[Effectiveness of a systematic treatment model in an inpatient department of child and adolescent psychiatry]. / Effektivität eines systemischen Behandlungsmodells in der stationären Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie.

This is a report on the findings of the effectiveness of the "Viersener Modell", a inpatient systemic child psychiatry model. The therapy effects were recorded, by means of self and therapists assessment, in several relevant areas of change. The index clients (ic) show typical characteristics of a child psychiatry population. The ic (n = 43) and also their parents (37 mothers and 22 fathers) showed significant improvement on the level of psychiatric symptoms, individual problems and in general experience and behavior. The psychiatric symptoms that were conspicuous by both ic and parents at the beginning of therapy, were mainly inconspicuous at the end of the treatment (effectsize (es): icfemale, n = 28 = .82, icmale, n = 15 = .22, motherswithout partner(accompanying) = .20, motherswith partner(accompanying) = .44, fathers = .44). There was no essential improvement in the quality of the couples relationship, on the other hand the relationships were not clinically conspicuous at the beginning of therapy. Family members and therapists assessed quality of the treatment results and process mainly in accordance with our hypothesis. While the therapists noticed a significant improvement in the functioning of the family relationships (es = .87) at the end of the therapy, the parents (reported no difficulties in family functioning at the beginning of therapy) reported no essential improvement of family relationships in the follow-up questionnaire (n = 32). The improvement of the problems and the assessment of the quality of the treatment results remained stable over an eight month period.

[Counseling and therapy of children and their families after suicide attempts]. / Beratung und Therapie von Kindern und ihren Familien nach Suizidhandlungen.

The suicidal action of a child has to be seen as an attempt to draw attention of those around it to its hopeless conditions of life. Professional aid is required and has to include all those to whom the child relates. Not the question of cause and guilt has to be discussed but the perspective of living without the idea of suicide and the demands of support for achieving this aim.

[Change in diagnostic and therapeutic viewpoints: the systemic perspective]. / Diagnostische und therapeutische Sichtweisen im Wandel: Die systemische Perspektive.

The individually centered view of psychic disturbances is contrasted here with the systemic approach, in accordance with which individual behavior is no longer explained as a result of intrapsychic processes independent of the environment but as the product of recurrent interaction with the behavior of the partner of interaction. The systemic view, supported in particular by recourse to the insights of constructivist theory, also implies a new view of the social process of therapy. This is discussed in greater detail.

[Effects of systemic thinking on the human concept of the therapist and his therapeutic work]. / Die Auswirkungen systemischen Denkens auf das Menschenbild des Therapeuten und seine therapeutische Arbeit.

Some of the fundamental ideas of the so called Systemic Theory of the second generation, connected with the names of von Foerster, Maturana, Bateson, von Glasersfeld, Prigogine etc., are described, and the underlying idea of man is outlined in a few points. This is followed by some reflections as to the effects of this kind of thinking and this view of man on the therapist himself, his potentials, his limits, and so on his therapeutic actions.