Solution Generation and Family Conflict Over Time in Problem-Solving Therapy with Families of Adolescents

Abstract

This study examined two aspects of the process of family problem-solving therapy: (a) a therapist intervention intended to increase family members' suggestion of solutions was tested using a single case alternating treatment multiple baseline design, and (b) as treatment progressed, changes in parent-adolescent conflict were assessed using the results of self-report questionnaires. Data were collected from three clinic families with adolescents during their participation in 10-12 problem-solving therapy sessions. Findings were that: (a) family members were more likely to suggest ideas to solve their problems when solution suggestions were followed by explicit therapist acknowledgment and (b) reported conflict decreased in two to the three families as a whole and in half of the parent-adolescent relationships. The benefits of studies of the moment-to-moment impact of therapist behavior are discussed, as are the benefits of combining self-report and behavioral data in process research. The research also highlights the utility of looking to the environments of well-functioning families as a guide to providing new environmental contingencies to clinical families.