The Clinical Sociologist as Family Therapist: Utilizing the Strategic Communication Approach

This article acquaints the clinical sociologist with the sociodynamic model underlying the family therapy approach associated with the Palo Alto group and referred to here as the strategic communication approach to family therapy (SCAFT). It establishes the relevance and compatibility of this form of therapy to sociological theory and practice. The basic features of the field of family therapy are described through a selected treatment of several prominent contributors. The authors illustrate the utility of SCAFT for the clinical sociologist by drawing on case studies from their private practice. In the conclusion they emphasize the continuity between SCAFT and sociological principles