Mastering Family Therapy: Journeys of Growth and Transformation

Praise for Salvador Minuchin

"Watching a Minuchin session . . . is like being at a tightly constructed, well-directed, magnificently acted play." —Janet Malcolm, The New Yorker.

"We are dazzled [in Family Healing] by Dr. Minuchin's instant understanding of the deeper dynamics of every case and by his imaginative interventions." —The New York Times.

"Minuchin's unquestionable dramatic flair does not in itself explain the galvanizing effect he has had on family therapy. There is an intensity, a sense of commitment in his work that goes beyond the love of drama." —Richard Simon, The Family Therapy Networker.

"Mastering Family Therapy is a bottomless bag of tools . . . a pathbreaking contribution. For the beginner, it is a remarkably rich resource. For the experienced therapist, the harvest has never been so abundant. And it is particularly valuable for supervisors, who will learn from the ingenious ways Minuchin finds to resolve clashes and promote growth." —From the Foreword by Braulio Montalvo.

Few people have had as profound an impact on the theory and practice of family therapy as Salvador Minuchin. As one commentator put it, "Memories of his classic sessions have become the standard against which therapists judge their own best work." Now, Mastering Family Therapy offers beginners and experienced practitioners alike the rare opportunity to find out what it is like to learn the art and science of family therapy under this pioneering clinician and teacher. An inspiring, uniquely intimate account of Minuchin's ideas and methods, this fascinating volume is a veritable "Master Class" in family therapy.

In elegant clinical interplays, Minuchin, his colleagues Wai-Yung Lee and George Simon, and nine advanced students provide answers to such critical questions as:

• What does it take to master the art of family therapy?
• How do I create an effective personal style?
• How can I become an instrument for growth for troubled families?

In Part I, Minuchin offers his candid assessment of the forms of family therapy that have emerged over the past fifty years, including his own structural approach. He shares his views on what makes a good family therapist and he explains why, if therapists are to become catalysts for change, they must learn to draw on their personal histories, their own sensibilities and sensitivities.

Part II takes us behind the scenes to observe Minuchin in supervisory sessions with his students and the families they are treating. We witness his trademark flair and his dazzling flashes of insight and imagination as he challenges his trainees to overcome roadblocks to personal and professional growth. In one case, he deftly helps a soft-spoken psychologist increase his intensity to match the volatile emotionality of a family in crisis. In another, he teaches an intellectual therapist a crucial lesson: that verbal pyrotechnics are no substitute for courageous use of self. By the end of the book we have experienced nine dramatic journeys in which teacher, student, and families are powerfully transformed.

Mastering Family Therapy is must reading for all those who practice, study, or teach family therapy.