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Integrating a Trauma Lens into a Family Therapy Framework: Ten Principles for Family Therapists

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 November 2012

Kerrie James  and
Laurie MacKinnon
Kerrie James
Affiliation:
University of New South Wales, Sydney
Laurie MacKinnon*
Affiliation:
Insite Therapy and Consulting, Lane Cove, NSW
*
Address for correspondence: Laurie MacKinnon, Insite Therapy and Consulting, Box 1070, Lane Cove, 2066 NSW, Australia.
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Abstract

This paper aims to show how a trauma lens can be incorporated into existing family therapy practices, changing how therapists perceive presenting problems and therefore the issues and sites of intervention. After reviewing the family therapy literature concerning trauma and defining different types of trauma, the paper discusses how traumatic memories differ from ordinary memories. Ten principles for practice are described to guide therapists in integrating the trauma lens into their family therapy practice. Three case studies are used to illustrate these principles.

Keywords

traumafamily therapytrauma processingtherapy principles
Type
Articles
Information
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy , Volume 33 , Issue 3: Trauma and Systemic Therapy , September 2012 , pp. 189 - 209
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2012

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