Buckley's Scheme of Schemes as a Foundation for Teaching Family Systems Theory

In recent training literature, a consistent recommendation emerges concerning the need for an emphasis on the development of a strong system theory base upon which future practitioners and researchers can build. This paper advocates the use of Buckley's hierarchical scheme as a teaching tool to provide an understandable, yet broadly applicable, theory base for graduate students in an introductory family therapy course. A method of teaching Buckley's scheme is outlined that not only incorporates the recommendations of the literature, but also provides an umbrella model of systems for future application and theory building.