Inter-Family Therapy: Utilising Multi-Family Groups in Social Care, Healthcare and Education

This book helps us to understand the therapeutic processes involved in the multifamily group and gives us tools for effective management, making it an indispensable guide for professionals in all areas of human care who are interested in including multifamily therapy in their institutions. In recent years we have witnessed the emergence of forms of social and health care that incorporate the voices of the people who suffer and those of their family and social environment as a therapeutic resource. These include Multifamily Therapies, therapeutic interventions carried out through groups made up of several families (multifamily groups) in which the mechanisms of family therapy and group therapy mutually enhance each other.

Among the various models of multifamily therapy, Interfamily Therapy has become the most widespread. It is an integrative and eclectic model inspired by attachment theory and dialogical practices and represents a new way of approaching human problems through sharing and learning together with others. The simplicity of its theoretical statements and methodology facilitates its application in any social, educational and health context by professionals from different backgrounds.

Claudio Fuenzalida is a psychologist and coordinator of the Interfamily Therapy Centre, Spain. He is a group and multifamily therapist and the coordinator of various university postgraduate courses. Alongside Javier, he is the co-author of the Interfamily Therapy model. Claudio is a member of honour of International Attachment Network (IAN) in the UK and to-author of the books books Terapias Multifamiliares (2017) and Grupos Multifamiliares (2021), and several articles on psychology and the linguistic field. He is also President of Association Zugun.

Javier Sempere is a psychiatrist and the Director of the Interfamily Therapy Centre, Spain. He is a family, group and multifamily therapist and lecturer in various postgraduate courses and supervisor of health, social and educational centers. Javier is the author of the multifamily model called Interfamily Therapy, based on attachment theory and dialogic practices, alongside the books Terapias Multifamiliares (2017) and Grupos Multifamiliares (2021), and several articles on therapy. He is also the President of the Association of Mental Health.