Child and adolescent psychiatry and family therapy - An overview

This article provides an overview of the relationship between family therapy and child and adolescent psychiatry by summarizing its historical background, highlighting points of conflict and polarization and areas of convergence between the two fields; identifying new directions for clinical practice stimulated by family research; and presenting a current status report on the benefits of integrating the two fields in assessment and treatment with emphasis on the new developments in theory and practice in family therapy, particularly the effect of social constructionism and narrative therapy.