Working with Couples in the Current Environment

ABSTRACT

Couples and families as units of treatment emerged as a major shift from the medical model prevalent up until about forty years ago. No longer was an individual spouse or child singled out and labelled as patient; rather, family interaction became the focus for the early pioneers of family therapy. Now managed care influences decisions formerly made by marriage and family practitioners: whom we treat, diagnoses, length of treatment, methodology, even the education necessary for iicensure. We need to keep the human element and practical knowledge in our profession and realize the limits of trying to be more “scientific.”

Key Words:

• Managed care
• couples
• relational view
• medicalization
• humanness