This comprehensive, yet user-friendly survey of the field of marriage and family therapy takes a holistic view and looks at people within the context of their environment. The systemic-cybernetic framework helps readers understanding people and families in context. The text - divided into three sections including "The Systemic Framework," "The Practice of Family Therapy," and "The Systemic Practitioner" - includes historical information, current developments, and ongoing debates. Various family and developmental theories are integrated into a "dynamic process model" for viewing and understanding family interactions and relationships. The family therapy models considered include psychodynamic, natural systems, experiential, structural, communications, strategic, and behavioral/cognitive as well as several postmodern approaches. Within the context of practice, Assessment; Intervention; Training/Supervision; Research; and Epistemological Challenges are described and discussed