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Families

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Handbook of Homework Assignments in Psychotherapy

Summary and Conclusions

Families presenting to treatment hope to learn strategies and skills to improve their functioning. Homework is one essential tool family therapists use to support these strivings. While therapists select homework assignments based on the targets of the intervention, the same kind of core family processes are ultimately involved, such as strengthening communication and problem solving, nurturing attachment, building family structure, and shaping appropriate reinforcement contingencies. Issues related to treatment engagement, therapeutic alliance, homework acceptance, and the vicissitudes of family life are potential barriers to the successful use of homework in family therapy. Finally strategies that engage family members, that promote positive therapist-family member interactions, and that consider task difficulty in the context of the family system contribute to successful homework use in treatment.

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Authors
  1. Kathleen Newcomb Rekart
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  2. Jay Lebow
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. P. O. Box 3578, Shortland Street 1140, Auckland, New Zealand

    Nikolaos Kazantzis Ph.D.

  2. Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Luciano LĽAbate (Professor Emeritus of Psychology) (Professor Emeritus of Psychology)

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Rekart, K.N., Lebow, J. (2007). Families. In: Kazantzis, N., LĽAbate, L. (eds) Handbook of Homework Assignments in Psychotherapy. Springer, Boston, MA . https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-29681-4_13

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