Abstract
Since the term “Multi-Problem Family” (MPF) was established (around the 1980s), there has been a growing awareness of this type of human and social system.
However, the fact that MPF intervention presents a very difficult challenge has also become increasingly clear.
A challenge in terms of the results obtained and required; the severity of the conditions, symptoms and lifestyles; resistance to change; the strain on the emotional systems of the professionals and therapists; and the difficulty in the coordination of the various agencies involved.
The chapter provides a general description of MPF, reviews the existing literature, and outlines a typology of the most common scenarios.
It also provides an interpretation and description of actions and possible results.
Particular attention is paid to the need for teamwork (and its inherent difficulties) and to the individual and group emotional rebounds that can result from working with such “extreme” situations.
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Notes
- 1.
We could make reference to the same terminological problem, referring to the different terms used for the drugs: addiction, dependence, use, abuse, misuse, consumer, path consumer, etc.
- 2.
“it isn’t our competence …”
- 3.
“should be a task of …”
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Coletti, M. (2018). The Multi-problem Family Generating Multiple Problems. In: Pereira, R., Linares, J. (eds) Clinical Interventions in Systemic Couple and Family Therapy. European Family Therapy Association Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78521-9_11
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