Here is the only book advocating specific methods for dealing therapeutically with high-risk clients--families that are prone to crises and that resist treatment. These families can create major difficulties for therapists and represent one-third of the caseloads of public institutions. With the help of this remarkable volume, family therapists and counselors will learn to identify high-risk families at the first interview and target them for brief therapy, breaking the cycle of crises and subsequent treatment non-compliance. This groundbreaking therapy method for dealing with high-risk families is illustrated with extensive clinical histories, demonstration cases, and therapy transcripts.McCown and Johnson detail valuable methods for preventing high-risk families from consuming a tremendous amount of mental health resources while sabotaging the best intentions of their service providers. Therapy With Treatment Resistant Families provides a wealth of applicable information for family therapists and covers important topics such as crisis intervention, crisis prone families, treatment resistant families, brief family therapy, and family therapy with medical patients. Cases included and related to behavioral medicine will be useful for mental health counselors working with medical patients in a hospital setting. It is also one of the few volumes addressing family therapy, neuropsychological deficits, and cognitive decline. Its recommendations for crisis prone and resistant persons make it a helpful guide for substance abuse workers as well.