Synonyms
Introduction
The medical model’s influence upon couple and family therapy is profound. Borrowing from medicine, couple and family therapists often adhere to evidence-based protocols to guide treatment. Additionally, many couple and family therapists diagnose and encourage the use of medication regularly. Yet, in treating illness, the medical community has traditionally emphasized biological treatment, underestimating the importance of a patient’s psychological, familial, and social challenges. By stressing that greater attention to the psychosocial needs of individuals and families is critical to providing effective care, couple and family therapists break from the medical model and its focus on treating patients’ physiological symptoms. It is noteworthy, however, that the medical community has increasingly moved toward providing patients with more comprehensive care over the last several decades.
Theoretical Context for Concept
Humans have sought to...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Engel, G. L. (1977). The need for a new medical model: A challenge for biomedicine. Science, 196, 129–136.
Gatchel, R. J., & Oordt, M. S. (2003). Clinical health psychology and primary care: Practical advice and clinical guidance for successful collaboration. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Gehart, D. (2013). Mastering competencies in family therapy: A practical approach to theory and clinical case documentation (2nd ed.). Belmont: Brooks/Cole.
McDaniel, S., Hepworth, J., & Doherty, W. (2014). Medical therapy and integrated care (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Nichols, M. (2012). Family therapy: Concepts and methods (10th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Springer, P. R., & Harris, S. M. (2010). Attitudes and beliefs of marriage and family therapists regarding psychotropic drugs and therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 36, 361–375.
Thagard, P. (2005). What is a medical theory? In L. McNamara (Ed.), Multidisciplinary approaches to theory in medicine (Vol. 3, pp. 47–62). Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
McPhee, D.P., Robinson, W.D. (2017). Medical Model in Couple and Family Therapy. In: Lebow, J., Chambers, A., Breunlin, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_418-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_418-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences