Teaching Family Therapy at the Introductory Level: A Conceptual Model Emphasizing a Pattern Which Connects Training and Therapy*

This paper details the structure and content of an introductory family therapy course offered in an academic department. The parallel processes between teaching and therapy are used as a metaphor for the presentation of the course. Joining, restructuring, and consolidation are defined as the three stages of the course, each having distinct goals and methods. Finally, generic issues raised by the proposed teaching model are presented for trainers to consider.