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Research-Informed Practice of Systemic Therapy

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Systemic Research in Individual, Couple, and Family Therapy and Counseling

Part of the book series: European Family Therapy Association Series ((EFTAS))

Abstract

This chapter discusses five key topics for research-informed systemic therapy: (1) the effectiveness of systemic therapy, (2) the sorts of systemic therapy that work best for specific sorts of clinical problems, (3) the cost-effectiveness of systemic therapy, (4) the common processes that characterize effective systemic therapy, and (5) the potential negative effects of systemic therapy. We show that systemic therapy is equally effective when compared with alternative treatments. Specifically, it is effective in anxiety disorders (in adults), depression (in children/adolescents and adults), eating disorders (in children/adolescents and adults), obsessive-compulsive disorders (in adults), schizophrenia (in adults), and substance use disorders/addiction (in adolescents). Lasting negative effects following therapy are reported by 4% of patients who undergo solution-focused therapy, which is comparable to findings for cognitive-behavioural therapy and humanistic therapy and for deterioration rates in therapy groups of clinical trials.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Treatment manuals detailing empirically supported approaches to systemic treatment for specific problems are marked with an asterisk in the reference list.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, University College Dublin, and Clanwilliam Institute Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Alan Carr

  2. Department of Psychology, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany

    Martin Pinquart

  3. Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany

    Markus W. Haun

Authors
  1. Alan Carr
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  2. Martin Pinquart
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  3. Markus W. Haun
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Correspondence to Markus W. Haun .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Fulda, Germany

    Matthias Ochs

  2. University of Applied Sciences Nordhausen, Nordhausen, Germany

    Maria Borcsa

  3. University Clinic of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

    Jochen Schweitzer

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Carr, A., Pinquart, M., Haun, M.W. (2020). Research-Informed Practice of Systemic Therapy. In: Ochs, M., Borcsa, M., Schweitzer, J. (eds) Systemic Research in Individual, Couple, and Family Therapy and Counseling. European Family Therapy Association Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36560-8_18

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