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Complementary Alternative Medicine: Implications for Family Therapy

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Abstract

This article considers the fit between family therapy and complementary alternative medicine (CAM). Descriptions of and research results on a variety of CAM practices are provided, as are implications for practice, education, research, and policy. It is concluded that the two fields mesh easily and that clients might be better served if their therapists had knowledge of CAM. At the same time, therapists are cautioned regarding the need for both further study and appropriate regulation of alternative practices.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Haelan Centers™, 7349 Dale Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63117

    Dorothy S. Becvar

  2. School of Social Service, St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO

    Cynthia A. Loveland Cook

  3. Jewish Hospital College of Nursing and Allied Health, Washington University Medical Center, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, MO

    Sharon L. Pontious

Authors
  1. Dorothy S. Becvar
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  2. Cynthia A. Loveland Cook
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  3. Sharon L. Pontious
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Becvar, D.S., Loveland Cook, C.A. & Pontious, S.L. Complementary Alternative Medicine: Implications for Family Therapy. Contemporary Family Therapy 20, 435–456 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021624031605

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