Madness, Chaos, And Violence: Therapy With Families At The Brink

Plot

A suicidal psychotic teenager terorized by a sexually abusive stepfather...a family helplessly watching a daughter starve herself...a despairing mother unable to confront her addicted son - families like these seem resistant to to all conventional efforts to help them because they are entangled in a symptomatic system that provides stability even though it causes suffering. The authors of this innovative book argue that the key to successful treatment of such families is not to relieve symptoms ut rather to induce crisis by actually amplifying the stress. They demonstrate how in a trusting therapeutic relationship crisis can be used to create a dynamic tension that can catalyze transformation.