The ANZJFT is reputed to be the most-stolen professional journal in Australia! It is read by clinicians as well as by academics, and each issue includes substantial papers reflecting original perspectives on theory and practice.    A lively magazine section keeps its finger on the pulse of family therapy in Australia and New Zealand via local correspondents, and four Foreign Correspondents report on developments in the US and Europe.

The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) is reputed to be the most-stolen professional journal in Australia! It is read by both clinicians and academics, with each issue featuring substantial papers that reflect original perspectives on theory and practice. A lively magazine section keeps its finger on the pulse of family therapy in Australia and New Zealand through local correspondents, while four Foreign Correspondents report on developments in the US and Europe.

《Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy》被誉为澳大利亚最常被盗的专业期刊！它不仅受到临床医生的关注，也受到学术界的重视。每期刊物都包含反映理论和实践的原创观点的重要论文。此外，杂志的活泼栏目通过当地通讯员关注澳大利亚和新西兰的家庭治疗动态，同时四位外国通讯员也会报道美国和欧洲的相关发展。

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy

Abstract This paper attempts to address the uncertainty of some non‐Western learners about the applicability of Bowen theory to Asian culture, as the theory was developed out of research on Western families and stresses defining self. Scepticism is due to the commonly held view that Asian families are collectivistic while Western families are more individualistic. This paper reviews the basic tenets of Bowen theory and its underlying premise that families are regulated by emotional processes that also operate in all living beings, that is, biological and universal. Bowen theory studies the emotional processes of families and how they react to anxiety. Viewed in this way, the theory certainly can be a useful framework for understanding family and enhancing family functioning, regardless of culture, ethnicity, and geography. The paper further discusses the use of Bowen theory in working with Asian families and Asian women, with case illustrations in enhancing mature and flexible practice of cultural values and increasing differentiation of self.

Peggy Chan

Bowen theory, culture and therapeutic applications to Asian families

鲍恩理论、文化与对亚洲家庭的临床应用

Abstract This paper provides an outline of a novel approach to explain the complexity of human relationships. A map of relational possibilities was developed by the first author to explain complex theoretical concepts to their clients in a private practice. It describes the process of what an infant will do to manage relationally traumatic situations where their caregivers have failed to consistently scaffold the infant's fear management system or meet the requirements to ensure a robust sense of self develops. The map also describes the nature of relationships between individuals with differentiated selves. This paper then discusses how the map manages to bridge the research–practice gap in a unique way using everyday language to describe processes that are familiar to every human in managing complex relational dynamics.

Joanne Walker

Liz Coventry

A map of relational possibilities: Translating theory into practice

关系可能性图谱：将理论转化为实践

Abstract Mothers who experience DFV are often at risk of being epistemically harmed by professional discourses that are mother‐blaming because professionals often overburden them with unrealistic expectations of protecting their children. In addition, children and young people who experience DFV are frequently at risk of being subjected to epistemic injustice by professional discourses that negate them as knowledge generators. Added to this tangle of epistemic misplacement is the wedge that perpetrators drive between mothers and children so they both cannot see each other survivance wisdom and connection to each other. Family‐inclusive/lead therapy that epistemically privileges mothers' and children's survivance wisdom can repair the damage done to them as knowledge generators and to their relationships. This article describes an example of nondeliberative work that highlights family‐inclusive/lead therapy has a place in family intervention post‐DFV.

Mary Jo McVeigh

Two voices in harmony: A creative family‐led intervention post domestic and family violence

和谐的两重奏：家庭主导的针对家庭暴力后的创意干预

Abstract Trauma is a central theme in child protection. Responding to and preventing traumatic harm to children is a key function of statutory child protection agencies and systems in Australia. Parents who encounter these systems are also known to be a highly traumatised cohort, often experiencing trauma throughout their own early development and into their adult lives. Despite these being broadly accepted principles amongst practitioners, there are limited pathways for parents to undertake trauma‐processing therapy as an integrated part of current child protection practice. Narrative exposure therapy (NET) is a manualised therapy model that has been used successfully to support individuals with life‐threatening trauma to process these experiences and take agency over their lives. The successful use of this model by non‐traditional therapists such as community health workers, in brief timeframes, has made it a valuable approach in settings with a high need for therapeutic support and low resources, such as refugee accommodation. Although these themes also have synergy with the child protection setting, there is relatively little research on the use of NET in this setting. This paper is written by practitioners and for practitioners and examines the real‐world application of NET with parents involved with a non‐statutory reunification service in the South Australian child protection system, grounded in a trauma‐informed model of practice. As such, the paper considers extending the possible value of NET into an area of limited previous use. The paper highlights observational findings suggesting that NET has the potential to be an effective tool for bringing focus to the trauma experiences of the parent, so that they may process these and develop greater capacity to parent safely as well as engage more productively with the demands of the child protection system.

Samuel Carpenter

Agnik Sarkar

Narrative exposure therapy in a child protection context: Breaking intergenerational cycles by providing a pathway through past trauma

叙事暴露疗法在儿童保护中的应用：通过穿越过往创伤的路径打破代际循环

Abstract The aim of this reflective piece is to explore the under‐recognised contribution of shame to disorganising attachment–caregiving relationships. The first hypothesis is that ‘shame without solution’ is a part of a core and enduring emotional wound central to relational trauma in infancy and associated attachment disorganisation. The second is that dominance and submission hierarchies, order and control are potent defensive adaptations employed to stabilise ‘shame without solution’. Children exhibiting profoundly disturbed behaviours, stemming from intergenerational cycles of trauma and distress, are disproportionately represented in child protection, intensive family support and child mental health services. Despite being set up to support these children and their families, the most distressed mothers too often disengage, feeling blamed even by compassionate therapists who work hard not to alienate them. If the mothers disengage, the mothers and their children are left without professional support. Arising out of this theoretical work are recommendations that support constructive and effective working relationships with these families, originally articulated in Parallel Parent and Child Therapy (P‐PACT; Chambers et al., 2006). The first recommendation is to provide mothers with the support that we want the mother to give the child. This means meticulously avoiding reinforcing the negative self‐view typical of these mothers. The second recommendation is to prioritise empathy for the mother and the mother–child relationship early in treatment. For many practitioners, this second recommendation will conflict with their natural desire to prioritise empathy for the child, especially when the mother's capacity to do so is compromised. Experience and theory support the adoption of these recommendations to avoid perceived blame of the mother (and all members of the family), a critical shift to establishing engagement.

Jackie Amos

Ruth Jacobs

Leonie Segal

Attachment, shame and empathy in dyadic family therapy

依恋、羞耻感和共情在双人家庭治疗中的作用

Abstract Foster care is a key element of Australia's child protection system. If a child's safety is threatened, they are removed from their families and placed under the guardianship of the chief executive in a care setting (guardianship order). In South Australia, the rate of children and young people entering the ‘In Care’ system has been increasing. As of 31 May 2024, the South Australian Department for Child Protection (DCP) reported that 4874 (0.4% increase from 2023) children and young people were on guardianship orders. In addition to the increase, there continues to be an overrepresentation of Aboriginal children and young people in care (37.4%) due to the ongoing impacts of intergenerational trauma because of colonisation and the Stolen Generation. The increase in children in care has placed immense pressure on the child protection system. Research indicates the best place for children to be is with their families. Centacare Foster Care, while supporting all care types, has a specialist reunification model (SRM). This model, the topic of this paper, incorporates a care team approach, informed by Centacare's stabilising trauma in everyday practice (STEP) framework. The SRM which starts from recruitment has been key in ensuring children and young people maintain positive connection with their family and return home safely, resulting in the successful reunifications. This model has seen a 67% success rate in reunifications, well above the 48% success rate nationally. Importantly, this model has seen a 65.5% success rate in reunifications of Aboriginal children between the years 2022 and 2024, which is well above the national reunification rate of 7.6%. This paper, written by Centacare's specialist reunification foster care team, outlines some of the key features of the model and broader program, from recruitment to reunification.

Abbreviation	ANZ J of Family Therapy
Journal Impact	0.66
Quartiles(Global)	FAMILY STUDIES(Q4)

ISSN	0814-723X, 1467-8438
h-index	25

Publication Information	Publisher: Australian Academic Press，Publishing cycle: ，Journal Type: journal，Open Access Journals: No
Basic data	Year of publication: 2005，Proportion of original research papers: 100.00%，Self Citation Rate:28.60%， Gold OA Rate: 29.91%

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy

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Share Submission Experience

Bowen theory, culture and therapeutic applications to Asian families

A map of relational possibilities: Translating theory into practice

Two voices in harmony: A creative family‐led intervention post domestic and family violence

Narrative exposure therapy in a child protection context: Breaking intergenerational cycles by providing a pathway through past trauma

Attachment, shame and empathy in dyadic family therapy

A map of relational possibilities: Translating theory into practice

Two voices in harmony: A creative family‐led intervention post domestic and family violence

Narrative exposure therapy in a child protection context: Breaking intergenerational cycles by providing a pathway through past trauma

Attachment, shame and empathy in dyadic family therapy

Specialist reunification foster care: A care team approach around trauma, attachment and supporting children to return home