Most contemporary therapeutic models de-emphasize the past, leaving clinicians and their clients stuck chasing symptoms in the present. Further, individual-oriented treatments overlook the role of family systems in the origin and perpetuation of emotional pain and suffering. Having brought genograms alive in her clinical work with thousands of families, McGoldrick appreciates the individual’s place and experience within the family system across time. Trauma in the family is always in the rear-view mirror, transformed and resolved only when it is finally acknowledged and addressed.
Only later in life did Norman Paul learn about the secrets and ghosts locked away in the unspoken recesses of his family’s history. Murder, suicide, infant death, family upheaval and disintegration cast a pale over him, lifted only after fastidious research revealed the true origin of his family’s and his own pain. By watching this richly-narrated story of his family, you will learn to work more effectively from a systemic perspective with clients impacted by unacknowledged and unmourned loss. McGoldrick’s genograms of Paul’s family will deepen your ability to use this powerful tool in your own family therapy. Finally, you will learn to appreciate the critical impact of past painful events on the present, so that you can assist your clients in confronting the pain locked in their families of origin.
