mind boggling to watch Moshe at work, taking what seemed like enormous risks, but by constantly asking his clients for permission to proceed rather than making assumptions and using a little silence to remain thoughtful, chaos was turned into order and a direction forward was found. The work appeared eff ortless even though you could see how hard Moshe was working to support both the couple and the audience in the learning. Moshe encouraged us to be refl ective about our practice; to be careful about pathologising; to learn to be comfortable in what we know and confi dent to try something

new (including use of humour) and not get mired in diagnosis and textbook interventions. As Guy Maruani asserted in his preface to one of Moshe’s books, ‘Families je vous aime’ (Lang & Lang 1989), we need to bend so that we can learn and it is with humour that we best survive.

Lesson Ten: Cultivating the use of humour as more than a survival tool

The use of humour is a balance of opportunity and risk. It requires appropriate judgement of whether not using humour at all is more dangerous than the risk of using or responding to it. It also requires confi dence to let go of a superior stance, which is the goal of good person-centred practice.

Some assert that humour should only be used by the very experienced therapist as what Moshe did in his session was “dangerous”. Indeed when Edwin Harari reviewed this DVD (2012), he likened a skilled therapist like Moshe to a skilled violinist. A violinist would practice scales and techniques for hundreds of hours and years until it becomes embedded as part of the musician. Similarly, an experienced therapist has practised for hours and internalised skills and techniques until practice becomes almost instinctual. Harari cautioned that a novice therapist should not introduce humour into therapy until after many hours of ‘practising scales’.

It highlights the perennial question of when should a therapist introduce humour into their practice as one way of responding? Lesson ten: Moshe asserts that humour should be cultivated from the beginning as a state of mind. Humour is like empathy, in that we don’t use empathy, we are simply empathic. I suggest that perhaps novice therapists can cultivate their use of humour by fi rst observing how their over-seriousness might be impeding rapport and over time, developing a sense of self and confi dence. When I put this to Moshe one day he responded:

“I think the novice needs to hurry up and not be a novice!”

Conclusion

As the workshop ended and the sun was beginning to set, no one regretted not taking up Moshe’s off er of going for a walk. Embracing the nerve-wracking challenge of working in-vivo after analysing a fi lmed session seemed a most unlikely way to spend a Saturday afternoon and yet made for some incredible learning, experimentation, personal challenge, and space to make mistakes as well as witness some victories.

Moshe told me after the workshop how angry he was with himself, that he did a bad job of teaching and made poor choices. The participant feedback told an entirely diff erent story. Moshe was

JANICE FLORENT: COUPLE’S THERAPY AND HUMOUR 18


described as brave, inspiring, provocative, knowledgeable and wise. Participants commented on the negotiating process and collaborative style and the interactive nature of navigating couples therapy, which underpinned the ten lessons. Moshe had to concede that he got it wrong and is always learning.

It was gratifying to watch Moshe challenge his participants to take the risk of using humour to manage the chaos and discuss its appropriateness and eff ectiveness in moving a couple from a vicious cycle of interaction to the virtuous cycle. Life and frankly therapy and learning without humour are bland; it needs a little salt and pepper. When cooking we can bring out the fl avour of the food with seasoning. It requires a delicate touch however as too much salt just makes you thirsty and too much pepper will make you sneeze all over your dish. On the other hand, not all dishes need seasoning. We also need a little dessert in our lives.

When Moshe was asked how he has changed over the years, he refl ected that when he was young he tried to hide how scared he was and that hopefully his ignorance wouldn’t be discovered. Now older (and wiser) he can openly say when he doesn’t know. Moshe has described this interaction as his client becoming the expert and he “the dummy”. He can use his unfamiliarity about such expressions as “Mrs Palmer and her fi ve daughters” to turn a disadvantage to an advantage and open up a conversation between himself and his clients/students. Lyn Hoff man (1994) described Moshe as being able to fi nd the fi ner meaning in any problem. She stated that in his writing, Moshe displays intelligence and humanity. This is also true in Moshe’s teaching and practice of Couple’s Therapy.

Janice Florent is a Senior Drug & Alcohol Counsellor and Clinical Supervisor within community health. She is a clinical member and accredited

supervisor with PACFA.

Janice Florent

References

Biddulph. S. (2012). DVD Review of Behind Closed Doors: Two therapy sessions with Moshe

Lang. Retrieved from PsychOz Publications website: http://www.psychotherapy.com.au/

shop/behind-closed-doors-2-dvd-set.html

Cade. B.W. (1982) Humour and Creativity. Journal of Family Therapy, 4(1), 35-42.

Cornwell, M. (2013). DVD Review of Behind Closed Doors: Two therapy sessions with Moshe

Lang. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 34(3), 271-272.

Duncan, D. & Miller, S. (2008). “When I’m

good, I’m very good, but when I’m bad I’m better”: A New Mantra for Psychotherapists.

Psychotherapy in Australia, 15(1), 60-69.

Florent, J. (2016). Humour as a therapeutic cure for ‘seriousity’: Reflecting on the work of Moshe

Lang. Context, 146: 2-6.

Fonagy, P. (2016). Laughter, Trauma and Building Resilience. The Blog: Huffpost

Comedy. HPMG News website: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/peter-fonagy/comedy-

mental-health_b_11262496.html

Gibson, J.M. (2016). Getting serious about funny: Psychologists see humour as a character

strength. Retrieved from The Conversation website: http://theconversation.com/getting-

serious-about-funny-psychologists-see-humor-as-a-character-strength-61552

Gottman, J. S. & Gottman, J. (2015). Lessons from the Love Lab: The Science of Couples

Therapy. Psychotherapy Networker, November/December 2015, 37-52.

Harari, E. (2012). DVD Review of Behind Closed Doors- Two Therapy Sessions with Moshe Lang.

Psychotherapy in Australia, 18:4, 87-88.

Johnson, D. R. & Emunah, R. eds. (2009). Current Approaches in Drama Therapy (2nd ed.). Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas. p.394.

Lang, M. (2016). Couples Therapy: The Affair- Betrayal or “Just Sex”. Workshop.

Lang, M. (2015). ‘Humour in Life and in Therapy - a psychologist’s humour is no laughing matter’.

Workshop.

Lang, M. (2012). Behind Closed Doors: Two therapy session with Moshe Lang [2-DVD

Set]. James, T. (Producer/Director) & Wright, T. (Executive Producer). Filmed by December

Media. Melbourne, Australia: Psych Oz Publications.

Lang, T. & Lang, M. (1989). Families Je Vous Aime (‘Families I Love You’) (French ed. of Corrupting

the Young and Other Stories of a Family Therapist, 1986.). (G. Maruani, Trans.). France:

Alpha Bleue Publications.

Lang, M. & Lang, T. (1981). Debbie and Her Slurping Stomach. Australian Journal of Family

Therapy, 3(1), 3-26.

Madanes, C. (2014). Soft Shock Therapy: The Art of Speaking the Unspeakable. Psychotherapy

Networker March/April.

Shearer, A. (2016). Why Don’t Psychotherapists Laugh? Enjoyment and the consulting room.

New York: Routledge.

Solinski, G. (2013). DVD Review. Behind Closed Doors: Two Therapy Sessions with Moshe Lang.

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 34: 268-270.

Stagoll, B., Lang, M. & Goding, G.A. (1979). A Model for Family Therapy Training: Based on the Parallel Processes between Training and

Treatment. Australian Journal of Family Therapy, 1(1), 35-42.

von Franz, M-L. (1997). Archetypal Patterns in Fairy Tales. Toronto: Inner City Press.

JANICE FLORENT: COUPLE’S THERAPY AND HUMOUR19


HAYLEY MCMAHON: HEALING RELATIONSHIPS PROMOTING RESILENCE

In early October, I had the

pleasure of attending the

Emotion Focused Therapy

(EFT) For Families workshop

hosted by AAFT and presented

by James L Furrow and Gail

Palmer. An attachment based

family intervention approach,

EFT for Families combines

both systemic and experiential

interventions. It focuses on the

emotional experience within a

family and the problem patterns

that block family members from

connecting and communicating

with one another.

As an early career practitioner who primarily works individually with youth, I was drawn to this workshop to increase my knowledge and repertoire of family based interventions. No person is an island, and this is particularly true of adolescents. It is often challenging to facilitate meaningful and signifi cant change in young people without addressing the broader family environment.

EFT for Families particularly appealed to me as I had previously attended other EFT trainings (for couples and individuals) and found the workshops to be excellent. From my previous work with EFT, I feel a strength of this approach is the insight building it facilitates for clients. I fi nd EFT very helpful in encouraging clients to become more aware of their emotional experiences, attachment needs and cyclical patterns.

A key learning for myself from this

workshop was the importance of beginning family work with de-escalating parents. By identifying negative patterns and barriers to responsiveness (‘parental blocks’), as well as helping parents access the vulnerability they feel as a caregiver, EFT facilitates parents’ ability to attune to their child. This openness, responsiveness and attunement can then facilitate the restructuring of old family patterns into more helpful ones.

James and Gail were both superb presenters, with a warm and encouraging presentation style. They kindly and patiently answered questions, often drawing from their extensive experience by using clinical examples to deepen their responses.

Another strength of this particular workshop was the applied focus of the course content. Observing video footage of EFT for Families in action, including a real world session fi lmed in Brisbane just prior to the workshop, enabled myself to

understand exactly how this approach could be implemented. In combination with in-workshop role plays, I left the workshop feeling I had grasped the foundations of the approach.

I am looking forward to furthering my journey as an EFT practitioner by using the knowledge and skills I gained from this excellent training in my work with families. I would highly recommend attending this training if it is off ered again in the future.

Ms Hayley McMahonBPsycSc (Hons) MClinPsych

PhD Candidate

School of Psychology, The University of Queensland

Healing Relationships, Promoting Resilience EFFT Workshop – Brisbane

By Hayley McMahon

20


What ever happened to Dr Lindy Latte???

We have not heard from her for such a long time..……

Was she eaten by a crocodile ? Did she step on a stone fi sh?? Did her helicopter crash somewhere in the shark-infested seas????

Well, the rumor round town is that she was last seen on a boat, headed for the Republic of Kiribati in the central Pacifi c…

However her journal was found on a ledge in a café in Cairns, by a AAFT member, during the Australian Family therapy conference, in October.

Here below are some extracts…

Read on ,gentle reader ,read on……

Dear diary,

This work really fascinates me. I have to use everything I have ever learnt. The patients are of all ages; all issues; all levels of severity; all stages of the life cycle.

The culture is so diff erent .I am glad there are indigenous health workers here, who are not backwards in coming forwards, to tell me about the relevant cultural issues.

And systems thinking is most useful for the professionals around a case.

The GPs asked me to see a middle aged indigenous man in the hospital. He came in with thigh and leg muscle wasting secondary to diabetes, and could no longer walk.

The diabetes is terrible out here.

The medical and allied health staff all thought he must be depressed, as he would not do his physiotherapy; and they wanted me to put him on antidepressants.

He is a very unlucky man.

He had Japanese encephalitis when he was three years old; and then had fi ts for years afterwards. He is intellectually disabled as a result.

However he was well accepted in his community and family, and loved to go on walks and to spend time with children in his family.

He was always looked after and has always been very passive .He has never taken an assertive role in his self care.

He and his family told me he wanted a wheelchair to be mobile. He does not want to do the exercises. He and his family did not understand the need for these, and apparently they might not help very much anyway.

I did not give him the medication.. He went home with the wheelchair and was very pleased to go home.

The system of medical and allied staff did

not have any non medical frameworks to understand him, his disability, his culture and his ways of coping with adversity.

They wanted a physical solution. This would have made the staff feel better. It would not have helped him.

This clash between medical staff and patients is only too common.

Dear Diary,

I would love to meet the indigenous healers.

I have been told there are many of them, male and female.

I a told that they are rather like me: I see patients in my clinics and they see their people in their settings.

I do home visits; and so do they.

I see patients in the local hospital; and so do they.

In fact they see everyone in the hospital, because anyone who sees a white doctor wants a second opinion from the indigenous healers.

The GPs don’t know about this. If they ask who is visiting a patient, they are told it is a cousin; and indeed everyone here is related to everyone else. If this is not by blood, it is by the most complex kinship linkages imaginable; and there are indigenous adoptions as well.

So I don’t know who they are….but apparently they certainly know who I am….

Dear Diary,

The remote mental health nurses here are really interesting, and are the best nurses with whom I have ever worked.

They are not systemically trained at all. But I see them as intuitive family therapists.

They take in incredible care around engagement, and are endlessly patient in doing so.

They keep families, communities, community issues and the culture in mind.

They are well aware of all the diff erent subcultures in each of the little primary

health care clinics we visit in the region. They, and I, listen very carefully to any information the staff can give us about the local community and the patients and their families.

The remote metal heath nurses call stake holder meetings of all the relevant agencies, when there are problems coordinating the care. These are really meetings of the wider systems.

They love their independence, and the multiple roles they have to fulfi ll.

Dear Diary,

I am fascinated by the responses of those behind in my southern home town to my work up here.

Some are curious . Some are bemused.

Some say they wish they could do it too, and are fascinated by the huge challenge and the adventure. And by the ethical issue too; these are our fi rst people. We have benefi tted greatly from their losses. At least we can treat them with respect and appropriate care.

But some are openly contemptuous. I did not expect this. They complain about the level of diffi culty, and expect me to explain why on earth would I do this. I might add, these are very ensconced in their comfy and middle class lives….

Well I, and others like me, will not listen to them.

And maybe I will just keep on going……

DR LINDY LATTE: THE CALL OF THE WILD...

The Call Of The Wild…Or…The Adventures Of Dr Lindy Latte

21


CHANGES TO THE NUMBER OF CLASSES..

Changes to the number of classes of Membership for AAFT.

The 2016 AGM (held in Cairns during the annual Conference) considered the motion recommended by the AAFT Committee of Management (CoM) that the Rules of Association expand the classes of Membership from three to four, and that previous restrictions on who can vote or hold a position on the CoM be expanded.

The CoM proposed that a structure with the following classes of Membership; Clinical Family Therapist, General Professional Member, Member and Life Member better refl ects the aspirations of the Association to promote the modality of Family and Systemic Therapy to a wide range of practitioners.

It also proposed that participation in the aff airs of the Association (who is allowed to vote and who can be an offi ce bearer) should be open to all classes of Membership. To maintain the integrity of the Association’s vision and underlying values, the composition of the Executive must have a majority (60%) of offi ce bearers who are Clinical Members.

There was some robust debate and discussion about the proposal and the general motion was eventually carried.

The process for altering the Rules, now that members have been duly advised of the proposal, and it has been passed by the AGM, is that the Rule changes (12 separate Rules need to be changed) be submitted to the relevant authority (Department of Consumer Aff airs, Victoria) for acceptance.

Assuming this approval is forthcoming, there is a deal of administrative work and deliberation that needs to be undertaken to implement the changes. They therefore won’t apply to the coming membership year, but will be in place for 2018.

22


MARGARET HODGE: PRESIDENT’S LETTER

Welcome to the last

edition of the AAFT

news for the year 2016.

It has been a busy and exciting

year for the Organisation. You

will be able to read in detail,

further into the newsletter,

the activities, programs,

developments and growth that

have taken place.

The AGM reports encapsulate the essence of work and growth undertaken during this year. Of particular note is our growth in membership, and greater representation onto the Committee. We now have a member from both the A.C.T. and Tasmania joining the CoM. Aside from the N.T. all other States and Territories have a delegation.

Since the AGM, AAFT held a very successful conference in Cairns. The 37th Annual Family Therapy Conference with the theme “Working with Emotion and Family Therapy” was held in Northern Queensland on the 20th & 21st October. Pre and post workshops on this theme were held in Melbourne and Brisbane.

In all, approximately 235 delegates attended the 2, two day workshops and two day conference. We were fortunate to have had two impressive and engaging

speakers from America and Canada to involve us in practical ways with Emotionally Focussed Therapy. Both Prof. Jim Furrow and Gail Palmer presented a keynote on “Harnessing the Power of Emotion: Guiding Relationships Change through E.F.T.”. And secondly, two Master classes – Jim presenting on “Healing Broken Bonds and Betrayals : EFT and the Treatment of Infi delity”, and Gail on “EFT for Couples: Making new connections and Facing Competing Attachments”.

Along with Jim and Gail, presentations from Dr. Nicole Nelson and Paul Gibney PhD augmented the program on Day 2. Evaluations were very positive and our thanks must go to the conference sub-committee and to Ian Goldsmith (Vice President) in particular, for his extensive contribution and detail. For those who were not able to attend I suggest that

you visit the AAFT website for access to presentations and other information.

My thanks also extend to the entire CoM members for their ongoing contributions. Their voluntary commitment to AAFT is outstanding. To our two offi ce staff members – Dani and Mia who deal with all the many nuances that come their way and to all of our members, … a BIG thank you for your ongoing support.

I extend my best wishes to you and your families for a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and safe New Year, and in 2017 we look forward to continuing on with the work and growth of AAFT.

My very best wishes to each and everyone of you.

Margaret Hodge,President.

President’s Letter:By Margaret Hodge

23


Welcome to the 2016

AAFT AGM. It has been

my privilege to be the

President of AAFT since the last

AGM took place in March, 2015.

At that time with the changes to

the Rules of Incorporation AAFT

altered it’s financial reporting

year from a calendar year to

financial year. This report

therefore covers the eighteenth

month period from 1st January,

2015 to 30th June, 2016.

I want to begin by thanking the exceptional group of people with whom I have worked with over the past eighteen months both on the Committee of Management (CoM) and Executive Committee. The change and development of AAFT that began in Livia Jackson’s time has continued, and without this outstanding group of people coming on board we would not have been able to achieve nearly what has taken place over this past timeframe.

I have personally felt well supported and assisted in my role throughout this time and thank the entire CoM for their patience and fortitude in following my sometimes crazy paved path. The CoM some eighteen months further into it’s inception truly encompasses and is refl ective of a National Association. It is now comprised of: - 5 Victorian representatives, 2 Queensland, 3 N.S.W., 2 S.A., 1 W.A., 1 Tasmanian, and 1 from the A.C.T. It is a wonderful mix and I cannot thank them enough for all of their time that they give so freely and willingly to make AAFT a truly Australian organisation.

Also my thanks extend to both Dani and Mia who are our two offi ce based Administrative staff members who manage so capably the challenge on a daily basis of the ever growing requests and demands that are placed upon them.

Committee of Management – Meetings:

Throughout the past eighteen months the CoM has met 8 times in all. Meetings are generally two days in duration. We held meetings in:

2015 – March in Melbourne, May in Sydney, August in Adelaide and November, in Melbourne. At the conclusion of 2015 it was elected to hold all subsequent meetings in Melbourne in order to reduce costs around accommodation and travel for attendance.

2016 – March, May, June, and August were the dates. A fi fth for this year will be held on Saturday, 22nd October following the conference.

The Executive group of the CoM meets monthly on the 1st Tuesday of each month in the evening via phone conferencing and are usually of two hours duration.

These Committees form the basis of managing the overall business and activities of AAFT.

It is with great sadness that I announce that two of our very long standing CoM members will be standing down from their positions as from this AGM. Neither are able to be present with us at this Conference but I want to personally thank them both for the enormous and very generous commitment they have given to AAFT over the many years.

Firstly, Banu Maloney, who probably needs no introduction to you all, has been on the CoM since 2004 this time around. She has previously held the role of President, (twice),Vice President, Convenor of the Ethics Sub-Committee, Victorian Branch Representative and Secretary. She has been a wonderful mentor to me personally, very supportive giving of her time and energy. Banu was instrumental in the formation of the Australian Association and saw through the transition from VAFT to AAFT. Like others, I will miss her knowledge and presence enormously. The Secretarial position is currently vacant and we would welcome any interested person to speak to us about it.

Secondly, Flora Pearce is standing down from the position of TAD (Training and Development) Co-ordinator. Flora joined the VAFT CoM in 2009 and has taken up many roles during this time. Flora and her committee are instrumental in ensuring that Family Therapy training institutions throughout Australia maintain relevant and appropriate standards in areas of training including what is involved in supervision training in family therapy. We wish Flora well and thank her for her energy and enthusiasm that she has generated in this position.

We are fortunate to have Lawrie Maloney taking up the position of Co-ordinator of TAD as from today’s AGM.

Annual General Meeting:

In March, 2015 at the AGM a motion was put forward to change/update the Rules of Association to allow for the change to our fi nancial reporting year from a calendar year to a fi nancial year. The motion was unanimously passed, which subsequently allows from that date for the AGM to be held concurrently with AAFT’s Annual Conference.

At this year’s AGM the CoM is putting forward proposals to amend the Rules of Association to change the number of classes of Membership to AAFT. We are proposing four levels of Membership (previously three), and that previous restrictions on who can vote or hold a position on the CoM be expanded.

In summary, the CoM believes that a structure with the following classes of Membership:

a. Clinical Family Therapist;

b. General Professional Member

c. Member

d. Life Member

will better refl ect the aspirations of the Association to promote the modality of Family and Systemic Therapy to a wide range of practitioners Australia wide. Further discussion will take place during this meeting.

Conferences:

The 36th Australian Family Therapy Conference took place in Melbourne in November, 2015. The theme “How and Why do Family and Systemic Therapies Work” had three major aims. The fi rst being to engage new and experienced practitioners, researchers and ‘practitioner-researchers’ in conversations about ‘what are the active ingredients of family and systemic therapy and what are the mechanisms of change?

The second aim was to ‘honour’ innovation and to provide a platform for the strong tradition of the family therapist responding to the unique needs of families

MARGARET HODGE: PRESIDENT’S REPORT AGM 2016

President’s Report AGM 2016By Margaret Hodge

24


and relational systems. The third was to link practice and research with a view to advancing collaborative therapist-researcher partnerships. Feedback off ered post conference was both complimentary and positive. Participants talked of gaining a more up-to-date view of the eff ectiveness of family and systemic therapy practice with children, adolescents, adults and people in later life. That there were many generative conversations exploring core themes of research and innovation in practice, including the active ingredients and mechanisms of change, and a greater understanding of “what works and for whom and why”.

We received many accolades and were well pleased with the outcome.

The 37th Australian Family Therapy Conference is of course being held in Cairns with the theme “Emotion and Family Therapy” and we look forward to the 38th Conference which is to be held in Adelaide in October, 2017, with the theme “Social Justice, collapsing divisions of inequality”. A fl yer with regards to this event is available in conference satchels.

The hosting of conferences sits within the strategic framework of AAFT whereby mention was made by Livia in her President’s Report of 2015 that all future conferences were to be held at locations around Australia, and not necessarily in the major capital cities. Our intent is to continue to enable people living in remote areas to attend a more accessible conference location.

IFTA – International Family Therapy Association:

I was fortunate along with Glen Larner (Editor of ANZJFT Journal) to attend the IFTA 24th World Family Therapy Congress in Kona, Hawaii in March this year. The Theme of the Congress was “Interpersonal Interactions and Therapeutic Change”. The Congress focused on interactional methodologies for working with families and how those changes impact the families with which therapists work. The 2016 Congress, like all IFTA Congresses, also featured many approaches to a variety of problems and ways of coping with them.

I felt very privileged to have been supported by AAFT to attend the Congress and from this made many international connections to broaden our scope. Subsequent to my attendance, the AAFT CoM agreed to submit a proposal to IFTA, with the support of the Melbourne Convention Centre, to conjointly host the 2019 IFTA/AAFT Family Therapy Congress in April of that year. Our proposal has been received by IFTA and acknowledged as such, and negotiations and processes remain ongoing. We will keep our members posted.

Again, both Glen and I will be attending the 25th World Family Therapy Congress and 30th Anniversary of IFTA in Malaga, Spain in March, 2017. To gain more International recognition from ‘like’ Associations augments the growth and development of Australian Family Therapy.

Strategic Planning:

During 2013 AAFT began a Strategic Planning Process. Three meetings took place throughout the year in February, June and October. The main objective at this time was to begin to form a plan for the next four years or so, to develop a vision for the future of AAFT. During 2014 and 2015 much of the energy of the CoM was directed to the formation and extension of the committee to broaden it’s membership by the inclusion of more State representatives and positioning members into various sub-committees.

In 2016 we again revisited the development of a Strategic Plan and with the assistance of a Workshop facilitator the group held meetings three times this year that were coupled with CoM meetings. It was a grueling exercise at times but ultimately managed with enthusiasm and dedication.

A three year plan has been developed, concluding in 2019. As a group we formulated our Vision, Values and Strategic Aims. This document is on our website in greater detail however a snapshot of the work that was achieved is as follows:

Vision:

Empowering family relationships.

Values:

• Collaboration

• Diversity

• Systemic Practice

• Integrity

• Professionalism

Strategic Aims:

1. Governance – AAFT will develop a Good Governance and Feedback Framework, which will collaboratively enhance the national association and it’s state branches.

2. Membership – AAFT will value, include, and involve members across Australia to belong to a National Body of Family Therapy as a unique profession.

3. Research and Evidence – AAFT will support and promote the development and use of research to advance the fi eld of Family Therapy.

4. Profi le – AAFT will work towards making Family Therapy recognized as a unique fi eld of expertise across all stakeholders; and to infl uence government policy and practice.

5. Education and Training – AAFT will promote and regulate training and ongoing learning in Family Therapy

From these Aims, Strategic Objectives, Actions and Measures have also been developed. This is of course a work in progress and is continually being monitored each time the CoM meets.

I am personally very proud of the work that has been undertaken in the past eighteen months by the CoM and the advancement that has been made. It is an absolute delight to meet together with a very special group of people who are unifi ed in view, ooze goodwill and put in lots of eff ort. I thank them again for their generosity and look forward to rolling out the Strategic Objectives in 2017.

Margaret Hodge,President.

October, 2016

MARGARET HODGE: PRESIDENT’S REPORT AGM 201625


The Family Therapy

conference in Cairns

in October was a very

enjoyable experience for me.

The weather in Cairns was beautiful – warm without high humidity. There was a vibrant, yet relaxed atmosphere along the foreshore in the morning and early evenings. As I fi nd both mountains and oceans soothing, being able to look out to sea with the mountains rising up behind me was both unique and pleasurable.

The Conference keynote speakers were enthusiastic, experienced, warm and engaging. There was a wide variety of workshops, covering many clinical areas and client groups. Highlights of the workshops I attended include, but are not limited to, the challenge and stimulation provided in the fast paced presentation by Dr Franco Giarraputo, ‘Theoretical Underpinnings and Related Workshop to Enhance Hospital Clinicians’ Systemic Relational and Intervention Skills with Patients and their Families’. Franco’s wealth of knowledge and passion for working with medical family therapy was evident and inspirational.

Emma Gatfi eld and Nicholas Winter-Simat’s presentation (Integrated Systems Approaches: Creative Applications for Working with Disengaged Youth) about

their work in an alternative education model was thought provoking and challenging.

The presentation by Townsville Child and Youth Mental Health clinicians Josie de Courcey and Lynne Doonan about Dialogical Family Therapy was valuable to me in providing a contrasting approach to provision of family therapy to a client group similar to my own.

Raymond Ho’s engaging and interactive presentation (Emotions –Means to Connection or Disconnection) was a well crafted, stimulating and energising workshop to complete my conference experience. Raymond’s extraordinary capacity to present complex concepts in an accessible manner is unique.

I was also privileged to have an abstract accepted, so spoke about my development as a family therapist and the role of emotions in family therapy within the child and youth mental health service in which I work. (Emotional Development and Family Therapy in a Child and Youth Mental Health Service). As a fi rst time presenter, I was encouraged by the audience attendance and participation

during the presentation and by feedback and interaction afterwards. I hope to be aff orded the opportunity to present at future AAFT conferences.

Socially, the conference was a great opportunity to spend time chatting with some people who I have had some acquaintance with but hadn’t previously had opportunity to spend much time with. The break times, the conference dinner and the casual get-together at the conclusion of the conference were wonderful opportunities to meet and mingle and make connections with clinicians from a wide range of backgrounds and work settings. Having only been a member of AAFT for a few years, and this being only the second conference that I have attended, I also appreciated the opportunity to put faces to some of the prominent names in the association and in the fi eld of family therapy.

Overall, I found the conference to be a very enjoyable experience. It appeared to run smoothly, and in a timely manner. I hope and plan to attend the next conference in Adelaide in 2017.

CAIRNS CONFERENCE REVIEW

Cairns Conference Review

Cairns Conference Photos

Anne Holloway, Marg HodgeJacqui Perkins, Colin Reiss, Glenn Larner

26


Cairns Conference PhotosCAIRNS CONFERENCE PHOTOS

Fleur Ferris - Risk AuthorAnne Holloway, Marg Hodge

Conference Goers 1

27


CAIRNS CONFERENCE PHOTOS

Cairns Conference Photos

Conference Goers 2

Gale Palmer with Partner Frank Ian Goldsmith, Nicole Nelson, Jim Furrow

28


Announcement of the Twenty-ninth Annual Awards (for books published in 2015) The annual prize of $1,500 in the Older Readers category of the Australian Family Therapists’ Award for Children’s Literature is to be awarded to “Risk” by Fleur Ferris published by Random House Australia. A contemporary expose about the risks and deception of engaging in online chat rooms and predatory behaviours. The story of Sierra who engages in risk taking behaviours which culminates in her secretly meeting her online “lover” Jacob Jones. The outcome of this meeting has long lasting effects for Sierra and her friends. A very topical story about the lure of the internet. The annual prize of $1,500 in the Young Readers/Picture Book category of the Australian Family Therapists’ Award for Children’s Literature is to be awarded to “My Happy Sad Mummy” by Michelle Vailiu (author) and Lucia Masciullo (illustrator) published by Jo Jo Publishing.. “Is an engaging and sensitive picture book. It fills a major gap: explaining to a young child the impact on a parent of a major mental illness such as bipolar disorder.” Highlights the importance of having a support network.

BOOKS USEFUL FOR THERAPISTS

The following books tell stories which may enhance therapists’ insight into specific problem areas. The Committee strongly recommends that therapists read these selections critically before deciding whether they are appropriate to share with their particular clients. Because of the sensitive nature of some of these books it is important, if they are used, that they be only one tool within an ongoing therapeutic relationship – inclusion in this list does not mean a book is recommended as a self-help book. BOOKS FOR OLDER READERS None for this year. PICTURE BOOKS/YOUNG READERS: Being Agatha by Anna Pignataro (author and illustrator) published by Five Mile Press. This is a story about difference. It’s a story about being special. It’s a story about being the very best that you can be! Sometimes other people can see qualities that we can’t. Dropping In by Geoff Havel (author) published by Fremantle Press. Depicts friendship around difference, acceptance, inclusion and sticking together. Typifies adolescent male behavior with all it’s nuances. Fly-In, Fly-Out Dad by Sally Murphy (author) and Janine Dawson (illustrator) published by The Five Mile Press. An increasing number of families have to deal with the unusual dynamic of having one parent absent for weeks at a time – so this book is both relevant and timely. The book highlights children’s resilience and acceptance of different circumstances. Just the Way We Are by Jessica Shirvington (author) and Claire Robertson (illustrator) published by Harper Collins Children’s Books. A story about celebrating difference in families and that each have their own uniqueness. New Boy by Nick Earls (author), published by Puffin Books. An interesting story about fitting in, racism and bullying. Has good messages and helpful family support. Depicts how someone new to Australia can struggle with the “lingo”.

AAFT AWARD FOR CHILDREN’S LITERATURE29


This report is refl ective of two years of the Family Therapists’ Award for Children’s Literature.

In 2015 there were 11 books for older readers and 46 picture books and books for younger readers submitted for the Award in that year, a total of 57 in all.

In 2016 there were 8 books for older readers and 46 picture books and books for younger readers submitted for the Award in that year, a total of 54 in all.

Over the two years the 111 books received were published in 2014 and 2015 respectively and reviewed by fi ve Family Therapy affi liates throughout Australia, most involved with State branches and other’s holding an interest generally in the review of literature.

Those representatives are Ariella Williams from Tasmania, Rebecca Ketton from Queensland, Linda Stock from N.S.W. and Jay Sanders from S.A., I want to thank them all personally for all the time and energy that they expend in the reading, assessment and selection of the books for each category. It is an enormous task, their commitment stretching from February through to July each year. It is with sadness that we said farewell to Ariella Williams from Tasmania at the conclusion of the 2015 judging. She was involved with the Book Award for three years, making a wonderful contribution over this time and we thank her for all the energy and enthusiasm that she put into this task. For 2017 she will be capably followed by Anita Pryor who brings with her her own willingness, energy and creativity for the job.

Meetings took place in mid July, 2015, at Relationships Australia in Brisbane and in July, 2016 at LifeWorks in Melbourne, with most representatives being present, The agenda was of course to select the overall winning authors and illustrators in both categories.

Prizes of $1,500 for each category (i.e. Older readers and Younger Readers/Picture Book) were awarded for books received in 2015. Neither author was available to be present at the Family Therapy Conference held in Melbourne in October, 2015 to being awarded with their Certifi cate and prize money in person, however took the opportunity of receiving them later in the year at Professional Development functions held in Perth and Brisbane and presented by our AAFT State representatives. Results of both the Twentieth-Eighth and Twenty-Ninth Annual Awards (2014 and 2015) were published in the AAFT News.

In 2015 the Annual Prize of $1,500 in the Older Readers section went to Kate

McCaff rey for her book, “Crashing Down”, published by Fremantle Press and in 2016 the Annual Prize of $1,500 in the Older Readers section went to Fleur Ferris for her book, “Risk”, published by Random House Australia. We were fortunate to have Fleur present at this year’s AAFT Annual Conference in Cairns.

In 2015 the Annual Prize of $1,500 in the Young Readers/Picture Book Award went to Kathryn Apel for her book “Bully on the Bus”, published by University of Queensland Press and in 2016 the Annual Prize of $1,500 in the Young Readers/Picture Book Award went to “My Happy Sad Mummy”, published by Jo Jo Publishing.

Following the presentation of Awards all books received are donated to schools or organisations throughout each State represented. The criteria for donation is that an educational institution must in some way fi t the categories of disadvantage, isolation or “special needs”.

The Victorian contributions were donated to:

2015 – Older Readers books to: The Central School, Port Vila, Vanuatu, to the Children’s Books Disaster Relief.

Younger Readers books to: Totalcare for Kids Child Care Centre, Templestowe.

2016 - Older Readers and Younger Readers to: The Bouverie Family Therapy Centre.

The Tasmanian contributions were donated to:

2015 – Older Readers books to: A local High School

Younger Readers books to: The Child & Family Centre in Geeveston

The N.S.W. contributions were donated to:

2015 & 2016 – Older and Younger Readers books to: Lifeline

The S.A. contributions were donated to:

2015 – Younger Readers books to: Largs North Kindergarten

The Queensland contributions were donated to:

2015 - Older and Younger Readers books to: Relationships Australia counselors

2016 - Older and Younger Readers books to: Lifeline, Relationships Australia Queensland staff and Toowoomba West Special School

2017 is a very special year for the Children’s Book Awards, it is it’s 30th year of the Awards. Such an amazing achievement heralding back to 1987. I have been so proud to be a part of this sub-committee for nearly thirteen years during which time I have made some very special friends, but particularly read some wonderful rich and exciting Australian literature from some of Australia’s most notable and exciting authors.

In 2017 the sub-committee will meet in Adelaide in July to make its selections

Margaret HodgeConvenor, Australian Family Therapists’

Award for Children’s Literature

AAFT AWARD FOR CHILDREN’S LITERATURE REPORT TO AGM

Australian Family Therapists’ Award For Children’s Literature Report To The A.g.m.By Margaret HodgeOctober, 2016

30


IAN GOLDSMITH: PACFA REPORT FOR 2016 AGM

The Vice President role

has, as one of its portfolio

responsibilities, to

represent AAFT with PACFA.

Since the last AGM in March

2015, II have attended the 2015

PACFA AGM (10/15), the PACFA

Council meeting (4/16) and the

recently completed 2016 PACFA

AGM (10/16).

I have also had two meetings meetings with PACFA CEO Ms Maria Brett (11/15 & 4/16) and communications with PACFA Board members (Ms Elizabeth Riley – Chair PACFA Ethics Committee and Ms Ione Lewis – Chair PACFA Research Committee.)

AAFT has a long history supporting PACFA. VAFT and QAFT were both foundation Member Associations (MA’s) of PACFA with representatives of both organisations, but particularly VAFT, playing key roles in its development.

With the development of our national Family Therapy organisation, AAFT, the issue of continued membership of PACFA for the new entity led to a review of AAFT’s position. The fi nancial burden drew particular attention, but more generally, AAFT’s role in PACFA required scrutiny.

A proposal to end AAFT’s MA status with PACFA, fl oated in 2013, brought strong opposition, especially from members who had come to see PACFA as the peak professional body to represent their interests. The proposal to withdraw from PACFA was itself subsequently withdrawn, but the relationship has remained under scrutiny.

Meetings with PACFA Board representatives in 2014 led to an arrangement whereby, as an interim measure, the fi nancial concerns of AAFT were addressed and AAFT has maintained its MA status for the subsequent years. Currently it is a MA until 30th June 2017.

During this period PACFA itself was undergoing a restructure process which, while adopted at the 2015 AGM, is still developing. The scope of this restructure is too extensive to reiterate here, but suffi ce it to say that PACFA now allows individual membership, has amalgamated a number of MA’s such that there are now State based Branches of Counselling and Psychotherapy, and a College structure is emerging, which, essentially allows particular modalities of practice to develop.

Of signifi cance to AAFT, in my current thinking, has been the emergence of the College of Relationship Counselling.

The establishment of this College was the response to the restructure by the Association of Relationship Counsellors (ARC), a former MA of PACFA.

I have had discussions with representatives of the new College and we jointly believe there are avenues to explore collaborative endeavours such that our two organisations complement each other. The detail of this is yet to be fl eshed out and put to each other’s management forums.

In broad terms, both the College and AAFT have the goals of promoting relational and systemic approaches to counselling and therapy as a mode of practice. In my view we ought to fi nd ways for AAFT and the College to build their relationship to jointly promote such practice. Remaining a MA with PACFA facilitates this.

More specifi cally, PACFA has been undertaking a comprehensive rewrite of their Code of Ethics. The fi nal draft of this has yet to be seen by the PACFA Board. After an early preliminary outline was presented at PACFA Council in April 2016, I discussed and subsequently wrote to the Ethics Chair reinforcing the importance of the new PACFA Code refl ecting the demands of relational work. My understanding is that the yet to be released rewrite has addressed this. Further discussion will be forthcoming so there will be a chance for AAFT to make its own judgement of this new Code.

After discussion with the AAFT Executive, I agreed to be nominated as a member of the PACFA Ethics Committee. I see this as one way to ensure that a AAFT perspective is represented at PACFA.

I have also had discussions with the Chair of the PACFA Research Committee, Prof Ione Lewis. She is keen to re-tender the literature review on the “Eff ectiveness of Relationship Counselling and Therapy” done in 2012. I have canvassed with her the possibility of doing two reviews, one on Family Therapy and one on Couple Therapy. She has agreed that, through me, AAFT should have some say into the Research Committee’s deliberations in this project.

On a sad note, Andrew Little, a long time PACFA Board member and good friend of AAFT, died on 28th August 2016 after a battle with leukaemia. I record AAFT’s appreciation of his eff orts for PACFA and our condolences for his family and friends.

Ian GoldsmithVice President

Australian Association of Family Therapy10th October 2016

PACFA Report for 2016 AGMBy Ian Goldsmith

31


AUDIT PAPERS 32


AUDIT PAPERS33


AUDIT PAPERS 34


AUDIT PAPERS35


AUDIT PAPERS 36


AUDIT PAPERS37


Name of Sub-Committee or working group: State, Territory, Regional & Remote Branch Representatives

Date of Report: 24th August

Date of last meeting: 27th August 2016

Special Agenda Items for COM meeting: nil

Motions/Recommendations for ratifi cation at Executive Meeting on ../../….:

Recommend that the following: nil

General comments and future events or projects:

Sourcing representatives from each state and territory that refl ect the national nature of AAFT has been one of the main tasks of this subcommittee. Over the past year we have welcomed Sarah Jones as representative of Victoria, Sonia Grealish for Tasmania and David Jones for the ACT. This means the only area unrepresented is the Northern Territory and fi nding a representative will now become my focus. Particular thanks are due to Tonia Keating, the South Australian representative, who has engaged with potential representatives in sharing her experience in the role and has successfully persuaded them of the value of accepting the position.

A second goal has been the sharing of experiences and creating solutions to the diffi culties inherent in reinvigorating

family therapy across Australia. Representatives face the task of engaging potential members who, due to the lack of accessible training in some areas, are not eligible for clinical membership. They are also fi nding ways of attracting those who work with families to engage with family therapy in states where interest has waned and the awareness of the association is minimal.

Issues that have been addressed include establishing processes for P.D. events which allows local representatives to be in touch with registrants while ensuring fees go to central offi ce and the uses of technology for engaging interested rural members. Another key discussion has focussed on the free one year membership aff orded to students completing an AAFT accredited training programme. The group explored ways students could be engaged by asking them to contribute to organizing PD events and conferences which would both introduce an expectation of involvement

in state branches and hopefully engage new members. Tonia has off ered to set up a drop box facility for state, rural and territory representatives as a way to continue this and other discussions.

I would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of all the state representatives; Lyndal Power in New South Wales, Tonia Keating in South Australia, Sarah Jones in Victoria, Anne Holloway in Western Australia Raymond Ho in Queensland and Sonia Grealish in Tasmania. Jacqui Perkins as Rural and Remote Representative continues to support interest in family therapy in regional NSW and provide advice and experience to state and territory representatives.

This subcommittee must also thank the president Margaret Hodge for her trust and support at every turn.

Catherine Sanders

CATHERINE SANDERS: REPORT TO THE OCT 2016 AGM FOR AAFT

Report to the October, 2016 AGM for the Australian Association of Family TherapyBy Catherine Sanders

This has been a relatively ‘quiet’ year for the TAD committee after the re-accreditation of the four Melbourne based training courses at the beginning of the year.

These courses operate from the Bouverie Family Therapy Centre; Williams Road Family Therapy Centre; Alma Road Family Therapy Centre as well as the course operated by Claire Miran-Khan.

This coming year brings some changes in the committee with a new convenor, Lawrie Moloney commencing after the AGM in Cairns and two new faces, Natalie Papps and Claire Miran-Khan.

The continuing three members of the sub-committee are Robyn Elliott, Peter Cantwell and Clare Lincoln.

With a new expanded sub-committee, there are opportunities to expand the scope of the work as well as have greater contact with the course convenors.

Therefore after 9 years as convenor, I retire and feel very satisfi ed that this committee has achieved a lot over that period, predominantly the accreditation of virtually every family therapy training

program in Australia. I am grateful for the great support and collaboration of my fellow committee members and wish the new group every possible success.

Flora PearceOctober 2016

FLORA PEARCE: TAD REPORT FOR THE AGM 2016

TAD Report for the AGM 2016By Flora Pearce

38


LIVIA JACKSON: ETHICS REPORT 2016

Following the formation of

AAFT Inc , members of the

VAFT Ethics Committee

resigned due to an inability to

commit their time in a regular

and ongoing way.

A number of AAFT members were

approached and agreed to be

on a panel of people who could

be called upon to constitute an

ethics committee to deal with

complaints which might arise.

The AAFT COM also underwent a restructure, with the position of immediate past president having the portfolio of ethics and undertaking the position of coordinator of ethics on the AAFT executive.

In the 2015/16 18 months, there have been 2 formal complaints made against AAFT clinical members and investigated. For one of these complaints, after collection of information, meetings of the ethics committee and discussion with the AAFT legal representative, a fi nding was made that the evidence for the basis of the complaint could not be substantiated and so could not be taken further. The AAFT member and the complainant were notifi ed of the fi ndings.

The second of the complaints resulted in that AAFT member’s membership being suspended with the requirement to be re-instated, the member undertake supervision with an accredited AAFT supervisor and a receipt of a satisfactory report from the supervisor indicating an understanding of what had led to the complaint, the code of ethics and rectifi cation of practices which may contravene the AAFT code of ethics.

A further 2 complaints were received, one of which could not be accepted for investigation and the other related to incorrect member advertising.

In addition, there have been a number of requests for information from members. These broadly cover

• keeping of fi les where more than one

family member is/ has been seen

• what to do when someone employed in an organisation who is not a trained family therapist is working with a family or family members in ways that may contravene the AAFT Code of Ethics,

• What does it mean to have your fi les subpoenaed?

Finally, there is a major review and update being undertaken of all documents related to Ethics to ensure that they comply with current laws under which AAFT is regulated. It is hoped that these will be completed within the net 12 months.

Livia Jackson

Ethics Report 2016By Livia Jackson

39


Season’s greetings AAFT members –

2016 was a terrifically

productive year for AAFT.

You may have noticed that

there is a new website with all

new features to explore, and if

not, we urge you to get online

and check it out. Mia and I

also value the feedback that

we receive, so if you have any

comments or queries, please

feel free to contact us at the

office.

2017 membership will be issued electronically this year – you should all receive your invoices by email. This is going to save a great deal on expenses and resources in the offi ce as well as being environmentally sustainable.

The fortnightly bulletin has been a great success and has provided the committee with an opportunity to deliver a regular update on the activity of the association and provide the membership with information on job opportunities, professional development training and events throughout Australia.

The conference in Cairns was well attended and the slides from the presentations will be made available in the member’s only section of the website. All that attended provided excellent feedback on the event and we look forward to seeing you all at the 2017 Conference in Adelaide!

The team here at the AAFT offi ce would like to extend a warm and happy holiday to you all and wish you all good luck for the New Year.

Danielle Anderson Office Manager

DANIELLE ANDERSON: NOTES FROM THE AAFT OFFICE DEC 2016

Notes from the AAFT offi ce Danielle Anderson - December 2016

1. Membership Data

Below is a summary of membership fl uctuations February – December 2016.

2. Conference Data

ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS WA VIC *NZ

Associate Members Feb 1 54 3 46 11 7 40 212 1

Associate Members June 1 53 2 42 13 9 35 218 1

Associate Members Sept 1 55 1 31 12 6 23 166 1

Associate Members Dec 2 57 1 34 12 6 26 117 2

Clinical Members Feb 0 30 1 56 5 4 16 344 4

Clinical Members June 0 32 1 61 6 4 20 343 3

Clinical Members Sept 0 31 1 59 7 3 21 322 3

Clinical Members Dec 0 33 1 60 6 3 20 327 3

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

AAFT Member Data 2016

*8 from overseas came from: 3 Singapore, 2 USA, 1 Vanuatu

ACT NSW NT QLD Sa TAS VIC WA O/Seas

0

16

0

20

7

0

21

41

3 42

24

3 2

13

1

5

Where did Conference participants come from?

Member Non-Member

40


Jan 15 - Jun 16Ordinary Income/Expense

IncomeAAFT

ANZJFTCAL payments ANZJFT 4,474.70ANZJFT - Other 63,843.18

Total ANZJFT 68,317.88

Total AAFT 68,317.88

AdvertisingFamily Therapy Jobs Alert 822.74Advertising - Other 3,667.21

Total Advertising 4,489.95

CONFERENCES INCOMEConference 2015 84,556.27Conference 2016 10,769.99

Total CONFERENCES INCOME 95,326.26

Interest 1,080.40Membership

Admin Fee 901.52Associate Membership 100,621.82Clinical Membership 289,507.60Subscriber 432.72Upgrade Fee 614.30Membership - Other -98,056.00

Total Membership 294,021.96

Other IncomeBook Award 363.64Other Income - Other 6.43

Total Other Income 370.07

Professional DevelopmentAAFT 833.60Professional Development - Other 11,337.70

Total Professional Development 12,171.30

SalesMonograph 338.19Postage & Handling 43.00Sales - Other 281.80

Total Sales 662.99

WebsiteOnline Referral 3,352.13

Total Website 3,352.13

Total Income 479,792.94

1:06 PM Australian Association of Family TherapyOct 12, 16 Profit & LossCash Basis January 2015 through June 2016

AAFT: PROFIT & LOSS REPORT41


Jan 15 - Jun 16Cost of Goods Sold

Cost of Goods SoldProduction of Monograph 216.20Cost of Goods Sold - Other 36.36

Total Cost of Goods Sold 252.56

Total COGS 252.56

Gross Profit 479,540.38

ExpenseAccountancy 6,675.00Administration

Admin Officer Expenses 170.00Committees 829.98Postage 3,798.77Printing & Stationery 12,477.72Rent 13,797.83Telephone/Internet 5,656.22Unclassified 52.00Administration - Other 4,326.96

Total Administration 41,109.48

ANZJFTAuthor payments 3,135.54ANZJFT - Other 35,082.63

Total ANZJFT 38,218.17

AwardsBook Award 7,093.57Awards - Other 84.95

Total Awards 7,178.52

Bank Charges 3,837.10Computer Software & Maintenance 827.28Conferences

Conference 2014 0.00Conference 2015 54,261.63Conference 2016 509.18Conferences - Other 1,320.39

Total Conferences 56,091.20

Depreciation 566.00Dishonoured Cheque 210.15Fees & Subscriptions

ANZJFT 63,221.30PACFA 35,000.00Refund - membership over paymen 60.00

Total Fees & Subscriptions 98,281.30

Food & Beverage 5,916.28Furniture & Equipment 502.63Gift 634.37Incorporation of Association 305.08


Page 2

AAFT: PROFIT & LOSS REPORT 42


Jan 15 - Jun 16Insurance

Association Liability Insurance 7,937.23

Total Insurance 7,937.23

Legal 3,750.00National Association 5,750.00Newsletter 16,847.03Other Expense

Sundry Expense 220.50

Total Other Expense 220.50

Payroll ExpensesDanielle Anderson Superannuatio 5,552.73Superannuation Mia Trujillo 4,760.80Wages 108,939.15Payroll Expenses - Other 88.35

Total Payroll Expenses 119,341.03

Professional Development CostsMaterials 131.73Recording/AV component 545.46Professional Development Costs - Other 6,528.40

Total Professional Development Costs 7,205.59

Research ExpenditureGrant 500.00

Total Research Expenditure 500.00

Superannuation -2,686.73Tax & Duties (Gen Journal only) -20,541.00Taxes & Duties 20,541.00Travel 29,977.65Uncategorized Expenses 17,987.54Website Expenses 3,185.00WorkCover 197.19

Total Expense 470,564.59

Net Ordinary Income 8,975.79

Net Income 8,975.79


Page 3

AAFT: PROFIT & LOSS REPORT43


Jun 30, 16ASSETS

Current AssetsChequing/Savings

At Call Account (J B Were) 11,334.22Bendigo Bank Limited 292,977.16BOQ - 7965 -0.01BOQ - 8007 55.42

Petty Cash 525.00

Total Chequing/Savings 304,891.79

Accounts ReceivableAccounts Receivable -36,314.03

Total Accounts Receivable -36,314.03

Other Current AssetsDebtors 31,403.75Inventory Asset 113.64Inventory Value

Goding Monograph 779.37Videos 1,713.95

Total Inventory Value 2,493.32

Office Furniture 5,345.51

Prepayments 4,481.80

Total Other Current Assets 43,838.02

Total Current Assets 312,415.78

Fixed AssetsProvision for Depreciation -2,134.00

Total Fixed Assets -2,134.00

Other AssetsCosts of ANZJFT acquisition 5,879.77

Total Other Assets 5,879.77

TOTAL ASSETS 316,161.55LIABILITIES

Current LiabilitiesAccounts Payable

Accounts Payable 189.60

Total Accounts Payable 189.60

Credit CardsCredit Card - NSW Branch- 203 8.00Credit Card - QLD Branch- 204 36.56Credit Card - SA Branch -202 4.00Credit Card - VIC Branch - 201 662.43Credit Card - WA Branch - 205 -4.00

Total Credit Cards 706.99

Other Current LiabilitiesGST Paid 475.00

1:09 PM Australian Association of Family TherapyOct 12, 16 Balance SheetCash Basis As of June 30, 2016

Page 1

AAFT: BALANCE SHEET REPORT 44


Jun 30, 16Payroll Liabilities

PAYG Liability 3,184.50Superannuation Liability -800.00

Total Payroll Liabilities 2,384.50

QLD branch GST 0.36Sundry Creditors

Prepaid membership/subscription 96,637.22

Total Sundry Creditors 96,637.22

Tax Payable -29.62

Total Other Current Liabilities 99,467.46

Total Current Liabilities 100,364.05

TOTAL LIABILITIES 100,364.05

NET ASSETS 215,797.50EQUITY

Opening Bal Equity 76,536.91QLD Branch Equity 19,311.48Retained Earnings 71,740.20

Net Income 48,208.91

TOTAL EQUITY 215,797.50

1:09 PM Australian Association of Family TherapyOct 12, 16 Balance SheetCash Basis As of June 30, 2016

Page 2

AAFT: BALANCE SHEET REPORT45


Advancing Family Therapy training and

clinical practice since 1979.

The Australian Association of Family Therapy Inc. PO BOX 2351. RICHMOND VIC 3121. AUSTRALIA. Tel 03 9429 9938 Fax 03 9429 9948

www.aaft.asn.au [email protected] ABN 44 698 290 795

Volume 38 No. 2, June 2016Australian Assoc. of Family Therapy Inc.

Advancing Fami ly Therapy training and clinical practice

since 1979.

Specifications for Advertising with AAFT

AAFT offers a variety of advertising options for communicating your event, job vacancy, professional services, etc. to AAFT members Australia wide. Outlined below are the advertising services and prices for your consideration.

AAFTnews – The Official AAFT E-newsletter

The AAFTnews is a quarterly newsletter issued to the membership via email broadcast that is a more comprehensive document complete with articles of interest to the AAFT membership – The prices are as follows:

Half Page Quarter Page Quarter Page Half Page Full Page W: 175mm W: 175mm W: 87.5mm W: 87.5mm W: 175mm H: 125mm H: 62.5mm H: 125mm H: 250mm H: 250mm $96.00 $73.00 $73.00 $96.00 $156.00

FORTNIGHTLY AAFT BULLETIN

Half Page Quarter Page Full Page W: 175mm W: 175mm W: 175mm H: 125mm H: 62.5mm H: 250mm $160.00 $130.00 $220.00

AAFT Website Noticeboard

Half Page Quarter Page Full Page W: 175mm W: 175mm W: 175mm H: 125mm H: 62.5mm H: 250mm $50.00 $25.00 $100.00

Free service – Post a link

If you would like post a link that you might think would be relevant to our membership, simply contact the AAFT office and your link will posted via the fortnightly bulletin and on the website noticeboard page.

20% discount on 2 or more advertisements/services. All prices are GST inclusive A further 20% discount is offered for re-advertising

The AAFT office issues a fortnightly AAFT Bulletin to the membership which includes AAFT related news items and advertisements as well as advertisements for services that may be of interest to the AAFT membership.

* Prices based on 1 fortnightly advert

AAFT offers advertising on the website noticeboard page: ads will be placed for 4 weeks at which point you may re-advertise on request at half the advertised cost.

* Prices based on 1 Monthly advert





www.aaft.asn.au [email protected] ABN 44 698 290 795

ADVERTISEMENT BOOKING FORM

CONTACT (for billing)NAME: …………………………………………………………………………………………………..……..

ADDRESS: ………………………………………………………………………………………….…………

………………………………………………………………………….…….. POSTCODE: ……………….

PHONE: ………………………..….…..…EMAIL:…………………….……………………………….…….

ADVERTISEMENT TITLE/DESCRIPTION: …………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………….

AAFT service (please Highlight/Circle):

AAFT E-Newsletter AAFT Bulletin

(Fortnightlyfrom 20.5.2016)

Web Noticeboard(per Month)

AAFTnews SIZE (Please Highlight/circle):

Half Page Quarter Page Quarter Page Half Page Full PageW: 175mm W: 175mm W: 87.5mm W: 87.5mm W: 175mmH: 125mm H: 62.5mm H: 125mm H: 250mm H: 250mm

If booking for the AAFTnews, please circle/highlight the edition in which you would like to place your advertisement:

MarchNewsletter

JuneNewsletter

SeptemberNewsletter

DecemberNewsletter

S u b m i s s i o n D e a d l i n e s :

February 29th May 30th August 29th November 28th

A n t i c i p a t e d D i s t r i b u t i o n D a t e s :

March 28th June 27th September 26th December 26th

- Once advertisement is booked, an invoice will be issued with payment options.

Opinions of Contributors and advertisers are not necessarily those of AAFT. AAFT makes no representation or warranty that information contained in articles or advertisements is accurate. AAFT does not accept liability for any action, loss or damage

resulting or arising out of information contained in the newsletter. It is the responsibility of contributors to make every effort to protect the confidentiality of persons/clients referred to in their articles

Please send this form to: AAFT Administration PO Box 2351 Richmond Vic 3121 OR Email: [email protected]


Advancing Fami ly Therapy training and clinical practice

since 1979.


Subscriber Application Form The AAFT newsletter and other website based resources helpful to working with families.

*SUBSCRIBER LEVEL 1: Individuals, institutions and organisations, not otherwise being members, may subscribe to the association to receive the AAFT newsletter *SUBSCRIBER LEVELS 2 & 3: INDIVIDUALS (only), not otherwise being members, may subscribe to the AAFT newsletter as well as the ANZJFT. Please note that subscriber levels 2 and 3 are not available to institutions or organisations. *INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANISATIONS can contact Wiley-Blackwell publishing to subscribe to the ANZJFT – http://ordering.onlinelibrary.wiley.com SUBSCRIBER LEVEL 1: *INDIVIDUAL AND INSTITUTIONAL Subscription to the AAFTnews (4 issues annually) – This will come in electronic format $62.00 Annual Fee (initial application will also incur a once off $13.00 admin fee)

SUBSCRIBER LEVEL 2: *INDIVIDUAL ONLY Subscription to the Online Copy of the ANZJFT and complimentary issues of the AAFTnews (This will come in electronic format) (4 issues of each publication annually) $112.00 Annual Fee (initial application will also incur a once off $13.00 admin fee) *Subscription Fees cover the period of a calendar year (Jan – Dec) If you subscribed after the first issue of AAFTNews you will receive all previous issues for that calendar year, you will also be able to access all the ANZJFT back issues online.

SUBSCRIBER LEVEL 3: *INDIVIDUAL ONLY Subscription to the Hard Copy of the ANZJFT and complimentary issues of the AAFTnews (This will come in electronic format) (4 issues of each publication annually) $157 Annual Fee (initial application will also incur a once off $13.00 admin fee) *Subscription Fees cover the period of a calendar year (Jan – Dec) If you subscribed after the first issue of ANZJFT and AAFTNews, you will receive all previous issues for that calendar year.

CONTACT DETAILS Name of Company or Institute: Contact Person: Postal Address: Phone Number: Mobile: Email (print clearly): Purpose of Subscription: Signed: ____________Date:

Please send this application to:

AAFT Office Manager, PO BOX 2351 RICHMOND VIC 3121

Upon receipt of this application, an invoice will be issued to you with internet banking instructions Alternatively, you can attach a cheque or money order made out to AAFT Inc. (Annual Fee + $13 Once-off Admin Fee)

RENEWALS ARE DUE ON THE 1ST JANUARY. (You will be sent an invoice annually.)




www.aaft.asn.au [email protected] ABN 44 698 290 795 Advancing Fami ly Therapy training and clinical practice

since 1979.

48


49


AAFT Membership

Associate Membership is open to any person who is vely interested in

family therapy and is involved in an appropriate eld of study or work, as

AssociateMembership Annual Fee: $ determined by the ee.

* forms available from the AAFT website u orAAFT administra n Ph: 03 9429 9938 Email: admin@aa .asn.au

Clinical Membership is open to Associate Members who are prac sing family

therapists who have demonstrated su cient commitment to and competence

Clinical MembershipAnnual Fee: $ in the prac of family therapy and have sa s ed the Commi e of their

for membership determined by members from me to me at a General Mee ng. * forms available from the AAFT website u orAAFT administra n Ph: 03 9429 9938 Email: admin@aa .asn.au

All Correspondence to AAFT Newsletter Editor: Computer fi le submission of articles required. Please ensure fi les are virus scanned by an up to date anti-virus program prior to submission. Articles saved in any popular program format acceptable. Please note: only italic and bold formatting maintained.

DISCLAIMEROPINIONS OF CONTRIBUTORS AND ADVERTISERS ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF AAFT. AAFT MAKES NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY THAT INFORMATION CONTAINED IN ARTICLES OR ADVERTISEMENTS IS ACCURATE. AAFT DOES NOT ACCEPT LIABILITY FOR ANY ACTION, LOSS OR DAMAGE RESULTING OR ARISING OUT OF INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE NEWSLETTER. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF CONTRIBUTORS TO MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO PROTECT THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF PERSONS/CLIENTS REFERRED TO IN THEIR ARTICLES.

Special Note:If an advertisement is accepted by the Editor of

the AAFT Newsletter, every eff ort will be made to ensure its inclusion, but no guarantee is given.

Layout and Flipbook by

Advertisement Booking Form on page 28

tel web: www.inkifingus.com.au03 9882 4905

Life Life Membership may be granted to a Clinical Member only who has given

Membership outstanding service to the As for an extended period of me. The appointment of a life member shall be by re n at a General Mee ng of Members on the recomme n of the Commi e as the Commi sees

The Australian Associa on of Family Therapy Inc. is co to the velopment an a vancement of lea ership an

excellence in Family Therapy through fostering professional competency an integrity.

Australian on of Family Therapy Inc.

AAFT Membership

AAFTNews Copy Deadlines — 2016 (Volume 38)Edition Submission Deadline Anticipated Emailing Date

March January 29 March 28June May 30 June 27

September August 25 September 26December November 28 December 26

RENEWALS ARE DUE ON THE 1st OF JANUARY. (You will be sent an invoice annually)

Speaker State

Karen Story VIC

Ben OngMargaret Goldfinch

NSW

Ms Rosemary Watkins WA

Mr Malcolm RobinsonMs Catherine Sanders

SA

Ms Judi BarwickMs Francis Borg

QLD

Ms Deisy Amorin-Woods WA

Mr Joseph ConwayMs Tamra Bridges

QLD

Mrs Natalie Powell VIC

Ms. Tania Zapparoni VIC

Mrs Selva AnandakumarasamyMrs Susan Jutsum

QLD

Bernadette Dekker QLD

Mr Matt Garrett NSW

Sarah Elliott, Natalie PowellLucinda Willshire

VIC

Dr Franco Giarraputo TAS

Ms Megan Williams VIC

Dr. Sophie Holmes VIC

Mr Hugh Martin VIC

Elizabeth McNevin QLD

Mr Raymond Ho QLD

Sarah Fitzgerald NSW

Valda Dorries QLD

Owen Pershouse QLD

Ms Lucinda Willshire VIC

Mrs Emma GatfieldMr Nikolas Winter-Simat

QLD

Ms Lynne DoonanMrs Josie De Courcey

QLD

Mrs Josie De CourceyMs Lynne Doonan

QLD

Mr Ben Assan VIC

Family Therapy with a Family with a Transgender Parent

Addressing Family Emotions – A Major Factor in Treating Adolescent Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, (OCD.)

The Emotional Bond – Holding the Family Securely Within the Clinical Supervision Relationship

MENDS and Relationship Crisis: The Hostile Alienation Syndrome

Emotional Underbelly of Expat Family Life for Male Breadwinners, Trailing Wives and Third Culture Kids

Integrated Systems Approaches: Creative Applications for Working with Disengaged Youth

Family Therapy in Townsville – Using Dialogue, Reflection and Emotions in Practice and Supervision

Addressing the Emotional Impact of Men Engaging In Problematic Pornography Use and Motivating Them to Reconnect To Healthy RelationshipsFamily Therapy, Family Emotion and Trauma: Lessons from Establishing a Family Therapy Clinic within a Tertiary Based, Paediatric Hospital Setting

Emotions - Means to Connection or Disconnection?

When Emotion Runs the Show: Working with Families Experiencing Trauma, Troubled With Mental Health and Drug and Alcohol Issues

Theoretical Underpinnings and Related Workshop to Enhance Hospital Clinicians’ Systemic Relational and Intervention Skills with Patients And Their Families

Attachment Theory, Affect Regulation and Grounding: Applications for Family Therapy

Systemic Treatment of Past and On-Going Relational Trauma in Complex Families: Research to Practice

Family Feeling: The Language of Emotional Experience in Families

Keeping It in the Family: Place of Family Therapy within a Day Program Milieu

Emotional Development and Family Therapy in a Child and Youth Mental Health Service

Establishing the Effectiveness of Family Therapy in Routine Practice at Relationships Australia NSWThe Balancing Act- Is it possible to Provide EFFT and ABFT to Parents Successfully via the Phone and Digital Means?

Imago Relationship Therapy for Powerful Emotional Relationship Connection - Exploring How to Develop an Emotionally Safe Space between a Couple/FamilyMy Story, Your Story: The Role of Culture and Language in Emotion Expression of Cross-Cultural CouplesLocating the Therapist within the Emotional Systems of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Residential Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Centre

Monkey See, Monkey Click, Swipe, Drag - Screen Time and its Impact on the Family System

Title

What colour is anger? Is anger always red?

A Structured Exercise to Explore Therapists' Reactions, Emotions and Inner Voices during Family Therapy Sessions

Conversations ‘within’ and ‘between’- who am I and who am I when I am with you?

Inequality, Emotions and Justice in Systemic Practice and Family Therapy

AAFT Resources for members2016 AAFT Conference

Australian Association of Family Therapy …NEWSLETTER Australian Association of Family Therapy...

Documents

Transcript of Australian Association of Family Therapy …NEWSLETTER Australian Association of Family Therapy...