FAMILY THERAPY RESEARCH AND THE “NEW EPISTEMOLOGY”*

Epistemological critiques of the theory and practice of family therapy recently have also been brought to bear on mainstream strategies and methods of research in family therapy. In this paper, it is argued that standard research methods are the only ethically responsible means presently available by which we can assess the efficacy of family therapy. It is also argued that standard research models have already provided data of practical relevance to clinicians, patients and public policy makers and should not be abandoned in haste. Finally, it is argued that there are insufficient grounds for divorce between the “new epistemology” and standard research, since commonplace research designs and methods are far more compatible with systemic thinking than some observers have suggested.