This comprehensive textbook offers mental health professionals an essential resource for family therapy from a Christian integration perspective.

In this updated third edition of Family Therapies, Mark A. Yarhouse and James N. Sells survey and evaluate the major approaches to family therapy and discuss significant issues in psychotherapy as they relate to family therapy. Issues covered include crisis and trauma; marital conflict; separation, divorce, and blended families; substance abuse and addictions; gender, culture, economic class, and race; sexual identity; cohabitation, LGBTQ+ marriage, and family formation.

What's new in the third edition:



- a new section on system theory

- new material on recent innovations in various family therapy models

- updated content on topics such as telehealth and technology in therapy, immigrant and refugee families, divorce, and LGBTQ+ clients

- updated research throughout





Yarhouse and Sells cast a vision for an integrative Christian family therapy and offer timely wisdom for therapeutic practice in the midst of a diverse and rapidly changing global context. Family Therapies is an indispensable resource for students and practitioners in the mental health professions, including counselors, psychologists, family therapists, social workers, and pastors.

About the Series

Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS) Books explore how Christianity relates to mental health and behavioral sciences including psychology, counseling, social work, and marriage and family therapy in order to equip Christian clinicians to support the well-being of their clients.



Mark A. Yarhouse (PsyD, Wheaton College) is the Dr. Arthur P. Rech and Mrs. Jean May Rech Professor of Psychology at Wheaton College. His books include Modern Psychopathologies, Sexuality and Sex Therapy, and Understanding Gender Dysphoria.



James N. Sells (PhD, University of Southern California) is professor of counseling, shares the Rosemary S. Hughes Professor of Christian Thought and Mental Health, and codirects the Charis Institute at Regent University. He is coeditor of Ministering to Families in Crisis and the author of several books including Family Therapies and Beyond the Clinical Hour.



List of Figures and Tables

Preface





Part 1: Foundational Considerations

1. A Christian Understanding for Family Therapy

2. Historical Foundations of Family Therapy





Part 2: Models of Family Therapy

Intro: A Primer on Systems Theory

3. Bowenian Family Therapy

4. Strategic Family Therapy

5. Structural Family Therapy

6. Psychodynamic Family Therapy

7. Contextual Family Therapy

8. Experiential Family Therapy

9. Solution-Focused Family Therapy

10. Cognitive-Behavioral Family Therapy

11. Narrative Family Therapy

12. Toward an Integrative Christian Family Therapy





Part 3: Integration of Family Theory with Critical Issues in Psychotherapy

13. Crisis and Trauma

14. Attending to Marital Conflict

15. Separation, Divorce, and Remarriage

16. Individual Psychopathology

17. Substance Abuse

18. Gender, Culture, Economic Class, and Race

19. Cohabiting Couples and Families: Christian Counseling's New Reality

20. LGBTQ+ Couples and Families





Part 4: Casting a Vision

21. Conclusion: Casting a Vision for Christian Family Therapy





Author Index

Subject Index



"Since Family Therapies was first published in 2008, I've recommended this unique, one-of-a-kind resource to many therapists and pastors, and everyone has found it to be an exceptionally practical, concise, and applicable resource . . . in fact, many have read it more than once and use it in training therapists. It's that valuable. Its unique integration of biblical, theological, and psychological insights gives readers a uniquely helpful perspective on meaningfully effective family therapy."



"For many years, Mark A. Yarhouse and James N. Sells have been among the most thoughtful and trusted scholars working at the intersection of Christian faith and clinical practice. This third edition of Family Therapies reflects the best of their work—careful scholarship, clinical wisdom, theological reflection, and a deep concern for the well-being of families. Thoroughly updated and highly relevant, this volume will serve as an invaluable resource for students, educators, and practicing therapists seeking an integrative approach to family therapy."



"The field and practice of family therapy is critical to ensuring we never lose sight of that which is essential to any healthy, vibrant, and sustaining society, the foundational building block of the family. Mark A. Yarhouse and James N. Sells keep us centered on the current issues and challenges that families face today. They provide mental health practitioners and other professionals a solid theoretical road map that also respects and describes the significant role of faith from a Christian framework. Anyone doing marriage and family therapies should have this resource on their shelf."



"This excellent text on a Christian approach to family therapy by Mark A. Yarhouse and James N. Sells has been significantly revised in an updated third edition that is even better. Highly recommended!"



"In their third edition of Family Therapies, Mark A. Yarhouse and James N. Sells do not merely summarize the diversity of family therapies or the current issues in family therapy. They creatively critique the field from a framework that values Scripture and rigorous analysis. Readers might disagree with some of their analyses—which I think is a good thing—but readers will reflect more deeply and ask better questions of family treatment, which will enrich their understanding and practice. This is a gold mine of treasures for Christian family therapists and trainees."



"Mark A. Yarhouse and James N. Sells have produced what I believe is the finest family therapy textbook available for Christian counselors and therapists. Rather than treating faith as an add-on, they thoughtfully weave Christian theology throughout the major theoretical models, engaging both the strengths and limitations of each approach with intellectual honesty and clinical sophistication. The result is a rich, balanced, and highly usable resource that equips students and practitioners to think deeply, practice skillfully, and integrate their faith with excellence. This is the book I recommend."



"Family Therapies is a thoughtful, clinically serious, and deeply needed resource for those seeking to integrate Christian faith with the complex realities of family therapy. Mark A. Yarhouse and James N. Sells bring wisdom, nuance, and care to some of the most important relational issues facing clinicians, pastors, and families today."



"I was thoroughly encouraged when I used the first edition of this text in classes back in 2008, and it has only gotten better! Mark A. Yarhouse and James N. Sells's book is a treasure trove of classic family therapy theories, history, context, techniques, and Christian worldview. They offer reflective and thorough case studies and technique demonstrations which offer realistic examples in each chapter. The depth of applied research, referencing, and Christian integration sets a high standard. This is a highly practical text that I would recommend to any university or family therapist!"