This paper describes the current state of family therapy training in general psychiatry residency programs (GPRP) in the United States. Based on a national survey of 80 GPRP training directors, current practices and attitudes toward family therapy training are assessed. The principal finding is that there has been a significant increase in the amount of required family therapy training in GPRP over previous years and many of the programs would like to expand their current curriculum. Issues concerning course content, definition of family therapy employed, and the meshing of different theoretical paradigms are considered. Recommendations of further research and for the initiation of intradisciplinary and interdisciplinary dialogue are presented.

Family crisis intervention is a rapidly growing area of clinical care in family therapy which lacks clear conceptualization, especially with respect to how “family” fits into crisis intervention theory. This paper integrates recent concepts from the family therapy literature into three views: family as background, family as context, and family as a unit. The family crisis intervention literature (56 publications) is reviewed and categorized according to these three views. Clarity in how “family” is viewed and consistency between theory and practice are examined. Recommendations for improving the conceptualization of “family” in family crisis intervention theory and practice are made.

This article explicates policy issues and alternatives in the integration of family therapy training within general psychiatry residency programs. These issues include controversies about the definition of the field; elective versus required teaching; curriculum content; and when, where, and who should teach family therapy in this context. The article concludes with recommendation for further clarification of this training area.

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