Clinical utility of the Family Adaptation and Cohesion Evaluation Scales III (FACES III)

Presenting problems should be clarified for the family which enters MFT treatment. The act of delineating the problems of a dysfunctional family often can be the first therapeutic intervention (Brock & Barnard, 1988). The definition of the problem as either marital (i.e., existing within the dyad) or family (i.e., located within another subsystem or the family system as a whole) leads to the clarification of goals and the decision about who will be included in the therapy sessions. Several models of systems change incorporating the above ideas are available to clinical practitioners working within the GST framework. One of the most commonly recognized is Structural Family Therapy.