Research Methods in Family Therapy

This volume introduces the reader to the wide variety of key social science research methodologies suited to investigations in family therapy. In user-friendly chapters structured to maximize clarity of presentation and to facilitate comparison among models, leading family therapy researchers describe the assumptions and historical development of each methodology. Chapters then provide a step-by-step guide to designing research using the method, illustrated by one or more concrete examples. The method's strengths and weaknesses, its ethical implications, and its relevance to clinical practice are also discussed.

Douglas H. Sprenkle, Ph.D., is Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy at Purdue University. He was Editor of the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy from 1990-1996. He has received several major professional honors including the Osborne Award for excellence in teaching from the National Council on Family Relations and the Distinguished Contribution to Family Therapy Award from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Dr. Sprenkle has served on the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education and is an Approved Supervisor and Fellow in AAMFT. This is his fourth book.

Sidney M. Moon, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology and Research at Purdue University and the director of research for the Gifted Education Resource Institute. She is also a clinical member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy and has her own part-time private practice. She has taught graduate-level courses in social science research methodology in which she emphasizes a balance between qualitative, quantitative, and mixed approaches. For the past five years, she has been an active promoter and developer of multimethodological approaches to family therapy research. Her research interests include the development and evaluation of school programs for gifted and talented children and for gifted children with other exceptionalities such as attention deficit disorder, and family therapy with families of the gifted.