Biomedical subjects

S S Erstling

Publications and source records attributed to S S Erstling.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1990

Sam Shepard and the dysfunctional American family: therapeutic perspectives.

In depicting dysfunctional families Sam Shepard brought a greater intensity level to family portrayals than had previously been seen in modern American theater. In part, his plays appear to reflect the tumultuous tone of the late 1960s and early 1970s when American society was in flux and when the national uncertainty reached down to the basic unit of society, the family. Yet, despite addressing recently emerging social issues, Shepard's plays also depict universal family conflicts. There have been and always will be compelling forces that threaten domestic cohesiveness. While Shepard's families reflect extremely high levels of disorganization, they also demonstrate scenarios recognizable to all family therapists. They reassert the family's power and its influence on individual development. They also indirectly ask us to reflect on our current clinical practice and research. Family therapists need to continue to pay attention the content issues of family organization as well as therapeutic techniques. Shepard's plays remind therapists to look beyond internal dynamics in order to consider connections and affiliations that integrate families with outside communities. He underscores the importance of knowing the meaning and context of traditional rites of passage within families. Family therapists or other care providers may unwittingly undermine the significance of these family rituals by prescription of "expert" advice.

Cultural Characteristics↗

PubMed1989

The single-session family interview.

Currently, attempts are being made to integrate family systems theory and technique into the practice of family physicians. Although the importance of the family has been demonstrated in a number of medical situations and although several authors have indicated situations in which it is useful for the physician to convene the family, to date no explicit guidelines have been developed for conducting a single-session family interview. This article presents a framework for conducting such an interview, structured in three stages (contracting, exploration, and closure) with clinical examples for each stage. The single-session family interview provides the family physician with realistic guidelines for helping families who face medical dilemmas and for improving the physician's practice. The guidelines have proven useful in teaching residents the skills involved in understanding family dynamics and conducting productive family meetings.

Family↗

PubMed1985

The shared burden: when physicians and families decide to forego life-sustaining treatment.

Family physicians are being called upon to make decisions regarding whether to forego life-sustaining treatment. These decisions are made based on consultation with the family of the patient but are complicated by problematic family interactions. The family physician can manage difficult family reactions and assist the family in making a decision by understanding that there are common reactions to loss and bereavement on the part of family members such as anger, denial, and feelings of helplessness; assessing whether problems arise from chronic family conflicts (marital, parent-child, or previous unresolved mourning) or are situation related (unexpressed feelings, how to tell others, need to feel they have done everything, overwhelming other stresses); and incorporating several specific techniques into their practices such as family conferences, accepting anger, involving anxious members in treatment planning, referral to self-help family groups, reframing the decision in terms of the patient's wishes, and negotiating mutually acceptable solutions when patient or family members disagree.

Family↗