Meet the editor

Floriana Irtelli, psychoanalyst and psychotherapist, member of the Italian Society of the Psychoanalysis of Relationships, has been lecturing for several years at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy. She has worked at the Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Milan, performing scientific research and clinical activities. She is among the authors of books such as *A Fresh Look at Anxiety Disorders* and *Psychopathy—New Updates on an Old* 

*Phenomenon*, and has published articles for the *Journal of Affective Disorders*, *Journal of Research in Psychotherapy*, and *Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing*. She has participated in numerous conferences, seminars, and congresses, such as the 2015 World Congress of Psycho-Oncology. She is also the author *Illuminarsi di Ben-essere*, *Familiar-mente*, and *Contemporary Perspectives on Relational Wellness, Psychoanalysis and the Modern Family*. She is the editor of *Psychosis, Biopsychosocial and Relational Perspectives*.

Contents

**Section 1**

and Family Therapy

*by Katherine Stavrianopoulos*

Approach in Health Care

**Section 2**

Mental Illness

*and Dympna Cunnane*

*by Eva Mydlíková*

*by Hassan Karimi, Fred Piercy and Jyoti Savla*

*by Hamilton Lima Wagner and Tania Dalallana*

**Preface III**

An Overview about Family Therapy **1**

**Chapter 1 3**

**Chapter 2 23**

**Chapter 3 37** Family Therapy: New Intervention Programs and Researches: Systemic Family

Improving Children's Future **61**

**Chapter 4 63** The DAVAd: A Narrative Tool to Explore the Early Stages of the Adoptive Bond

**Chapter 5 81** KidsTime Workshops: Strengthening Resilience of Children of Parents with a

**Chapter 6 99** Mirage: Possibilities and Limitations of Experiencing Foster Home as a Family

A Chronological Map of Common Factors across Three Stages of Marriage

Emotionally Focused Family Therapy: Rebuilding Family Bonds

*by Barbara Cordella, Paola Elia, Marzia Pibiri and Alessia Carleschi*

*by Klaus Henner Spierling, Kirsty Tahta-Wraith, Helena Kulikowska* 

## Contents



Preface

We can say that at first glance in the works of Freud, psychoanalysis would seem to be a theory of the individual, but it is reckoned that these theoretical elaborations also contain a latent family-group dimension; in fact, even if psychoanalysis originated as a method of treatment of individuals, and Freud elaborated most of the theories in terms of "intrapsychic structures," we must not forget that it was psychoanalysis that discovered and signaled that the human being is not conceivable without the existence of others, and that those paradoxical "attempts at care" that make human beings, classified as "symptoms," have a meaning not only for the individual, but also for the relationships with others. The relational theories are therefore salient in psychoanalysis and embrace the family dimension, in continuity with that of the couple: indeed, group, family, and couple are privileged areas of relationship, of bond. The approach to the family and the couple has attracted the attention of psychoanalysts to the importance of the function of intersubjectivity in the genesis and maintenance of the structure of the psyche (and the symptoms) and has opened up new horizons, even on the most "primitive" levels of the psyche, which are expressed also in the context of family sessions. The experience with families allows us to focus on the importance of real and concrete actions within the family ties, leading to a clear evolution and openness to relationships, which allows the possibility for creating new technical conditions to deal with situations in which usually "we do not know how to do with the individual approach" (…). Also, in the *Three Essays on Sexual Theory* (1905), Freud speaks of the possible influence of the parents in the transmission of neuroses to their children [1]. We can therefore affirm that family therapy was born from psychoanalysis; it can in fact be noted that also other authors belonging to the psychoanalysis field that dealt with family relations were Bowlby [2–5] and Winnicott [6–8]. These authors observed that the symptoms of individuals are connected with relationship problems with other people, and later this assumption was also shared and supported by other psychological approaches. Recently, some theoretical developments have brought psychoanalytic thinking even closer to the attention of family therapists and vice versa [1]. It should also be pointed out that over the years, different models of psychotherapy and intervention with the family have been developed and many cannot be defined as psychoanalytic, because they have chosen to focus on different theories, greatly enriching the panorama concerning research, interventions, and therapies for

The therapeutic intervention approaches are varied, but in all of them it is important to remember the role of the relationship, both in the treatment and in the formation of the same disorder. Psychological care in the family environment aims to create a space in which to reflect together and have new knowledge about oneself and relationships with others, knowing is therefore understood as reflecting. One can reflect on family history, culture, genealogy, and daily interactions that contribute to influencing the person's inner scenario, the various chapters that have been presented help to reflect on many different aspects of family life, offering a very wide, rich, and detailed perspective, with specific insights. In any case, reflecting must always become an opportunity for relational transformation, because the person must be understood as a relational being. Finally, it should be pointed out that

intergenerational and family problems.
