<<

who do you think are the 10 most influential pioneers?

Terry D. Hargrave, PhD 6. Arnold Woodruff, MS Wayne Denton, MD Clinical Member 7. Michael White Clinical Member Clinical Member Amarillo, TX 8. Cloe Madanes Richmond, VA Dallas, TX 1. Salvador Minuchin 9. Steve de Shazer 1. Sal Minuchin 1. 2. 10. 2. Virginia Satir 2. Salvador Minuchin 3. Murray Bowen 3. Carl Whitaker 3. Virginia Satir 4. Froma W. Walsh, PhD 4. Jay Haley 4. Emily Mudd 5. Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy Clinical Member 5. Murray Bowen 5. Aaron Rutledge 6. Neil Jacobson Chicago, IL 6. MRI Group 6. William Nichols 7. Olga Silverstien 1. Salvador Minuchin 7. Milton Erickson 7. Wallace Denton 8. James Framo 2. Murray Bowen 8. Steve de Shazer/Insoo K. 8. Douglas Sprenkle 9. Carl Whitaker 3. Virginia Satir Berg 9. Fred Piercy 10. Sue Johnson 4. James Framo 9. Bill O’Hanlon 10. Susan Johnson 5. Milan Group 10. Harlene Anderson/Harry Sandra M. Stith, PhD 6. Jay Haley Goolishian Thorana S. Nelson, PhD Clinical Member 7. Mental Research Institute Clinical Member Manhattan, KS (MRI) Shelley Green, PhD Mendon, UT 1. Lyman Wynne 8. Carl Whitaker Clinical Member 1. Murray Bowen 2. Salvador Minuchin 9. Lyman Wynne Ft. Lauderdale, FL 2. Salvador Minuchin 3. Jay Haley 10. Ivan Boszornmenyi-Nagy 1. Gregory Bateson 3. Jay Haley 4. Cloe Madanes 2. Milton Erickson 4. Cloe Madanes 5. Steve de Shazer Gregory W. Brock, PhD 3. Don Jackson 5. Milton Erickson 6. Insoo Kim Berg Clinical Member 4. Jay Haley 6. 7. Carl Whitaker Lexington, KY 5. John Weakland 7. Monica McGoldrick 8. Milton Erikson 1. Bernard Guerney 6. Salvador Minuchin 8. Rachel Hare-Mustin 9. Virginia Satir 2. Louise Guerney 7. Virginia Satir 9. Steve de Shazer 10. Michael White 3. Virginia Satir 8. Luigi Boscolo 10. Insoo Kim Berg family 4. Jay Haley 9. Gianfranco Cecchin Gonzalo M. Bacigalupe EdD 5. Salvador Minuchin 10. Carl Whitaker William L. Turner, PhD Clinical Member 6. Carl Whitaker Clinical Member Auburndale, MA 7. David Olson James D. Thomas, MD Washington, DC. 1. Murray Bowen 8. Doug Sprenkle Clinical Member 1. Nancy Boyd-Franklin 2. Monica McGoldrick 9. Alan Gurman Lakewood, CO 2. Evan Imber-Black therapy 3. Salvador Minuchin 10. Neil Jacobson 1. Salvador Minuchin 3. Elaine Pinderhughes 4. Virgnia Satir 2. Virginia Satir 4. Murray Bowen 5. Carlos Sluzki Carmen Knudson- 3. Murray Bowen 5. Salvador Minuchin 6. Carl Whitaker Martin, PhD 4. Insoo Kim Berg 6. Pauline Boss 7. Tom Andersen Clinical Member 5. 7. Kenneth Hardy 8. Harry Goolishian Loma Linda, CA 6. Jay Haley 8. Monica McGoldrick pioneers 9. Paul Watzlawick 1. Gregory Bateson 7. Olga Silverstein 9. Froma Walsh 10. Michael White 2. Murray Bowen 8. Michael White 10. Celia Falicov 3. Jay Haley 9. Carl Whitaker William M. O’Hanlon, MS 4. Salvador Minuchin 10. Peggy Papp Clinical Member 5. Virgina Satir Santa Fe, NM 6. Carl Whitaker 1. Milton Erickson 7. Harlene Anderson a directory 2. Jay Haley 8. Insoo Kim Berg 3. Gregory Bateson 9. Michael White 4. Virginia Satir 10. Lynn Hoffman 5. John Weakland

22 f a m i l y t h e r a p y m a g a z i n e s e p t e m b e r o c t o b e r 2008 23 family therapy pioneers

Nathan Ward Ackerman Gregory Bateson

Birth date and Influences leading to interest in Birth date and location Influences leading to interest in location family-based interventions Gregory Bateson was born in 1904 in Grantchester, family-based interventions Nathan became chief psychiatrist at the Menninger England, and died in 1980. The Handbook of Family Therapy was born in Child Guidance Clinic in 1937. He also was the chief (1981) tells us that Gregory had Bessarabia, Russia psychiatrist at the Jewish Board of Guardians from Educational background studied the social systems of on November 22, 1937 to 1951. His work in these two positions greatly Gregory graduated with a bachelor’s degree in natural animals and had an interest in 1908 and died in influenced his thinking about family systems. In 1938, sciences at St. John’s College, Cambridge University in general . These 1971. he published two books, The Unity of the Family and 1925, and received his master’s degree in anthropology early roots eventually led to work Family Diagnosis: An Approach to the Preschool Child that in 1930. with schizophrenic children and Educational contributed to the development of family therapy. After their communications with their background World War II, Nathan began to experiment with seeing Contributions to the field mothers. This is where the concept of the double-bind Nathan and his patients and their families in a group. He published, Between 1953 and 1962, anthropologist Gregory would emerge. Family sessions had become a part of the family came to the taught and showed movies demonstrating this new Bateson and his research team (John Weakland, Jay research team’s efforts. U.S. in 1912 and method, pioneering not only a new type of therapy, but Haley, Don Jackson, and William Fry) conducted were naturalized also the tradition of the audiovisual documentation of one of the most important and influential series of How this work is being carried on today in 1920. He attended public school in , clinical work that became one of the cornerstones of research projects ever in the behavioral sciences. Using In the 38 years since the Bateson Projects came to an earned a BA from in 1929, and an family therapy training. Russell and Whitehead’s theory of logical types as a end, hundreds of books, book chapters and articles based MD from Columbia in 1933. conceptual framework, the focus of inquiry was on upon this research have been published and countless the nature of communications processes, context, and copies sold. In addition, some of the most influential he believed that the mental or physical disposition of one paradox. The first synthesis of the research was the brief and family therapy orientations in use today, most landmark article, “Toward a Theory of Schizophrenia” notably the MRI Brief Therapy model, Steve de Shazer family member would effect other family members, and that (1956). During the 10 years this group worked and Insoo Berg’s Solution Focused Therapy, and the often the best way to treat the individual was to treat the together, they produced more than 70 articles and Milan Systemic Family Therapy orientation, trace their book chapters. This ground breaking research set forth heritage directly to Gregory Bateson’s research projects. family as a whole. a revolutionary approach to understanding human Further, many leading systemic narrative and post- behavior, and in doing so, laid the foundation upon modern approaches acknowledge the Bateson Projects as Contributions to the field How this work is being carried on today which communication (i.e., interactional) theory, and a having been an important wellspring from which their Nathan Ackerman is widely acknowledged as a pioneer Nathan Ackerman founded the Ackerman Institute major part of the field of marriage and family therapy, own orientations derive. It is not an exaggeration to say in the field of family therapy and is credited with in 1960. For almost half a century, the Institute has and brief therapy are based. Subsequent to these research that the Bateson Research Projects remain one of—if not developing the concept of family . In 1955, continued his pioneering work by engaging in a three- projects, Gregory, who was among the most respected the most—profoundly influential sources of the current he was the first to initiate a debate on family therapy at a pronged effort that encompasses: 1) innovative clinical anthropologists of his era before the projects began, interactional and systemic orientations to understanding meeting of the American Orthopsychiatric , family therapy services through its onsite clinic (licensed was to go on to achieve recognition as one of the most human behavior, as is recognized not only throughout with the intention of opening lines of communication by the State of New York Office of Mental Health) important founding thinkers and creators of the field of marriage and family therapy, but also in the in this new branch of . He believed that the and in community settings; 2) state-of-the-art training and communication theory as applied to understanding fields of cultural anthropology, psychiatry, psychology mental or physical disposition of one family member programs for mental health and other professionals human behavior—and to be one of the most influential and the other human sciences. would effect other family members, and that often the onsite and in community settings in and around New theoreticians ever in anthropology, psychiatry, and best way to treat the individual was to treat the family York City and internationally; and 3) cutting-edge marriage and family therapy. Most information and photo courtesy of Mental Research as a whole. In fact, he was a very strong advocate of research initiatives that focus on the development of new Institute (MRI), Palo Alto, CA. treating the whole family in order to solve the problems treatment models and training techniques. Through this of the individual. Nathan devoted most of his career to dynamic interaction of treatment, training and research, one of the most Reference: Broderick, C. B., & Schrader, S. S. (1982). The family . the Institute helps families, serves mental healthcare influential theoreticians history of professional marriage and family therapy. In A. professionals, and brings innovative perspectives to a Gurman & D. Kniskern (Eds.), Handbook of family therapy, broad array of community service agencies and other ever in anthropology, 24-25. New York: Brunner/Mazel. healthcare facilities. psychiatry, and marriage Information and photo provided by the and family therapy. Ackerman Institute for the Family, New York, NY.

24 f a m i l y t h e r a p y m a g a z i n e s e p t e m b e r o c t o b e r 2008 25 family therapy pioneers

Luigi Boscolo Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy

Birth date and location therapists in the Milan systemic approach. The center, in Birth date and location a scientific validity to the dimension of Luigi Boscolo was born in Italy, but addition to clinical work and research, began to play an Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy, MD, was born in Budapest, relational ethics. Ivan taught contextual as of press time, the AAMFT was important role for training, which eventually spread to Hungary, in 1920 and died in 2007. therapy and psychiatry for over 20 years at not able to determine the date or Europe, America, and Australia. Luigi was a teacher and Hahnemann University, founded its master city of birth. supervisor not only at the center, but abroad, as well. Educational background in family therapy program in the 70s, and Ivan obtained his MD from Peter Pazmany University, retired as an emeritus professor of psychiatry in 1999. Educational background Influences leading to interest in and completed his psychiatric residency and additional He also founded the Institute for Contextual Growth, Luigi Boscolo studied medicine and family-based interventions training in physics and biochemistry, with the hope of which has offered training both in the U.S. and in pediatrics at the University of Padua Luigi and his collaborators were curious to learn about discovering the etiology of schizophrenia. A political Europe for three decades. Ivan was a founding member in Italy where he earned his MD. the work of Paul Watzlawick in Palo Alto, CA. For refugee, he moved to the U.S. in 1950. Already an of AFTA and of the Family Institute of Philadelphia, the several years, the group applied psychoanalytic logic in assistant professor of psychiatry when he left Hungary, recipient of numerous professional awards, awarded an Contributions to the field working with families, but they were frustrated by the he joined the University of Illinois in Chicago and gained honorary medical degree from the University of Bern From 1961-67, Luigi was in New York specializing in slow pace of progress. Searching for a more effective the respect of the scientific community for his research (Switzerland), and received a gold presidential medal for psychiatry and at the New York Medical approach, the team members found writings about on correlations between mental illness and intracellular distinguished contribution to his homeland, granted to College and Metropolitan Hospital in New York. In communication theory and conjoint family therapy metabolism. However, he realized the scientific knowledge him by the president of Hungary, Arpad Gönzs, in 2000. 1967, he returned to Italy to join his friend Gianfranco by members of the Bateson Research Team (Bateson, of the time was not sufficient to reach his life’s goal, so Cecchin and colleagues Mara Selvini-Palazzoli and Jackson, Haley, and Weakland) and the Mental he returned to clinical work and spent his life developing Influences leading to interest in Giuliana Prata for the purpose of treating schizophrenia Research Institute to be enormously helpful in their and refining contextual therapy, and trying to define family-based interventions and eating disorders in what later became the Family work (Selvini-Palazzoli, 1995). Using Pragmatics of good therapy, in general. He obtained his U.S. board- In 1957, at Eastern Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute, Therapy Center of Milan. By the early 70s, the Milan Human Communication (Watzlawick, Beavin-Bavelas certification in psychiatry in 1956. Ivan felt that individual therapy had limited results in team put forth a new model of family therapy inspired & Jackson, 1967) as a guide, the Milan team embraced schizophrenia, so he moved toward the involvement of Contributions to the field by the strategic therapy of Palo Alto, as well as the ideas communication/interactional theory, completely family members in treatment, leading to the formulation of Gregory Bateson (cybernetics), which very much changing how they conceptualized the nature of Ivan discovered that our behavior towards others is of family therapy. His unit became one of the earliest inspired them. The methods and results are described problems and their technique of family treatment. not simply determined by our individual biological family therapy training centers in the U.S. and provided in the landmark book, Paradox and Counterparadox. or psychological needs, nor by the regulatory forces inspiration for many pioneers of family therapy in Europe The team was having success working with apparently How this work is being carried on today described in general systems theory or cybernetics, but How this work is being carried on today impossible cases, and they published a series of Some of the major concepts emerging from, or advanced also by our expectation of fairness and reciprocity, which influential articles discussing treatment approaches by, the Milan Group which greatly influenced the field he described as the dimension of relational ethics. This Though contextual therapy is practiced world-wide, of severely disturbed people, using what they called and endure today are circularity, hypothesis building and led him to the definition of a multidimensional model the exact number of contextual therapists is difficult to Milan systemic family therapy. Others in the field curiosity, psychotic family “games,” and time. Luigi’s of therapy—contextual therapy. He also demonstrated determine, since Ivan refused to establish an organization became aware of Luigi and the Milan team through work, along with the rest of the team, was described that the cohesion of families and other human groups for his approach. He always insisted that his work had these brilliant early writings on systemic therapy with by James A. Marley in Family Involvement in Treating was the result of the individual commitment from each validity for anyone wanting to do good therapy; it families in schizophrenic transaction (c.f., Selvini- Schizophrenia (2003) as “raising the art of asking good group member to respond to the expectations of the was not just for contextual therapists. Indeed, others Palazzoli, Boscolo, Cecchin, & Prata, 1978, 1980; questions almost to a science.” Today, the Post-Milan others, in return for their support. For Ivan, family outside of the contextual approach recognize his work as Cecchin, 1987). Communication theory and conjoint approach is an amalgam of the original concepts blended homeostasis depends on loyalty; not on homeostatic important for their practice. His influence has reached family therapy proved to be enormously helpful in the with new techniques. forces that family therapists had been hard pressed outside of the field, and he has offered suggestions for Milan team’s work. From 1975 to 1980, the concept to define, but from a personal commitment of each applying contextual therapy to intergroup relationships. of “neutrality” was a very significant offering from the Some information excerpted from Family Therapy News, individual to remain available to other family members. The approach is taught in most academic and private Milan group. Many in the field consider this to be May/June 1985; September/October 1986; and the Web Invisible Loyalties (with Geraldine Spark, 1973) is one family therapy training programs, and some programs their most important contribution. In the early 1980s, site of Centro Milanese di Terapia della Famiglia. Some of the most quoted books in the field, but also the offer dedicated contextual therapy tracks both in the the Milan team split up and Luigi remained with text written by Wendel A. Ray, PhD, and Karin Schlanger, source of some misunderstandings. Too often, therapists U.S. and in Europe. As to the future, contextual therapy Gianfranco Cecchin to found and co-direct the Family MFT. See page xx for references and author information. have interpreted family loyalties as an obstacle to is bound to gain a new visibility since family therapists Therapy Institute of Milan, where they trained countless individuation. To the contrary, following the existential will need to make space for neurobiological determinants philosophers, Ivan contends that true autonomy results of behavior in their models of therapy. In their search for from relating to others. Mental health and family health an integrative model, they will discover that contextual are inseparable from a willingness to care about others, therapy is already available as an integrative approach luigi’s work is described as “raising the art and about the next generations. His conclusions about that spans from biology to relational ethics. of asking good questions almost to a science.” the importance of loyalty and reciprocity for our success as individuals and as families have been confirmed by Catherine Ducommun-Nagy, MD, LMFT, The Institute the work of researchers in other fields. This has given for Contextual Growth, PC, Glenside, PA.

26 f a m i l y t h e r a p y m a g a z i n e s e p t e m b e r o c t o b e r 2008 27 f a m i l y t h e r a p y

Murray Bowen

Birth date and location During the early 1960s, he originated Bowen family Murray Bowen was born on January systems theory. He considered the landmarks of his 13, 1913 in Waverly, Tennessee and theory to include the introduction of natural systems died in 1990. concepts and evolutionary theory, the family diagram, the emotional system, differentiation of self, triangles, fusion, Educational background cut-off, projection to succeeding generations, extended Murray was awarded an MD from family patterns, emotional objectivity, the therapist’s the University of Tennessee Medical School, Memphis, control of self, extension of family process to work and in 1937. He served internships at Bellevue and Grasslands social systems, and societal regression—all integrated into Hospitals in New York from 1938 to 1941. After five human emotional, physical, and social functioning. years of active duty in the Army, he did a Fellowship in psychiatry at the Menninger Clinic from 1946 to 1949. Influences leading to interest in family-based interventions Contributions to the field Murray concluded early on that Freudian theory Murray moved to NIMH in 1954 to study mother-adult contained too much subjectivity to become part of offspring symbiosis in more depth. The dysfunctional science. He studied the sciences and other disciplines adult offspring were schizophrenic, but he could have with the goal of understanding what would be required studied symbiosis in other conditions as well, such as to develop a science of human behavior. He decided it severe alcoholism. During the first year of the project, would require anchoring a theory in the understanding he saw that the unresolved mother-adult offspring of human beings as part of all life, as a product of attachment was part of a larger relationship process evolution. Murray also did therapy and clinical research in which the father and other family members played with a wide range of psychiatric problems. He treated important roles. The family could be most accurately patients and interviewed family members. In the process, conceptualized as an emotional unit. Three other he was able to recognize the intense involvement that developments occurred during the early years of the study. many patients’ parents had in their lives. He used Mother and schizophrenic offspring were each initially “symbiosis” to describe the unresolved emotional treated with individual psychotherapy. After appreciating attachment that typically existed between the mother the involvement of other family members in the process, and her adult dysfunctional offspring. Murray viewed Murray ended the individual sessions and developed a the adult child’s dysfunction to be as much a symptom method of therapy for the family. The goal of the family of the unresolved attachment as its cause. therapy was to see if one family member could “pull-up” out of the “emotional stuck-togetherness” and function How this work is being carried on today as a more differentiated self. If one parent could do it, it Since Murray Bowen’s death, the development of Bowen would have a ripple effect that benefited the schizophrenic theory and its applications has continued at the Bowen one. A second development was realizing the need for Center for the Study of the Family in Washington, D.C., systems thinking to deal with the complex interactions in and at other centers around the country and overseas. the families. A third development came from observations The Center conducts training, sponsors conferences; from concurrent outpatient work with families having publishes a journal, audiovisual, and other materials; problems less severe than schizophrenia. Murray realized has a family therapy clinic, and is involved in research that the fusion or emotional interdependence he found efforts. Research thus far is consistent with a systems in schizophrenic families is simply an extreme version of paradigm, providing a more complete explanation of the fusion that exists in all families. The NIMH project human problems than the cause-and-effect paradigm. ended in 1959 and Murray moved to the Georgetown University Medical School Department of Psychiatry. Michael Kerr, Georgetown Family Center, Washington, DC. he was able to recognize the intense involvement that many patients’ parents had in their lives.

28 f a m i l y t h e r a p y m a g a z i n e pioneers f a m i l y t h e r a p y pioneers

Richard Fisch James Lawrence Framo Gianfranco Cecchin

Birth date and location Influences leading to interest in Birth date and location Influences leading to interest in Birth date and location His collaborators were was born in 1926 in Brooklyn, New York. family-based interventions James Framo was born family-based interventions Gianfranco Cecchin was born in Nogarole Vicentino, curious to learn about In 1958, Dick moved to California, where he in South Philadelphia in For 13 years, Jim was a research scientist at the Eastern Italy in August 1932 and died in 2004. Gianfranco’s experience with Educational background became assistant director for the San Mateo 1922 and died in 2001. Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute in Philadelphia. Here, Paul Watzlawick in Palo Richard Fisch, MD, graduated from Colby College and County Hospital. He held a number of other he collaborated with Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy, and it is Educational background Alto, CA. Together, with spent a year studying at Columbia University, School of positions in traditional hospitals in the San Francisco Bay Educational believed his profound interest in family of origin was Gianfranco Cecchin, MD, was psychoanalytic in Lynn Hoffman and Peggy Anthropology. From 1945-46, Dick served as a medic in Area, but was disenchanted with the traditional medical background nourished and focused during this time. This would be orientation, receiving medical training and completing Penn in the U.S., for several the US Navy. Returning to civilian life, he entered New treatment that dominated psychiatry (Fisch, 1965) so James Framo completed honed during a four-year stint in community mental psychiatric residencies in traditional analytic approaches years the group applied York Medical College where he graduated in 1954. Dick he began exploring alternatives. This is how he found his predoctoral studies health in Philadelphia as chief of a family therapy unit. in New York. psychoanalytic logic in completed a year rotating internship at the Brookdale Don Jackson, founding director of the Mental Research at Penn State and working with these families, but they were frustrated by Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, followed by psychiatric Institute (MRI), and soon joined the family therapy research earned his PhD in How this work is being carried on today Contributions to the field the slow pace of progress. Searching for a more effective residency at the Sheppard Pratt Health System, and training being pioneered at MRI in Palo Alto. psychology at the Jim’s legacy will continue to be important for new After several years of success working with apparently approach, the team members found writings about Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center in 1958, University of Texas. generations of serious family therapy students, not only impossible cases, the mid 1970s found the Milan group communication theory and conjoint family therapy where ’s Interpersonal Theory of How this work is being carried on today for how his work provides a framework and method for publishing a series of influential articles articulating a by members of the Bateson Research Team (Bateson, Behavior was still central in the teaching of faculty. The portentous effect of Dick’s proposal in Contributions to the field families to heal deeply, but also as a reminder of our own purely systemic approach to treating severely disturbed Don Jackson, Jay Haley, and John Weakland) and the launching the Brief Therapy movement is worthy of In 1965, Jim co-edited the classic book, Intensive Family unfinished business with our own families of origin, people using what they called Milan systemic family Mental Research Institute to be enormously helpful in Contributions to the field acknowledgement. The brief therapy approach set forth Therapy, with Boszormenyi-Nagy; in 1972, he edited which drove many in the field to pursue the study of therapy. Others in the field became aware of Gianfranco their work (Selvini-Palazzoli, 1995). Using especially Six years of interaction with other MRI research by the BTC Team (Fisch, Weakland, Watzlawick, & Family Interaction, a collection of papers in which the family therapy (Kramer, n.d.). Jim’s advancements and the Milan team through these brilliant early writings Pragmatics of Human Communication (Watzlawick, associates culminated in 1965 with publication of Dick’s Bodin, 1972; Fisch, Weakland, & Segal, 1982; Fisch infamous “Anonymous” article by Bowen first appeared. helped pave the way for what have become today some on systemic therapy with families in schizophrenic Beavin-Bavelas & Jackson, 1967) as a guide, the Milan first significant contribution to the literature, “Resistance & Schlanger, 1999; Fisch & Ray, 2006; Weakland, In 1982, Jim published his book of collected papers and of the key features of family of origin work in the family transaction (c.f., Selvini-Palazzoli, Boscolo, Cecchin, & team embraced communication/interactional theory, to Change in the Psychiatric Community,” in which Watzlawick, Fisch, & Bodin, 1974; Watzlawick, in 1968, Jim’s paper in Voices entitled, “My Families, therapy field. Prata, 1978, 1980; Cecchin, 1987). Uncompromising completely changing how they conceptualized the nature he outlined some of the rationales used then (and even Weakland, & Fisch, 1974) is one of, if not the first My Family” was published. This was a break-through adherence to systemic epistemology, and creation of of problems and their technique of family treatment. now) to justify retaining the status quo in psychiatric and most influential brief therapy approach in use acknowledgment of the incredible power and influence Most text excerpted from Family Therapy News, October such concepts as hypothesizing, neutrality, circularity, orientations that place almost exclusive emphasis on today. Forerunner to post modern, social constructivist of the presence of the therapist’s own family emotional 1994, by Donald S. Williamson, PhD. and curiosity, are a few enduring ideas the field learned How this work is being carried on today the individual in isolation from the relationships of approaches, the MRI Brief Therapy model evolved in system in the ongoing psychotherapeutic conversation. from Gianfranco and his colleagues. In the early 1980s, Anyone who trained under Gianfranco or worked with which they are a part. In a memo to Don Jackson, direct lineage out of the cybernetic/communication This paper anticipated the later epistemological emphasis Reference: S. Z., Kramer (n.d.). In memory of James L. the Milan team split up and Gianfranco Cecchin and him can confirm what an astoundingly effective teacher, dated September 15, 1965, Dick proposed creation of theory of human behavior set forth by Gregory Bateson on the person of the observer as an active participant Framo. Newsletter of the American Family Therapy Academy, Luigi Boscolo teamed up to create the Family Therapy and stunningly accomplished family therapist he was— a research project focused specifically on how to make and his team during the 1950s. Conceptually simple, in the systemic interaction being observed. His most Issue #84. Institute of Milan, where they trained countless playfully using circular questions, curiosity, accepting therapy more effective and efficient. As Dick recalled, the orientation takes the idea seriously that it is not so important and influential paper is “Symptoms from a therapists in the Milan systemic approach. In the late and using the presuppositions of family members, and “The idea and planning of a clinical research project much the difficulties in living that bring people into Family Transactional Viewpoint” (1970), highlighting 1980s, Gianfranco began collaboration with Gerry ascribing continuation of patterns of interaction with in brief therapy began at MRI in 1965. The climate therapy, but ineffective efforts being made to resolve an interactional theoretical basis as an alternative way jim framo was a passionate Lane and Wendel Ray. Meeting several times a year, such adroit and gentle touch that people routinely of therapy at that time had reached the highpoint of those difficulties that inadvertently exacerbate and of understanding dysfunctional behaviors and clinical training small groups of students and seeing clients at changed seemingly intransigent interpersonal impasses. psychoanalysis and it, or variations of it, influenced perpetuate the problem into irresolvable vicious cycles. symptoms observed “within” individuals. The paper has pioneer of family therapy. a Lane’s institute in Atlanta, the trio spent countless hours The embodiment of the premises of systemic theory, much, if not most of therapy activity. At the same time, Interrupt efforts being made to resolve the problem and been used in numerous training programs around the pioneer is somebody whose work discussing constraints they saw inherent in the then Gianfranco Cecchin—his quick mind, penetrating sense family therapy was beginning to develop but had very the problem often dissipates on its own. More interested U.S. and led the way for development of Jim’s object emerging division between so-called modern and post- of humor, incredible therapeutic abilities, his laughter little recognition in the therapy world” (2005). With this in finding ways to make therapy more effective than relations-based theoretical approach to MFT. He focused is so embedded in the fabric of modern models of practice, which led to development and sparking eyes, and not least, his mischievous proposal, and creation of the MRI Brief Therapy Center, seeking personal notoriety, Richard Fisch is among the on the relationship between the intrapsychic and the training and practice that all of such concepts as irreverence, the cybernetics of spirit—changed the lives of those with whom he came in Richard Fisch triggered the emergence of Brief Therapy most unassuming, dedicated, and influential pioneers interrelational. In his view, intrapsychic conflicts are prejudices, and eccentricity into the systemic literature contact. The concepts developed by Gianfranco and his approaches in the world that have radically improved the of Brief Therapy. Now in his early 80s, he lives in quiet largely sourced in family of origin experience, and then those who belong to the field (Cecchin, Lane & Ray, 1991, 1993, 1994, 2006). colleagues greatly influenced the field of family therapy practice of therapy. retirement in Menlo Park, California. are repeated and either defended or mastered within the use the ideas without knowing and elements of the Milan approach are still widely relationship with the spouse, children or other intimates. Influences leading to interest in used today, as they are blended with new concepts and Karin Schlanger, MFT, and Wendel A. Ray, PhD. All of these dramas can be understood as elaborations anymore who originated them.” family-based interventions techniques. References and author information on page 60. from the initial family of origin experience. Jim’s -celia falicov, “honoring jim In 1967, Gianfranco joined Luigi Boscolo, Mara therapeutic methods are delineated in Family of Origin Selvini-Palazzoli and Giuliana Prata for the explicit Wendel A. Ray, PhD, and Karin Schlanger, MFT. See page “the major, and almost sole, effort expended in out-patient treatment today is in long-term Therapy: An Intergenerational Approach (1992). framo,” n e w s l e t t e r o f t h e a m e r i c a n purpose of treating schizophrenia and eating disorders 60 for references and author information. psychotherapy. this is not only among private therapists, but also among most outpatient clinics…thus, f a m i l y t h e r a p y a c a d e m y , issue #84. in what became the Family Therapy Center of Milan. there is a need for a facility that will consistently provide imaginative, well planned, brief therapy and at the same time permit a more thorough study of the effectiveness of this approach in general, and of particular techniques more specifically.” —richard fisch, september 15, 1965.

s e p t e m b e r o c t o b e r 2008 31 32 f a m i l y t h e r a p y m a g a z i n e s e p t e m b e r o c t o b e r 2008 29 pioneers

Harold Armen Goolishian

Birth date and location Influences leading to interest in family- Harold A. Goolishian was born in 1924 in Lowell, based interventions Massachusetts, raised in Boston, and died in 1991. One couple in particular brought Harry from a psychodynamic approach to an Educational background early form of family therapy. Harry was not Harry studied psychology at the University of Houston permitted under ethical standards of the day and earned his PhD. to see the wife of his schizophrenic patient. Needing to know more, Harry had the man’s wife meet Contributions to the field with him. He eventually met with both of them in one Harry Goolishian has been described as a pioneer session. This unethical practice was the beginning for who offered provocative alternatives. He was a master Harry of working with couples together. Seeing them clinician, theoretician, teacher, and politician. Harry, separately, it appeared that each person was “right” in along with Harlene Anderson, developed a postmodern their relationship assessments; realizing that each made collaborative approach to therapy, known today as valid points and were seemingly pleasant people, he Collaborative Language Systems. He was a co-founder came to believe a problem of language must exist. From of the Galveston Family Institute in 1977, one of the there he began to think about alternative methods for earliest federally funded family therapy projects in the doing therapy. . There, Harry and colleagues worked to develop a cybernetic, systems-oriented, strategic, How this work is being carried on today brief therapy. One of Harry’s contributions to the Today’s Houston-Galveston Institute is internationally field was (Multiple Impact recognized for its innovative contributions to the Therapy with Families, 1964), which many consider a advancements of theory, psychotherapy practice, and landmark in the field of psychotherapy. He published research, and to the development of creative contexts for extensively in professional journals on theoretical and learning, practice, and research. It has distinguished itself clinical issues. He is known for his contribution in the by its unique developments in brief therapy and has development of MFT training programs and for his been acclaimed for its Collaborative Language Systems teaching, supervision, and consultation with students approach with its emphasis on “problem-organizing and professionals in the field. In the 90s, Harry and systems,” the role of language, narrative and conversation Anderson explored the applications of theories of in therapy, the not-knowing position, and the translation language and involving families and the process of these concepts into work with difficult life situations. of therapy. The pair also developed the therapist’s stance Students and professionals worldwide come to study at of “not-knowing.” the Institute (Houston Galveston Institute, 2003).

Some information excerpted from Family Therapy News, January/February 1989 and February 1992.

Reference: Houston Galveston Institute. (2003). About HGI. Retrieved July 15, 2008, from http://www.talkhgi.com/about.cfm.

he was a master clinician, theoretician, teacher, and politician.

s e p t e m b e r o c t o b e r 2008 33 family therapy pioneers

Ernest Rutherford Groves Jay Douglas Haley

Birth date and University of North Carolina, while his wife began the Birth date and location Child Guidance Center. In 1975, location conference at the North Carolina College for Negroes. Jay Haley was born July 19, 1923 in Wyoming and died Jay co-founded, with then wife Ernest R. Groves They became affiliated in 1947. Ernest was a thoughtful in 2007. and fellow family therapy pioneer, was born in 1877 man who gave generously of his time and expertise. He Cloé Madanes, The Family Therapy in Framingham, devoted a great deal of his life to counseling patients, Educational background Institute of Washington, DC, Massachusetts and in person and via mail. His work was considered Jay Haley earned a BA in theater arts at the University where he continued teaching and died in 1946. progressive for its time. of California, Los Angeles, and a bachelor’s of library developing his Strategic Family science at Berkeley. He completed his master’s in Therapy Approach until the early Educational Influences leading to interest in communication at Stanford. 1990s, when he retired and moved back to La Jolla, CA. background family-based interventions Contributions to the field Ernest received a Early in his career, Ernest was a minister, and as such Influences leading to interest in religious studies there was no shortage of individuals turning to him for Together with Bateson and the other team members, family-based interventions bachelor’s degree from guidance with emotional and interpersonal problems. they developed the first purely communication/ In 1952, while a student in communication at Stanford Yale Divinity School Over time, Ernest realized so many human problems interactional theory of human behavior, central to which University in Palo Alto, California, Jay met Gregory in 1901 and a second related to difficulties from childhood and adolescence. is the concept of the . During this 10-year Bateson, who invited him to join John Weakland, bachelor’s from Carrying these issues forward into adulthood, the collaboration, the Bateson team revolutionized for the William Fry, and later Don Jackson as a member of Dartmouth College in 1903. He later received honorary problems then manifested in adult relationships and world the understanding of the relational and contextual Bateson’s renowned research team, widely known as the doctorate degrees from Florida Southern College in marriage. With this new insight, Ernest began shifting nature of behavior. They were among the first research Palo Alto Group. 1942 and from Boston University in 1946. his interests to child development, family life and marriage. He would continue throughout his career jay’s understanding of human behavior and how to bring Contributions to the field to place a strong emphasis on prevention through about constructive change left students in awe of his A sociologist, Ernest Groves developed the first college education and counseling (Dail & Jewson, 1986). credit course in preparation for marriage at Boston knowledge and skill as a teacher. University in 1922, and at the University of North How this work is being carried on today How this work is being carried on today Carolina in 1927. He wrote the first college text on the Today, the Groves Conference remains a viable teams to see the patient and other family members subject, Marriage, in 1933. Ernest went on to write more and active organization and will celebrate its 75th in conjoint family therapy. Members of Bateson’s Jay Haley minimized his own contributions and than 20 books and nearly 200 articles and became one anniversary June 7-11, 2009, at The University of North Team published more than 70 professional papers, emphasized what he learned from his mentors, Milton of the leading and most respected family life educators Carolina, where it all began in 1934. The last Groves two especially lucid examples are the groundbreaking, Erickson, Gregory Bateson, Don Jackson, his career- in the U.S. His work appeared in popular periodicals of Conference met in June 2008 in Ireland to study the “Toward a Theory of Schizophrenia” (Bateson, Jackson, long friend and colleague, John Weakland, Salvador the day, such as Look, Good Housekeeping, and Parents impact of globalization on families, thus maintaining its Haley & Weakland, 1956), and Haley’s “The Family Minuchin, Braulio Montalvo and others. Yet, when in Magazine, as well as the academic journals, Social Forces “cutting edge” mission. of the Schizophrenic: A Model System” (1959). One of his presence, Jay’s understanding of human behavior and and Journal of Educational Sociology. He was the first the most significant aspects of research in the Bateson how to bring about constructive change left students in president of the North Carolina Mental Hygiene Society Some information courtesy of Roger Rubin, PhD, Family group included the study of the hypnotic and clinical awe of his knowledge and skill as a teacher. Like his close in 1936 and president of the National Conference on Studies, University of Maryland. work of Milton H. Erickson. Jay incorporated many colleagues, Weakland and Jackson, Jay did not believe Family Relations in 1941. From 1938 to 1940, Ernest of Erickson’s techniques into his own strategic therapy. in individual achievement, as the term is commonly By editing and publishing Erickson’s selected papers understood. Rather than individuals existing in isolation, was chair of the committee on the Family for the Federal Reference: Dail, P. W., & Jewson, R. H. (1986). In praise of fifty (1967) followed by Uncommon Therapy–The Psychiatric he saw behavior in context and patterns of interaction of Council of Churches of Christ in America. Throughout years: The Groves conference on the conservation of marriage Techniques of Milton H. Erickson, MD (1973), it is Jay which individual behavior is a part. If there is a change his career, Ernest was an active member in numerous and the family. Lake Mills, IA: Graphic. national and state organizations for marriage, family who is largely responsible for introducing Erickson to in patterns of interaction, the individual behavior life, and mental hygiene. He began annual conferences a wider audience. During the first decades of the field, changes, too. Jay was central in establishing a radically on the Conservation of Marriage and the Family at the Jay was involved with many of the most important alternative way of understanding human behavior, as a developments in the field. In 1959, he was one of the product of an interaction, taking place in the present first members of the Bateson team to join Don Jackson moment between people in an intimate relationship with over time, ernest realized so many human problems related when he founded the Mental Research Institute (MRI), one another. He also committed himself to demystifying serving as director of research. In 1962, in collaboration the practice of therapy, contributing some of the most to difficulties from childhood and adolescence. with Jackson and Nathan Ackerman, Jay helped found, widely read and clearest books, articles, and training and for the first decade, was first editor of the journal videotapes available in the field (Haley, 1963, 1976, 1980). Family Process. In 1967, he left MRI to join Salvador Minuchin and Braulio Montalvo at another of the Wendel A. Ray, PhD, and Karin Schlanger, MFT. See page most influential early family centers, The Philadelphia 60 for references and author information.

34 f a m i l y t h e r a p y m a g a z i n e s e p t e m b e r o c t o b e r 2008 35 family therapy pioneers

Lynn Hoffman Don D. Jackson

Birth date and location the Brattleboro Institute of Family Therapy, where she Birth date and location William Lederer), and Pragmatics Lynn Hoffman was born in was influenced by the “reflecting team” approach and Don D. Jackson was born in 1920 in Oakland, of Human Communication (with 1924 to American parents in began to explore its dimensions, not only for therapy, California, and died in 1968. Watzlawick and Beavin Bavelas). Paris, France. but for teaching, consulting and workshops. During her Don founded the Mental Research

nearly 40 years in the field, Lynn has led or taken part Educational background Institute in 1959, and created the Photo courtesy of MRI. Educational background in hundreds of workshops and conferences in the U.S., Don Jackson earned his MD from Stanford Medical first family therapy training program Lynn earned her MSW at Canada, South and Central America, the UK, Europe, School. During his studies, Don was challenged by the funded by the U. S. Government, hiring Satir to be the Adelphi School of Social Work Australia and Japan. In 1988, she was awarded the Life lack of competent guidance that resulted when most of first director of training. With Ackerman and Haley, in 1971. Achievement Award for Distinguished Contribution to the qualified clinical faculty were away, serving in the Don founded the field’s first journal, Family Process. the Field of Family Therapy by the AAMFT. military during World War II. Turning to the library, Contributions to the field Don found the analytic system of psychiatry made sense Influences leading to interest in Lynn Hoffman is an Influences leading to interest in to him, finding the use of symbolic interpretations family-based interventions internationally known lecturer on family therapy and family-based interventions in insight-oriented work to have “miraculous results” Don served as a psychiatrist at the Menlo Park Veterans author of Techniques of Family Therapy (with Jay Haley, Indeed working among the family therapy giants at (Jackson, 1962). Don also trained under the tutelage of Hospital, fortuitously leading to his meeting Bateson, 1969); Foundations of Family Therapy (1981); Milan MRI provided much influence, but also, Lynn describes Harry Stack Sullivan. who asked Don to join him, Haley, Weakland, and Fry Systemic Family Therapy (with Boscolo, Cecchin, and her work at Gouverneur Health Services as being very in the now infamous Bateson Research Team. During Penn, 1987); Exchanging Voices, and Family Therapy: enlightening. Auerswald’s work recognized that both the Contributions to the field the first year, Don found the traditional prohibition An Intimate History (2002). From 1963 to 1965, Lynn providers and those they treated are embedded in social Clinical supervisor of Bateson, Haley, Weakland, Fry, against contact with a patient’s family members difficult began working as an editor for Don Jackson at MRI. networks. Rather than seeking diagnoses, Auerswald and Yalom, among others, many of Don’s supervisees in the then small town of Palo Alto, leading him to While there, she met Satir, Haley, Sluzki, Weakland, relied on the strength to be found in peoples’ natural would become the first generation of systemic articulate the concept of family homeostasis, and to see and Fisch. Lynn helped Satir edit her book, Conjoint connections. family theorists and therapists. The first clinician to patients and family members together, an approach he Family Therapy. After completing her MSW, Lynn went uncompromisingly maintain a higher order cybernetic named conjoint family therapy. to work at the Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic, How this work is being carried on today and constructivist position in the actual practice where Minuchin was developing his structural approach In 1994, Lynn designed a collaborative conference in of therapy, the essence of Don’s model is that the How this work is being carried on today to family therapy. Lynn put together some training Northampton called New Voices in Human Systems. client is seen as a “family-surrounded individual with Don’s contributions permeate most systemically- tapes based on sessions with families of anorectic Her intention was to bring therapists, organizational real problems in the present day” (Jackson, 1967). oriented family and brief therapy approaches. children. Harry Aponte was her supervisor, and the pair consultants and social scientists together to discuss the Brief in orientation, the primary focus, questions Theoretical premises introduced by Don and colleagues co-authored an article. Aponte occasionally invited Lynn implications of postmodernism for their respective fields. asked, assignments and tasks given, is always on continue to serve as fundamental premises underlying to attend when he presented workshops, and this led to She also began to attend international conferences that the relationship between members of the family. the brief therapy model developed after his death at the Lynn’s own workshop career. Lynn also did a stint as staff brought her to countries like Greece, Japan, England, Acknowledged as the principle founder of Interactional MRI; the strategic work of Haley and his colleagues; historian for the Applied Behavioral Sciences Program at Ireland, Brazil, Mexico, , Holland and Australia. Theory and Conjoint Family Therapy, Don was rated the structural model developed by Minuchin and his Gouverneur Health Services on New York’s Lower East She continues to travel and be a relevant figure in the one of the top 10 psychiatrists in America in the late colleagues; the work of the Milan team; the solution Side. Using an “ecosystems” model, the late psychiatrist field of family therapy. 1960s, just before his untimely death at the age of 48. focused brief therapy approach of deShazer, Berg and Auerswald had designed a multi-disciplinary family He is remembered as having been a brilliant therapist, associates at the Brief Therapy Center of Milwaukee; the health team, and a mobile crisis unit that responded teacher, and for his leading part in the development work of Keeney and colleagues; the work of Andersen; to calls from within the community 24 hours a day. of such groundbreaking theoretical concepts as family and even as a point of departure to react against by most Beginning in 1978, Lynn joined the teaching staff of during her nearly 40 years homeostasis, family rules, relational quid pro quo, and, “post-modern” narrative orientations of Anderson and the Ackerman Institute in New York, and worked on with Bateson, Weakland, and Haley, the theory of the Goolishian; Hoffman and White, as well as most other the Brief Strategic Therapy Project headed by Papp in the field, lynn has led or double bind. Don was one of the most prolific authors systemically and contextually oriented approaches and Silverstein. Here, Lynn encountered the Milan taken part in hundreds of of his time, publishing more than 125 articles and book team at a workshop and subsequently formed a Milan- chapters and seven books, including two classic texts Wendel A. Ray, PhD, and Karin Schlanger, MFT. style team of her own that included Penn, Patten and workshops and conferences that remain in print today, Mirages of Marriage (with See page 60 for references and author information. Walker. Beginning in 1982, Lynn became part of an in the u.s., canada, south informal network of Milan teams. This network spun off a number of new innovators like White, Andersen, and central america, the uk, “don had a quickness and a lightness in touch that is I think very important Tomm, and Penn. In l983, Lynn began teaching at europe, australia and japan. in handling problems of human behavior… he was historically a very important person. his original paper on family homeostasis was certainly one of the first, perhaps the first major statement about the family as a system.” -gregory bateson, 1970.

36 f a m i l y t h e r a p y m a g a z i n e s e p t e m b e r o c t o b e r 2008 37 family therapy pioneers

Neil Scott Jacobson Monica McGoldrick

Birth date and location he successfully lobbied couple Birth date and location Influences leading to interest in Neil Jacobson was born in 1949 Monica McGoldrick was born in Brooklyn in 1943 and family-based interventions in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and therapists to regularly evaluate later raised on a farm in Pennsylvania. Psychologists and psychiatrists at the died in 1999. violence and take it seriously. mental health center where Monica Educational background worked early in her career seemed Educational background Monica earned a BA in Russian studies, an MA in to have little if any interaction with Neil completed his PhD in Barclay Martin (1976) produced the first authoritative Russian studies at Yale University, and an MSW from patients. She soon discovered that at the review of behavioral couple therapy and conducted one Smith College School of Social Work. She also holds an social work might be a better pursuit University of North Carolina- of the first clinical trials of the approach (Jacobson, honorary PhD from Smith College. for her, as it would be more hands on. She eventually Chapel Hill in 1977, and did his internship at Brown 1977). For more detail, refer to Virginia Rutter’s article saw patients when families came to visit, and she realized Contributions to the field University. (www.afta.org/newsletter/79/page11.html) or the 1993 this was when you learned the most about the patient. Family Therapy News article on Neil S. Jacobson. Monica has been committed to the contribution of new Working at the Yale-New Haven Hospital unit, a very Contributions to the field knowledge in the MFT world for over 35 years. She has family oriented center, Monica’s work began to turn Neil Jacobson made major contributions in three How this work is being carried on today furthered knowledge and shaped the field in the areas in the direction she had wanted. In 1972, she would separate, substantive areas of psychology. At the time of Neil’s work on couple therapy is carried on by of family development, the family life-cycle, Bowenian hear a presentation by Murray Bowen, where one of his his death, he had major research grants and had made innumerable clinicians who were influenced by his therapy, genograms, gender in families, multicultural students would offer Monica a position in his family major contributions to couple therapy, treatment for workshops and writings, and his treatment manuals development, including ethnicity, race, class, and in institute (Wyatt, 2006). depression, and domestic violence. In couple therapy, on Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT) are grief and loss. She is the director and developer of the he had written the definitive treatment manual for still popular today (Jacobson & Christensen, 1998; Multicultural Family Institute, the only one of its kind How this work is being carried on today traditional behavioral couple therapy, had evaluated this Christensen & Jacobson, 2000). Neil’s major clinical in the field of family therapy. The Institute provides Genograms are widely used today, not only in family treatment, and had, with Andrew Christensen, created trial on this treatment is being carried on by his training, service, and written materials that are at the therapy, but also in the medical field, social work, and evaluated a major modification of this treatment, collaborator, Andrew Christensen, at UCLA, and various leading edge of the field of cultural factors in marriage psychiatry, psychology, etc. Under Monica’s guidance, namely Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy. In colleagues. Other studies on IBCT are being planned or and family therapy. She also serves as an adjunct the Multicultural Family Institute is a thriving center the area of depression treatment research, he had carried out at Duke University, the University of Iowa, associate professor of clinical psychiatry at the UMDNJ- offering conferences, seminars and training programs, as challenged the major treatment in the area (cognitive Texas A&M, and in foreign countries, such as Sweden. Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, a position she well as consultation to schools and agencies and clinical therapy) and elaborated and evaluated an alternative Similarly, Neil’s work on depression is being carried has held for many years. She has been a visiting professor services to individuals and families. The faculty and treatment, . For domestic violence, on by innumerable clinicians who were influenced by at Fordham University, and on faculty at the Family affiliates are known internationally for their training he had provided evidence about the kind of men who his training and writing. His major clinical trial on Institute of Westchester and the Center for Family and contributions to family therapy theory and practice; perpetuate violence against women and had successfully behavioral activation was recently published by Sona Learning in New York. Monica has also maintained especially for their efforts to expand the boundaries lobbied couple therapists to regularly evaluate violence Dimidjian et al. at the University of Colorado. A self- a private clinical practice for over 30 years. Monica’s of systems thinking to address issues of social justice and take it seriously. In addition to his work in these help manual was recently published by former colleagues largest contribution to family therapy may well be her and equity. They have made many contributions to substantive areas, he made methodological contributions Addis and Martell (2004). Studies are underway to writings, which have influenced countless numbers issues of culture and race, multicultural families, issues in the analysis and promotion of clinical significance as extend behavioral activation to other populations, such of both experienced therapists, as well as trainees over for men and women in families, class, and life cycle a metric with which to evaluate clinical success and in as for adolescent depression and for veterans with both many years. She has published over thirty articles and issues, including untimely and traumatic loss, couple the design of clinical trials in psychotherapy research. PTSD and depression. Neil’s influence on domestic seven books, two of which have multiple editions. relationships, divorce, child custody, remarriage, child, Family Life Cycle Ethnicity and Finally, he trained a large number of therapists and violence can be seen in the current standard of care Monica’s work in and sibling and adolescent problems, caretaking of aging Family Therapy students in couple therapy, depression treatment, and in for couple therapy, which includes an evaluation of have become both standards and classics and ill family members and issues of family conflict and Living Beyond Loss Genograms: the conduct of clinical research. For more information, violence. His book on violence against women (Jacobson in the field. Add to these , cutoff (Multicultural Family Institute, 2008). Assessment and Intervention Re-visioning Family see the June 2, 2000 issue of Prevention and Treatment & Gottman, 1998) is still cited today. His research , and Therapy: Race, Culture, and Gender in Clinical Practice, (http://journals.apa.org/prevention/volume3/toc- directions are carried on by a number of researchers, References: Wyatt, R. C. (2006). An interview with Monica and you have part of the essential library for family jun02-00.html). but perhaps most clearly by Amy Holtzworth-Monroe McGoldrick. Psychotherapy.net. Retrieved July 30, 2008, from therapists today. Monica has served on numerous at Indiana University. Finally, Neil’s influence on the http://www.psychotherapy.net/interview/Monica_McGoldrick. editorial boards and presented at workshops in the U.S. Influences leading to interest in methodology of clinical trials can be seen in the near Multicultural Family Institute Web site. (2008). Retrieved July 30, and abroad. family-based interventions universal acceptance of his clinical significance metric as 2008, from www.multiculturalfamily.org. During graduate school, Neil became interested in a way of evaluating outcome. couple therapy and was influenced by the pioneering work of Patterson, Stuart, and Weiss. At the University Written by Andrew Christensen, PhD, and Neil’s wife, of North Carolina during graduate school, Neil and Virginia Rutter, PhD.

38 f a m i l y t h e r a p y m a g a z i n e s e p t e m b e r o c t o b e r 2008 39 family therapy pioneers

Salvador Minuchin Emily Borie Hartshorne Mudd

Birth date and location hospital, which included the families, on Birth date and location than anyone else, Emily Mudd Salvador Minuchin was born in 1921 in life issues, as well as addiction. Sal has contributed Emily Hartshorne Mudd was born in 1898 in Marion, encouraged and helped shape the Argentina. to numerous professional journals and coauthored Pennsylvania, and died in 1998. field of marriage and family life numerous books, many of which explore the effects of education and was among the first to Educational background poverty and social systems on families. Educational background address the dimension of sexuality as Salvador Minuchin graduated medical Emily attended Vassar, but during WWII, established a vital factor in family life care.” school in 1946 in Argentina and Influences leading to interest in a program to help maintain crops. She drank out of began his residency in pediatrics with a subspeciality in family-based interventions an infected well and caught Typhoid fever and could Influences leading to interest in psychiatry. In 1950, he studied psychiatry in New York as In 1951, Sal co-directed residential institutions for not go back to Vassar. She then attended a landscape family-based interventions a psychiatric resident. disturbed children in Israel. Here, he began to work architecture school in Groton, Massachusetts, where she In Philadelphia, Emily Mudd became more and more with groups instead of individuals. Later, Sal trained at met her husband, Dr. Stuart Mudd, who was studying involved in community activities. Around 1929, she was Contributions to the field the William Alanson White Institute of Psychoanalysis at the Harvard Medical School. She received her MA part of the establishment of the Maternal Health Center, Sal Minuchin developed Structural Family Therapy, an in New York, where the ideas of Harry Stack Sullivan in social work in 1936 and her PhD in 1950 from the the first family-planning program in the Philadelphia approach which focuses on the dysfunctional structural (interpersonal psychiatry) were supported. As he was University of Pennsylvania. area. It was here that the connection became clear organization of the family. The therapist tries to disrupt training, he began practicing at the Wiltwyck School between poverty and birth control issues. This led to dysfunctional relationships within the family, and cause for Boys. Gradually, he began to feel that he needed to Contributions to the field an interest in counseling techniques and preventive them to settle back into a healthier pattern. Sal’s style has see a client’s family for effectiveness (Encyclopedia of In the 1920s, Emily helped establish Philadelphia’s first medicine that remained with Emily throughout been described as forceful and intense, but in a manner Psychology, 2008). It should also be noted that Braulio birth control clinic. It has been noted that this endeavor her career. Emily saw early on the serious need for that communicates respect for family members, as well Montalvo is widely recognized as a gifted therapist and a was her fondest and proudest. It was against the law relationship assistance, not just medical interventions. as self-confidence. He has spent his career working on close associate of Minuchin’s, working with him both at to prescribe contraception, or dispense information In 1972, Emily was appointed by Governor Shaft as behalf of the poor and ethnically underprivileged. He Wiltwyck and Philadelphia Child Guidance. on contraception, but she was protected by another co-chair of the Pennsylvania Abortion Law Commission. began early on to change the language of therapy to law—she was pregnant and could not be arrested. She further became interested in family-based In 1932, Emily established the Marriage Council of interventions while working on the Commission and that program changed the lives of many people, and, for the Philadelphia. In 1950, the Council became a national helped establish a place where couples could get help, as center for training and research in human relationships, well as individuals. first time, their work was multicultural in a broad sense. and eventually became the Division of Family Study in the Department of Psychiatry, University of How this work is being carried on today make it relevant to families. Populations considered How this work is being carried on today Pennsylvania. Emily was advanced immediately to The legacy of the Marriage Council has had a major “unreachable” needed a change in traditional ways of The Minuchin Center for the Family provides structural the rank of full professor, as the first female professor impact on the field and was transformed into the vital communicating. Sal took this perspective with him to family therapy training to individuals, and systemic in Penn’s medical school. Emily was propelled by her center that exists for training and study today. Further, the Child Guidance Clinic in Philadelphia, to work with consultations to organizations, working with couples and academic productivity, publishing credits and the the report of the Abortion Law Commission had a the marginalized welfare population in the black ghetto families who have been marginalized due to racism, socio- innovation of her programs. As there was previously no significant national impact on abortion legislation. The of South Philadelphia. In the ‘70s, Sal and colleagues economic conditions and/or sexual orientation. Using the tradition of marriage counseling, this Division became Stuart and Emily Mudd Professorship serves as a hub developed training programs in which family therapists concepts of structural family therapy, the Center educates a prototype. Emily also became very involved with for an expanding interdisciplinary program, still one of were sent to different institutions in Pennsylvania family therapists to work with these critically underserved patients in the Obstetrical and Gynecologic Clinics of the few such efforts in the United States in the fields to help them shift the focus of their interventions populations (Minuchin Center for the Family, 2006). the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. In 1975, of family relations, human reproduction, and social from individuals to families. They also trained she co-published a paper on counseling and patient interaction. paraprofessionals, drawn from the neighborhood. Some Some Information excerpted from Journal of Marital and interaction in regard to teen pregnancy. Throughout did not even have a high school education, and they Family Therapy, April 1987 (Laurie Heatherington), and her life, Emily remained focused on the needs of the Information courtesty of Emily Mitchell became competent family therapists. That program Family Therapy Magazine, January/February 2003. less fortunate and the harsh realities of economic changed the lives of many people, and, for the first time, disadvantage, especially as it pertained to reproductive their work was multicultural in a broad sense. In New References: Minuchin Center for the Family (2006). About us. healthcare. William Masters said of Emily: “More York, Sal would direct his efforts at changing institutions Retreieved July 10, 2008, from http://www.minuchincenter.org/ that provided services for poor and marginalized aboutus.php#h. populations. During this time, a training manual for Encyclopedia of Psychology (2008). Minuchin, Salvador (1921- ). “emily mudd encouraged and helped shape the field of marriage foster parents was written which was widely used around bNET. Retrieved July 10, 2008, from http://findarticles.com/p/ and family life education and was among the first to address the the nation (discussed in Working with Families of the articles/mi_g2699/is_0005/ai_2699000553. dimension of sexuality as a vital factor in family life care.” Poor by Minuchin, Minuchin and Colapinto). His group also initiated a program for pregnant women who were drug addicted and under treatment at NYU

40 f a m i l y t h e r a p y m a g a z i n e s e p t e m b e r o c t o b e r 2008 41 family therapy pioneers

Mara Selvini Palazzoli Peggy Bennion Papp

Birth date and location Influences leading to interest in Birth date and location How this work is being Mara Selvini Palazzoli was born family-based interventions Peggy Papp was born in 1923 in Salt Lake City, Utah. carried on today in Italy in 1916 and died in Mara had a strong interest in a disorder seen in Italy Peggy is currently a senior 1999. after World War II, . Believing it to Educational background faculty member of the be an emotional disorder, she decided to treat it with Peggy earned her MSW at Hunter College, School of Ackerman Institute for Educational background traditional psychoanalytic methods. But after much Social Work, New York City. the Family, and founder Mara Selvini Palazzoli, MD, frustration, she traveled to the U.S. in the late 60s to and director of Ackerman’s Contributions to the field studied internal medicine in learn about family therapy and returned to Italy to Depression and Gender Italy, but ultimately decided to pursue psychiatry in incorporate these ideas into her team for treatment of Gender-focused research and dialogue have long Project. In this project, Switzerland. anorexia and schizophrenia. Mara also had an innate been at the center of attention in the marriage and a model was created curiosity about human behavior. She would observe family therapy field. The origin of these discussions that recognized the role Contributions to the field people surrounding her quite intently and wondered can be traced back roughly 35 years to a time when gender plays in depression. Mara is best known as the leader of the Milan group, about their professional lives, educational backgrounds the pioneers of family therapy started to question the A multi-dimensional a team of four psychiatrists (including Luigi Boscolo, and family lives. Her interest in focusing on research gender assumptions inherent in our society. In the treatment approach Gianfranco Cecchin and Giuliana Prata) in Milan, in family therapy was stirred in 1978 by Italy’s decision 1970s, Peggy helped call attention to the number of is practiced that takes into account the biological, Italy, who conducted clinical exploratory research with to close all of its mental health hospitals. Instead, they publications that blamed mothers for every kind of psychological, cultural and interpersonal aspects of families with psychotic patients in the early 1970s. developed district psychiatric centers which were not problem. Mothers were blamed for schizophrenia, incest, depression. The family is seen as an essential part of the Their work is generally referred to as the Milan systemic hospital centers but consultation centers. In those domestic violence, and sexual harassment, just to name recovery and is involved in the treatment process. In approach. The group initially borrowed from American centers teams were assigned to deal with families that a few. Peggy has continued to be a key participant in addition to her Ackerman affiliation, Peggy has a private family therapy pioneers, like Bateson and the MRI came in with a psychotic member. The results were this evolution of ideas about gender and power, and practice in family therapy in New York City. group, but would later become some of the foremost disastrous because many of the teams were not capable often took part in the initial debates, and continues to educators in the field world wide. A good deal of their of working with families with a psychotic member or of do so today. She is an internationally renowned therapist Some information courtesy of the Ackerman Institute for work focused on anorexia and schizophrenia, with stopping a psychotic crisis. At this point Mara decided and author of numerous articles and books on family the Family, New York, NY. Also from Family Therapy therapists working in teams and using one-way mirrors to conduct research to develop a model that would make therapy, including The Process of Change, considered a Magazine, July/August 2002. to achieve objectivity. Mara made major contributions dealing with those families easier for therapists. classic in the field; co-author of the landmark book, The Invisible Web: Gender Patterns in Family Relationships; to the field in the understanding of transactional Reference: Minuchin, S., & Fishman, H. C. (1981). Family and editor of Couples on the Faultline: New Directions patterns in families with an anorexic member. She also How this work is being carried on today therapy techniques. Harvard University Press. focused on the effects of the “invariant prescription” in Some of the major concepts emerging from, or advanced for Therapists. She has presented extensively in the generating a typology of “family games” by studying the by, the Milan Group which greatly influenced the U.S., Europe, South America, China and Israel. She is responses of different families to the same therapeutic field are circularity, hypothesis building and curiosity, recognized for her many innovative contributions to family therapy, including family sculpting and the use of intervention. Paradox and Counterparadox, available psychotic family “games,” and time. Mara’s work, along peggy helped call attention to in the U.S. in the late 70s, was read world wide and with the rest of the team, was described by James A. themes and belief systems. She was the recipient of the gives one of the most comprehensive accounts of the Marley in Family Involvement in Treating Schizophrenia AAMFT’s Lifetime Achievement Award and has been the number of publications that honored by the American Family Therapy Academy for group’s work. Mara’s book, Self-starvation, was also (2003) as “raising the art of asking good questions blamed mothers for every kind available in 1978. Mara was a 1985 recipient of the almost to a science.” Although the Milan group’s stance her pioneering work on The Women’s Project for Family AAMFT’s Distinguished Contribution to Research in on neutrality drew some criticism from those in the field Therapy (with Marianne Walters, Olga Silverstein and of problem. mothers were blamed Betty Carter). Family Therapy award. In fact, she was very dissatisfied who felt it was too distancing, their work and the Milan for schizophrenia, incest, with the level of research in the field and advocated systemic approach has had a major and far reaching Influences leading to interest in for more research, stating that it is an absolutely vital impact on the field. Today, the Post-Milan approach is domestic violence, and sexual family-based interventions component of family therapy. Thus, she separated from an amalgam of the original concepts blended with new Peggy and Olga Silverstein began a program using harassment, just to name a few. her colleagues in 1980 and founded a private practice in techniques. paradox in 1974, working with families of symptomatic order to do intensive research with family therapy as the children (Minuchin and Fishman, 1981). methodology. Information excerpted from Family Therapy News, May/June 1985 and September/October 1986.

42 f a m i l y t h e r a p y m a g a z i n e s e p t e m b e r o c t o b e r 2008 43 family therapy pioneers

Virginia Satir Paul Watzlawick

Birth date and location techniques, as the major change agent; developing a way Birth date and location How this work is being Virginia Satir was of changing dysfunctional communication patterns to Paul Watzlawick was born in Villach, Austria in 1921, carried on today born June 26, 1916 in healthy patterns; expounding transformational approach and died in 2007. Paul devoted his life to Neillsville, Wisconsin, that works at various levels of people’s internal process, teaching, mentoring and died in 1988. such as yearning, expectations, perceptions, feelings, and Educational background generations of therapists, coping reactions; and providing hope for thousands of Paul Watzlawick received his doctorate in 1949 from researchers, and teachers. Educational background clients and therapists that change is possible. the University of Venice (Cà Foscari) in philosophy and This is among his most Virginia earned a BA in modern languages. He then trained at the durable legacies—the education in 1936. In Influences leading to interest in Institute in Zürich. number of students 1948, she received an MA family-based interventions (many now leaders in in social work from the From the beginning, Virginia was curious about Influences leading to interest in brief therapy) who look Northwestern University in Chicago. relational communications. She once explained that family-based interventions upon Paul Watzlawick there had been too many contradictions in her life After teaching for a year at the University of El Salvador as their mentor. Along Contributions to the field that she did not understand. Her mother would cry School of Psychology and Medicine, while traveling with his career-long Virginia Satir is one of the most common names in the but claim that nothing was wrong. Her father would back to Europe a fortuitous event occurred—Paul met collaborators Weakland and Fisch, Paul pioneered the annals of family therapy. During her early professional look and act frustrated and anxious but say he was Don Jackson. In the late 1960s, he joined the Research application of interactional/communication principles years, she was part of a small group, including others happy. Early on she was considered a maverick in Associates at the Mental Research Institute (MRI). He in the practice of brief therapy. Out of this collaboration such as Ackerman and Bowen, who made family therapy her field work and it wasn’t long before she launched fully embraced the radically alternative, interaction- came one of the clearest and most influential brief a major alternative to the existing therapeutic systems. her own independent therapy career. In 1951, seeing focused conceptualization of behavior, studying this view therapy orientations, MRI Brief Therapy (e.g., Brief A teacher who carried her message around the world, many severely dysfunctional individuals for whom her under the direct tutelage of the three founding thinkers: Therapy: Focused Problem Resolution, 1974) written with Virginia is often referred to as the “Columbus of family training and experience had not prepared her, she began Don D. Jackson, Gregory Bateson, and Milton H. colleagues Weakland, Fisch, and Art Bodin, and the therapy.” Her books, Conjoint Family Therapy (1964) to develop new approaches based on the needs of the Erickson. influential Change–Principals of Problem Formation and and Peoplemaking (1972), are two of the central texts individuals and her own intuitive creativity. Problem Resolution, 1974, by Watzlawick, Weakland, in the field. She developed the Satir Growth Model, Contributions to the field and Fisch. For more than 45 years, Paul did not waiver Paul Watzlawick is among the best known figures in from the basic tenets of Interactional View. He authored a teacher who carried her message around the world, virginia the fields of communication and constructivist theory, more than 150 scientific papers and 22 books that family and brief therapy. His contributions to the are translated in 80 languages. In an era when self- is often referred to as the “columbus of family therapy.” Interactional View of human behavior are profound, promotion and exaggerated importance have become many, and among the most influential and widely commonplace, it is impressive that the curriculum a comprehensive set of beliefs, methods, tools, and How this work is being carried on today read. Paul published some of the most influential vitae of this extraordinarily accomplished man was one experiential exercises that support positive change Her greatest impact was through her many workshops, publications in communication/interactional theory, page in length. Paul stands comfortably among such in individuals, family systems, organizations and demonstrations, month-long training institutes, and her such as Pragmatics of Human Communication–A Study of giants as Gregory Bateson, Heinz von Foerster, and communities. In 1958, Virginia joined Don Jackson modeling of congruency and belief in human beings. Interactional Patterns, Pathologies, and Paradoxes (1967, , in the fields of Communication- in founding the Mental Research Institute (MRI) Her last few books established her not only as a master with Janet Beavin Bavelas and Don Jackson); in the area Interactional Theory and Constructivist Theory. His in Palo Alto, California. Her major contributions to family therapist and innovator, but also as the founder of constructivism he published How Real is Real and The contributions stand equally comfortable among the family therapy include: introduction and promotion of and developer of a major, comprehensive family therapy Invented Reality; and in Brief Therapy, Change: Principles pioneers of brief therapy as Don Jackson and Milton conjoint family therapy into the mainstream of therapy system that can be practiced and taught by others than of Problem Formation and Problem Resolution (with John Erickson. practices; bringing a process approach to therapy that herself. Her techniques have been developed to the point Weakland and Richard Fisch); and The Language of gave a major alternative to content and problem-solving that they are used in the office work of family therapists, Change, as lucid examples. Wendel A. Ray, PhD, and Karin Schlanger, MFT. See page approaches; providing a health focus to therapy by as well as in therapy sessions with individual clients. Her 60 for references and author information. promoting a view of the world and of people that builds tools of sculpting and reframing are used today by many on possibilities, internal resources, personal choice, and other systems. Her legacy includes the formation of the self worth; developing a three-generational approach to Satir Institute and the Satir International Summer Institute, family therapy that has major transformational results; known today as the Satir Institute of the Rockies. his contributions to the interactional view of human behavior are using experiential learning as a dependable and viable profound, many, and among the most influential and widely read. mode for change; promoting and developing the use Excerpted from Family Therapy News, September/October of “right hemisphere” interventions such as humor, 1988, John Banmen, EdD. meditation, trance, touch, voice tone, and affect; putting focus on the therapist, instead of any specific

44 f a m i l y t h e r a p y m a g a z i n e s e p t e m b e r o c t o b e r 2008 45 family therapy pioneers

John H. Weakland Carl Whitaker

Birth date and location Communication/Interactional theory posits that Birth date and location Influences leading to interest in John Weakland was born communication occurring in the present among Carl Whitaker was born in 1912 and died in 1995. family-based interventions in 1919, and grew up in members of the clients’ family is the most relevant source Carl learned early in his career Charleston, West Virginia. of explanation for behavior. Focusing on how members Educational background that he often was not able to He died in 1995. of a family affect one another, the team set forth double Carl Whitaker, MD, trained in obstetrics and cure his patients with one-on- bind theory (Bateson, Jackson, Haley & Weakland, gynecology at Syracuse University and performed his one treatment. He eventually Educational background 1956). The double bind is a continuous, pervasive psychiatry residency at Syracuse University Psychopathic decided to bring mom into the At age 15, John entered process that can occur in any intense relationship in Hospital and a child guidance fellowship in Louisville, examination room; if that didn’t Cornell University, which the individuals involved feel it vitally important Kentucky. help, next he would call dad in, completing a degree in to accurately interpret the meaning of the other. A and so on. This was a radical chemical engineering. In the next few years, John single, simple message never occurs and family members Contributions to the field idea in its day and became something more than just a was partly responsible for the development of the frequently send incongruent messages. John was also Carl invented as he went along, breaking new ground medical exam. Carl felt that humans don’t really exist as first method for mass-producing penicillin, and later pivotal, with Haley, in introducing Milton Erickson’s for treating psychosis, working before rules were in individuals. involved in developing the design of the catalytic cracker to a wider audience. Working with Don place. There was no orthodoxy, no political correctness, He saw the smallest component of human life as being of petroleum, still in use today, which heats crude Jackson, Jules Riskin, and Virginia Satir, he pioneered no managed care. He taught that the “person of the the family. petroleum, breaking it down into gasoline and other the development of conjoint family therapy. Among therapist” is the most important tool in therapy, and petroleum products. the first to apply interactional/systemic premises in that it is critical to know about and How this work is being carried on today work with individuals, John contended that if one takes , that intuition and spontaneity are Carl’s life work and thoughts on the human condition Influences leading to interest in seriously the interactional view, that problems occur in vital components of life for the therapist and families. will continue to be appreciated by new generations of family-based interventions the context of, and are maintained by, the behaviors of Carl was chair of the department of psychiatry at Emory family therapists. In the midst of endless models, new Growing tired of chemical engineering, John turned to other family members, then, it is not necessary to see the University in Atlanta from 1946 to 1955, where he came approaches, and supertechniques, many will seek to the Princeton Library where he became interested in whole family together in order to identify and interrupt up with the idea of co-therapy for schizophrenics. He find human beings and their qualities in the real world the social sciences. Learning that Gregory Bateson was attempted solutions which maintain the problem. also co-developed the symbolic-experiential approach. and not in the microscope. Whitaker’s legacy is sure to teaching at Columbia University New School of Social In Counseling with Elders and Their Families, John He helped establish the Atlanta Psychiatric Clinic, where be revalued and revered, even by those who kept their Sciences, and wanting to know more about the classes, Weakland and John Herr (1979) pioneered the area of he remained in private practice from 1955 to 1964. distance during his lifetime, labeling him as bizarre and uncharacteristically, John telephoned Bateson. Hearing marriage and family therapy with aging families. These In 1965 he left to join the University of Wisconsin’s irrational. Carl did not allow himself to be created into that John was a chemical engineer, Bateson, who was are but a few of John’s innovative contributions during psychiatric department. He retired in 1982, devoting a myth around his personality. He died without any involved in the Macy Conferences on Cybernetics, the Bateson research projects, and later at MRI. himself to teaching, supervision and extended family official disciples, but he trained a multitude of therapists and having difficulty understanding a mathematical therapy consultations (or “family reunions”) with his around the world, sometimes unbeknownst to them, equation, invited John to his home in Greenwich How this work is being carried on today wife and co-therapist, Muriel VanderVeer Schram. with the power of integrity and coherence. He taught Village to discuss mathematics. They were to become What evolved out of the Bateson research projects, Carl was known as an advocate for co-therapy, and more about life than about techniques. He taught those lifelong friends, beginning a research collaboration that then with Jackson, Satir, and Riskin at MRI in the supported live supervision and family treatment long around him to search for “self” and spiritual essence, eventually would blossom into the influential Bateson early studies of family interaction and conjoint family before such approaches became standard practice in through the experience of suffering and solitude. Research Project. Abandoning chemical engineering therapy, and later in the work with Richard Fisch, Paul the family therapy field. Some of his works include The to study anthropology and sociology at Columbia Watzlawick and at the MRI Brief Therapy Center, is Family Crucible (1978) co-written by Gus Napier, From Information excerpted from Family Therapy News, June University under the tutelage of and nothing less than a paradigm shift in thinking about the Psyche to System (1982) and The Midnight Musings of a 1995 and August 1995, and Journal of Marital and Family , John was eventually led to field work nature of the relationship between human beings and Family Therapist (1989). The child is the hub around Therapy, July 1996. with Chinese communities in New York and San their surrounding contexts. Even though progressively which Whitaker’s search for life and for hope revolved, Francisco, Navaho and Pueblo Indians, and later, native more debilitated by a terminal illness, John continued to where he saw the family’s development blocked in the communities in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. teach and supervise trainees from his home, completing rigid wrapping of “pathology.” Even the most serious carl invented as he went along, his final book (Weakland & Ray, 1995) only weeks symptomatic manifestations seemed to have little breaking new ground for Contributions to the field before his death at age 76. relevance for Carl, who sought out the person and With others at the Bateson Research Team, John not his or her behavior. Problematic behavior became treating psychosis, working pioneered the application of communication theory Wendel A. Ray, PhD, and Karin Schlanger, MFT. See page 60 quickly transmuted by his use of relational imagery before rules were in place. there in understanding human behavior. He (1951; 1967) for references and author information. and playful objects, working on the awareness of the insisted the study of human behavior concentrate family within the individual. Carl also helped to develop was no orthodoxy, no political on directly observable interaction and avoid reliance some of the first major professional meetings of family correctness, no managed care. on inferences or constructs that are not observable. therapists.

46 f a m i l y t h e r a p y m a g a z i n e s e p t e m b e r o c t o b e r 2008 47 family therapy pioneers

Michael Kingsley White Lyman Carroll Wynne

Birth date and location Influences leading to interest in Birth date and location researcher, and clinician. He was Michael White was born family-based interventions Lyman C. Wynne was born in Lake Benton, Minnesota involved in and provided December 29, 1948 in Michael realized early in life that his major strength in 1923 and died in 2007. leadership in AFTA and in the Adelaide, South Australia, was found in listening to people and putting them at AAMFT, serving on the board of and died in 2008. ease. He was also exposed early on to populations in Educational background directors. He received the 1986 need when he worked as a probation welfare officer Lyman completed his medical degree studying psychiatry Distinguished Contributions to Educational background and then as a psychiatric social worker in a children’s at Harvard Medical School. After earning his MD, Family Therapy Award from the Photo by Jill Freedman Michael earned his BA hospital. Early influences included systems theory and he obtained his PhD from the Department of Social AAMFT. in social work from the cybernetics; however, his main work drew on a range of Relations at Harvard. University of South sources, including literary theory, cultural anthropology, Influences leading to interest in Australia in 1979. In non-structuralist psychology, and French critical/post- Contributions to the field family-based interventions 1996, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of structuralist philosophy. Further, his family had a strong Lyman Wynne was a renowned family therapy In the 1950s and 1960s, Lyman worked across the hall Humane Letters from John F. Kennedy University, influence on him, in particular, the females in his life pioneer and schizophrenia researcher. He set up the from Murray Bowen at NIMH. Others that joined Orinda, California. including his former wife Cheryl, daughter Penni, sisters first community mental health center in the country. them there included Donald Bloch, Will Carpenter, Suzanne and Julienne, and his mother Joan. He then trained in neurology in London, psychiatry David Reiss, and Robert Ryder. It was in this setting Contributions to the field residency in Boston, and more psychiatry residency that Lyman first started seeing psychotic patients and Michael is considered by many to be one of the most How this work is being carried on today training in Washington, DC. From 1961 to 1971, their families together. Patricia Sullivan reported in The innovative practitioners of his generation. Together Michael continued developing with Lyman was chief of the adult psychiatry branch of Washington Post on January 21, 2007, that, “as early with New Zealander David Epston, he developed Epston throughout the 1980s, and the international interest the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH). In as 1947, Dr. Wynne came up with the idea of treating narrative therapy, which draws on the work of in their work led to the publication of the widely translated 1971, he moved to the University of Rochester Medical families as a unit, even when only one member was postmodern philosophers such as Michel Foucault Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends (1990). Although School where he became chair of the Department of diagnosed with schizophrenia.” and , and is a significant contribution his work has become most usually associated with the Psychiatry for six years. He continued as professor of to psychotherapy and family therapy. Michael was a externalization of problems and the catchphrase “the person practicing social worker and family therapist, co-director is not the problem; the problem is the problem,” Michael’s lyman’s professional life was devoted to understanding and alleviating the suffering of of the Dulwich Centre in Adelaide, South Australia, and “community assignments” perhaps best illustrated the social patients with schizophrenia and related disorders, and the burdens that their family wrote several books of significance in the field of family and relational ethics of his work. These ventures forged new members experienced. therapy and narrative therapy. Before his death, he set connections within communities devastated by trauma, up the Adelaide Narrative Therapy Centre. Michael through the telling and retelling of stories. The most recent psychiatry and as an active mentor to countless junior How this work is being was known for his work with children and Indigenous of these gatherings took place in 2007 at the invitation of faculty and fellows, even past his official retirement carried on today Aboriginal communities, as well as his work with the indigenous Six Nations and also Caledonia communities in 1998 at the age of 75. Lyman’s professional life was Lyman and his wife, Adele, endowed the Wynne Center schizophrenia, anorexia/bulimia, male violence, and of Ontario, Canada. Two groups of 55 representatives devoted to understanding and alleviating the suffering for Family Research, the research arm of the Wynne trauma. Some therapeutic ideas developed by Michael each came together to tell stories of long-standing violent of patients with schizophrenia and related disorders, Center for the Family, in the Department of Psychiatry include “externalizing the problem,” “re-authoring” conflicts. Shared stories of longing for peace and of hopes for and the burdens that their family members experienced. at the University of Rochester Medical Center. This the dominant stories of people’s lives, and the idea of changed lives for their children emerged from this process, While at the NIMH, he recognized the concept of Center is a tribute to their life together promoting “double-listening” to accounts of trauma—not only forming new foundations for working together in the future. communication deviance, which was found to be healthy family functioning; it is a center that brings the accounts of trauma itself, but how people have Looking to the future of narrative therapy, those left to associated with poor patient functioning. In 1960, he, scholars together to develop innovative approaches to responded to trauma. Instead of employing traditional carry on Michael’s work are currently operating as Narrative Pekka Tienari, and then Karl-Erik Wahlberg started improve functioning in the face of chronic medical and concepts of motivation, unconscious processes or Practices Adelaide, and they intend to support his vision to their 30-year Finnish adoption study of schizophrenia. psychiatric problems. As a further tribute to the Wynnes, categories of psychological damage, this approach establish a network of practitioners; provide therapy and In his first years at the University of Rochester, Lyman the family therapy clinical services and family therapy proposes that we perceive our lives as a continuing series counseling services; offer training opportunities; provide also conducted a longitudinal study of children at high training programs are coming together with the family of stories. By encouraging the recollection of significant, narrative skills workshops; narrative supervision; and expand risk for schizophrenia and related disorders. Lyman research center at the University of Rochester to be forgotten details, it seeks to generate more nuanced upon Michael’s vision of using narrative practice in treating published nearly 200 journal articles and book chapters, renamed the Wynne Center for the Family. accounts of people’s lives, enabling them to consider men who use violence in their relationships. with the last two papers from his 30-year Finnish wider ranges of possibilities for the future. adoption study of schizophrenia published in the Most information from: Shields, C. G., & McDaniel, S. Sources: “Michael White” by Jane Speedy and Martin Payne, December 2006 issue of Family Process. He was prolific, H. (2007) Family therapy pioneer, researcher, and mentor: June 17, 2008, The Guardian. Additional information from but he was also generative with others. He published Lyman C. Wynne, MD, PhD, 1923–2007. Journal of Wikipedia, Dulwich Centre, and Narrative Practices Adelaide. many articles with fellows and junior faculty, helping Marital and Family Therapy, 33, #2, 132-133. launch the academic careers of many young scholars. All during this time, he carried on a small but active family therapy practice. Lyman was a consummate scholar,

48 f a m i l y t h e r a p y m a g a z i n e s e p t e m b e r o c t o b e r 2008 49 family therapy pioneers References and Author Information

Gianfranco Cecchin: References Jay Douglas Haley: References Richard Fisch: References Cecchin, G., Lane, G., & Ray, W. (1992). Vom Bateson, G., Jackson, D., Haley, J., & Weakland, Fisch, R. (1965). Resistance to change in the strategischen vorgehen zur nicht-intervention. J. (1956). Toward a theory of schizophrenia, psychiatric community, Archives of General Familiendynamik, 3-18. Behavioral Science, 1, (4) 251-264. Psychiatry, Vol. 13, Oct., 1965. Cecchin, G., Lane, G., & Ray, W. (1993). Haley, J. (1959). The Family of the schizophrenic: Fisch, R., (1965, Sept. 15). Proposal for a brief Irreverance: A strategy for therapist survival. A model system. Journal of Nervous & Mental therapy clinic and evaluation project. Unpublished London: Karnac. Disease, #129. Memorandum, from Richard Fisch to Don Jackson, 5 pages. Cecchin, G., Lane, G., & Ray, W. (1994). The Haley, J. (1963). Strategies of psychotherapy, NY: cybernetics of prejudices in the practice of Grune & Stratton. Fisch, R., Weakland, J., Watzlawick, P., & Bodin, psychotherapy. London: Karnac. A. (1972). On unbecoming family therapists. In A. Haley, J. (Ed.), (1967). Advanced techniques of Ferber, M. Mendelson, & A. Napier, The book of Cecchin, G., Lane, G., & Ray, W. (2006). and therapy – Selected papers of Milton family therapy. New York: Science House, p. 597 Exzentrizität und intoleranz: Eine systemische kritik. H. Erickson, MD, NY: Grune & Stratton. 617. Zeitschrift für Systemische Therapie und Beratung, Haley, J. (1973). Uncommon therapy: The 24 (3), 156-165. Fisch, R., Weakland, J., & Segal, L. (1982). The psychiatric techniques of Milton H. Erickson, NY: tactics of change–Doing therapy briefly. Boscolo, L., Cecchin, G., Hoffman, L., & Penn, P. Basic Books. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. (1987), Milan systemic family therapy. NY: Basic Haley, J. (1976). Problem solving therapy. San Books. Fisch, R., & Schlanger, R. (1999). Brief therapy with Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. intimidating cases-Changing the unchangeable. Selvini-Palazzoli, M., Boscolo, L., Cecchin, G., & Haley, J. (1980). Leaving home – The therapy of San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Prata, G. (1978). Paradox and counterparadox: A disturbed young people. NY: McMillian. new model in therapy of the family in schizophrenic Fisch, R., & Ray, W. (Eds.), (2006). Special issue on transaction. New York Jason: Aronson. Author Information: See Author Information MRI brief therapy. Journal of Brief Therapy, 6, (1/2). under Gianfranco Cecchin. Selvini-Palazzoli, M., Boscolo, L., Cecchin, G., Weakland, J., Fisch, R., Watzlawick, P. & Bodin, A. & Prata, G. (1980). Hypothesizing-circularity- (1974a). Brief therapy: Focused problem resolution. neutrality: Three guidelines for the conductor of Paul Watzlawick: References Family Process, 13, 141 168. the interview, Family Process, 19, 73-85. Watzlawick, P. (1964). An anthology of human Watzlawick, P., Weakland, R., & Fisch, R. (1974b). Author Information: Wendel A. Ray, PhD, is the communication. Palo Alto, CA: Science & Behavior Change–Principals of problem formation and Hammond Endowed Professor of Education and Books. problem resolution. New York: WW Norton. professor of family system theory at The University Watzlawick, P., Beavin-Bavelas, J., & Jackson, D. Author Information: See Author Information of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) marriage and family (1967). Pragmatics of human communication–A under Gianfranco Cecchin. therapy program, and a senior research associate study of interactional patterns, pathologies and and former director of the Mental Research paradoxes. New York: W. W. Norton. Institute (MRI). Karin Schlanger, MFT, is a senior John H. Weakland: References Weakland, J., Fisch, R., Watzlawick, P., & Bodin, A. research Fellow at the Mental Research Institute, Bateson, G., Jackson, D., Haley, J., & Weakland, (1974). Brief therapy: Focused problem resolution, director of the MRI Brief Therapy Center, and J. (1956). Toward a theory of schizophrenia, Family Process, 13, p. 141-168. co-founder and director of the MRI Latino Brief Behavioral Science, 1: 4; 251-264. Therapy Center, Palo Alto, CA. Watzlawick, P., Weakland, J., & Fisch, R. (1974), Fisch, R., Weakland, J., & Segal, L. (1982). Tactics Change: Principals of problem formation and of change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. problem resolution. New York: W. W. Norton. Don D. Jackson: References Herr, J., & Weakland, J. (1979). Counseling with Watzlawick, P. (1976). How real is real. NY: WW Bateson, G. (1970). The first Don D. Jackson elders and their families. New York: Springer. Norton. memorial lecture. (Later published in Ray, W. Watzlawick, P., Weakland, J., & Fisch, R. (1974). [2007]. Bateson Cybernetics: The basis of MRI Brief Watzlawick, P. (1978) The language of change. NY: Change. New York: WW Norton. Therapy, Kibernetics, 36 [7/8], 859-870). WW Norton. Watzlawick, P., & Weakland, J. (Eds.), (1977). The Jackson, D. (1967). Aspects of conjoint family Watzlawick, P. (1984). (Ed.), The invented reality. interactional view. New York: WW Norton. therapy. In G. Zuk & I. Boszormenyi-Nag (Eds.), NY: WW Norton. Family therapy and disturbed families, pp. 28-40. Weakland, J. (1951). Method in cultural Ray, W. & Nardone, G. (2008) Paul Watzlawick– Palo Alto, CA: Science & Behavior Books. anthropology. Philosophy of Science, 18 (1), 55-69. Insight may cause blindness and other essays. Jackson, D. (1962). The question of insight in Phoenix, AZ: Zeig, Tucker, Theisan, Ltd. Weakland, J. (1967). Communication and behavior promoting therapeutic change. A reel to reel audio - An introduction. In J. Weakland (Guest Editor), Author Information: See Author Information recording of a presentation by Don D. Jackson to Special issue, American Behavioral Scientist, 10: under Gianfranco Cecchin. the staff of the Mental Research Institute, March 8, 8; 1-4. 1962. Palo Alto, CA: The Mental Research Institute Weakland, J., Fisch, R., Watzlawick, P., & Bodin, A. Ray, W. (Ed.) (2005). Don D. Jackson: Essays (1974). Brief therapy: Focused problem resolution. from the dawn of an era, selected papers, Vol. 1. Family Process, 13: 2; 141-168. Phoenix, AZ: Zeig, Tucker, &Theisan, Ltd. Weakland, J., & Ray, W. (1995). Propagations– Watzlawick, P., Beavin-Bavelas, J. & Jackson, D. Thirty years of influence from the Mental Research (1967). Pragmatics of human communication. NY: Institute. New York: Haworth Press. Norton. Author Information: See Author Information Author Information: See Author Information under Gianfranco Cecchin. under Gianfranco Cecchin.

60 f a m i l y t h e r a p y m a g a z i n e