Families can develop self-destructive routines so predictable that members seem to be following a script--each coming in on cue as the plot unfolds. Such scripts can be altered, however, when families in therapy learn how to improvise new patterns of relating. Rewriting Family Scripts presents an innovative approach to doing just that--incorporating into family therapy elements of script theory and recent findings in attachment research, including those related to narrative. Developing a new systemic attachment concept, "the secure family base," from which individual members can feel safe enough to explore and improvise new scripts, author John Byng-Hall shows how families can change insecure relationship patterns both during and after therapy. Clearly written, jargon-free, and illustrated with detailed clinical case material, this book presents a comprehensive conceptual framework that illuminates the central issues of family therapy practice. Table of Contents Section I: From Scripts to Improvisations 1. Secure Enough to Improvise 2. The Nature of Scripts 3. Identification across the Generations 4. Rewriting Family Scripts 5. A Case Example Section II: Creating a Secure Family Base 6. Security in the Family 7. Therapy and Supervision as Secure Bases 8. Myths and Legends about Security 9. Revolving Care Control Conflicts 10. Resolving Distance Conflicts 11. Positive Framing of Parenting Scripts Section III: Reediting Scripts in Changing Circumstances 12. Scripts in Formation of a New Family 13. Grieving Scripts 14. Disrupted Scripts: Family Breakup and Disability References Index About the Author: John Byng-Hall is a Consultant Child and Family Psychiatrist at the Tavistock Clinic. He has published widely on topics such as family myths, legends, and scripts; attachments within the family; adolescence; and the impact of chronic illness within the family. He has also presented his ideas at international conferences. He was trained at Cambridge University, University College Hospital London, the Maudsley and Bethlem Royal Hospitals, and at the Tavistock Clinic. He is a past Chair of the Institute of Family Therapy, London. "I strongly recommend this book for advanced clinicians in the field of family therapy. It is practical and readable yet provides a comprehensive theoretical perspective that is well grounded in the literature and thoroughly explained." -Journal of Family Psychotherapy "Extraordinary....This book should take its place next to Minuchin's Families and Family Therapy on the shelves of all psychiatrists and others who work with children, adolescents, and their families. It is a classic." -Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry "This long-awaited book is the culmination of 25 years of practice by one of Great Britain's foremost family therapy practitioners and trainers....It is an eminently practical and accessible book and provides us with a powerful tool with which to explore the complex links among individual, interaction, and system." -Journal of Family Therapy "Rewriting Family Scripts, extremely human and at times very funny, comes highly recommended." -Youth Today from the publisher's website |