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Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy pp 1948–1952Cite as

MRI Brief Family Therapy

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Name of Model

MRI Brief Family Therapy

Synonyms

Brief problem-focused therapy; Brief strategic therapy; Brief Therapy Center; Mental Research Institute; MRI group; Palo Alto group; Palo Alto model

Introduction

In 1966, Richard Fisch, John Weakland, and Paul Watzlawick formed the Brief Therapy Center *(BTC) at Palo Alto’s Mental Research Institute* (MRI) to investigate therapeutic approaches to rapid problem resolution. A major influence on their work was the “interactional” or “systemic” view of human problems that grew from Gregory Bateson’s (1952–62) research project, in which Weakland, Jay Haley, and MRI founder Don Jackson were coinvestigators. Through applying ideas from cybernetics and systems theory to human communication, the Bateson group provided what many regard as the intellectual foundation of the family therapy movement (Watzlawick et al. 1967). Another influence on the MRI group* was the uncommon therapy of Arizona psychiatrist Milton Erickson, whom Weakland and Haley...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA

    Michael J. Rohrbaugh

Authors
  1. Michael J. Rohrbaugh
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael J. Rohrbaugh .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Center for Applied Psychological and Family Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Jay L. Lebow

  2. The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Center for Applied Psychological and Family Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Anthony L. Chambers

  3. The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Center for Applied Psychological and Family Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Douglas C. Breunlin

Section Editor information

  1. Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ, USA

    Corinne Datchi

  2. The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Ryan M. Earl

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Rohrbaugh, M.J. (2019). MRI Brief Family Therapy. In: Lebow, J.L., Chambers, A.L., Breunlin, D.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_163

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