TOWARD THE IDENTIFICATION OF VARIABLES FOR EVALUATING FAMILY THERAPY WORKSHOPS*

If the field of family therapy is to improve the quality of its continuing education, a useful measurement of workshop quality must be developed. In a preliminary step towards this goal, 14 expert subjects from the field of family therapy were interviewed to identify variables and relationships that can be hypothesized to influence the quality–as assessed by participants–of family therapy workshops. This paper reports the opinions of the subjects, using counts and quotations to convey as much of the raw information as space allows, and presents the methods through which the information was organized by the authors into four categories and 58 (assumed to be interdependent) variables.     

A multidimensional typology of countertransference responses

Of all the countless phenomena intrinsic to psychoanalytic therapy, the construct of countertransference is one of the most conceptually and technically burdensome. As yet, no single theoretically consistent and universally accepted classification of countertransference responses exists. This article proposes a multidimensional typology of countertransference phenomena which can be employed to help monitor clinical practice.     

France,Holland, Belgium and Germany—a look at their housing problems and policies

The Overall common problems of these four countries could be summarised as follows: a very rapid rise in the price of land and building costs; the contrast between a high level of housing need and an apparent over-production of housing; the universal realisation that older properties are often potential slums and that not more than 2.3% of the total stock is new housing, therefore continual renovation is essential for keeping up reasonable housing standards.     

Towards renewed fears of population and family decline?

This paper examines the extent to which governments have been concerned by the demographic changes which have taken place since the 1960s. The comparative analysis, based on a review of selected demographic-related state initiatives, reveals major differences across countries in the attitudes of governments to population and family issues. The paper also contrasts the differences between the post-1960s situation and the 1930s one when the low fertility levels and the transformations undergone by the family had also captured the attention of governments. The paper then concludes by looking at the role played by non-governmental social actors in the discussion surrounding population and family issues.     

Advancing Gender Equality: The Role of Women‐Only Trade Union Education

The need to improve the level of membership and the number of women activists has been a central feature of overall ‘renewal’ strategies of many British trade unions. Within this, equality education has been a key part of policy‐making. This research draws on detailed case studies of two trade unions and focuses on their women‐only education courses. We suggest that a greater understanding of the contribution of different types of trade union education to the advance of equality is a key factor in the ability of unions to maintain a central role at workplace level, within the context of an increasingly diverse labour market.     

Integrating citizen's income with social insurance

Citizen's income or social dividend schemes are a way of avoiding the "poverty trap", or disincentive effect, inherent in withdrawing unemployment compensation completely when the beneficiary returns to work. If there are inadequate financial incentives for the unemployed to return to work, the benefit administration may feel the need for tighter discipline of the unemployed, threatening to withdraw benefit from those who reject offers of low-paid work. Citizen's income provides better incentives to work without so much need for sanctions. The article explores four different methods of introducing a citizen's income gradually by allowing people to keep an increasing proportion of their benefit as they move from unemployment into work. New transfers would also be made to never-unemployed workers, to secure equity between all persons whatever their employment status or history. The best method is to define an hourly unemployment benefit, and make benefit for a certain number of hours unconditional on employment status. This gives better incentives to work part-time than existing benefit systems, and fairer treatment for those who can only find a part-time job. Minimum wage regulation is important, to prevent employers taking advantage of a citizen's income to reduce wage rates.     

Police and Psychiatrists: A Case of Professional Dominance?

Drawing on data from a recent study and Freidson's theory of professional dominance, this article considers the contemporary nature of relationships between police officers and psychiatrists. The different strategies used by the two occupational groups in attempting to control the management of a group of patients considered by both to be “dirty work” is explored, as is the “political” agenda of police/psychiatric relations in the context of current mental health policy.