Becoming an Effective Family Therapist: Research, Practice, and Case Stories

This book explores the link between the effectiveness of the family therapist and the complexity of the therapeutic relationship.

For family therapists the therapeutic alliance is complex because there are different family members and the therapist must have an empathic relationship with each of them. Furthermore, the therapist is focused on facilitating the development of trust between the family members. The book highlights the family therapist, not as an interventionist, but as someone who is focused on establishing a good relationship with different family members. Centering the person of the therapist, this book includes research, theory, as well as case studies exploring topics such as the therapist’s emotion regulation, the therapist’s inner dialogue, and dealing with client feedback. Rober offers an empathetic perspective and accessible framework for family therapists, encouraging readers to use their intuition and self-supervision to build better awareness and stronger connections in the session.

This book is essential for beginning and seasoned family therapists, systemic therapists, and graduate students.

Peter Rober is a clinical psychologist and family therapist. He is professor at the Institute for Family and Sexuality Studies, Medical School (University of Leuven, Belgium). His research focus is on the psychotherapy process in family therapy, and on processes in families (trauma, grief, secrecy, etc.). He has numerous publications on these subjects in international peer-reviewed journals.