Family systems rehabilitation

Although researchers and practitioners have demonstrated the utility and success of combining rehabilitation medicine and family therapy, for the most part, these projects have been isolated, one-shot demonstration projects, or well-meaning calls for future considerations. As of yet, family therapy has not been combined or integrated with rehabilitation medicine for a long-term, cost-effective, and well-integrated approach to treating patients and their families. The authors of this paper present a preliminary report on their two-year project dedicated to the creation and development of a rehabilitation-family therapy collaborative model of assessment and treatment for patients and their families. Particulars of the project's evolution are discussed and the practice model is demonstrated through the presentation of two case studies.