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Mastering
Competencies
in Family Therapy
A Practical Approach to Theories and
Clinical Case Documentation
Third Edition
D ia ne R . Geha rt
California State University, Northridge
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Printed in the United States of America

Print Number: 01 Print Year: 2017
In the past few years, the field of family therapy has lost many whose contributions
are our mainstay. This book is dedicated to those who have paved the way for the
next generation. We are forever in their debt.
Gianfranco Cecchin
Whose laughter, humility, and acceptance transformed me
Tom Andersen
Whose presence was angelic: the most “gentle” man I have ever met
Paul Watzlawick
Whose courage and kind words I shall never forget
Steve de Shazer
Whose brilliance dazzled me
Insoo Kim Berg

Whose energy and enthusiasm inspired the best in me
Michael White
Whose ideas opened new worlds for me
Jay Haley
Who taught me the logic of paradox
Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy
Who reminded me to focus on what really matters
Peggy Penn
Who taught me how putting pen to paper can transform the world
Brief Table of Contents
Foreword by Ronald J. Chenail, Ph.D. xix

Preface xxiii
Acknowledgments xxix
About the Author xxxi
Author’s Introduction: On Saying “Yes” and Falling in Love xxxiii
Part I Theoretical Foundations 1

1 Competency and Theory in Family Therapy 3
2 Research and Ethical Foundations
of Family Therapy Theories 19
3 Philosophical Foundations
Part II Couple and Family Therapy Theories 81

4 Systemic and Strategic Therapies 83
5 Structural Family Therapies 135
6 Experiential Family Therapies 197
7 Intergenerational and Psychoanalytic Family Therapies 263
8 Cognitive–Behavioral and Mindfulness-Based
Couple and Family Therapies 309
9 Solution-Based Therapies 377
10 Narrative and Collaborative Therapies 427
vi Brief Table of Contents
Part III Clinical Case Documentation 495

11 Case Conceptualization 497
12 Clinical Assessment 527
13 Treatment Planning 563
14 Evaluating Progress in Therapy 577
15 Document It: Progress Notes 591
Afterword Closing Thoughts: Where to Go from Here? 601
Appendix A: The Family Therapy Core Competencies 605
Appendix B: CACREP Competency-Based Standards 613
Appendix C: Psychology Benchmarks 615
Appendix D: Social Work 2015 Competencies 625
Index 631
Detailed Table
of Contents
Foreword by Ronald J. Chenail, Ph.D. xix

Preface xxiii
Acknowledgmentsxxix
About the Author xxxi
Author’s Introduction: On Saying “Yes” and Falling in Love xxxiii
Part I Theoretical Foundations 1
1 Competency and Theory in Family Therapy 3

The Secret to Competent Therapy 3
Mapping a Successful Therapeutic Journey 4
From Trainee to Seasoned Therapist 5
Competency and Theory: Why Theory Matters 5
Why All the Talk about Competency? 6
Competency and (Not) You 7
Common Threads of Competencies 7
Diversity and Competency 8
Research and Competency 9
Law, Ethics, and Competency 9
Person-of-the-Therapist and Competency 9
How This Book Is Different and What It Means to You 10
Lay of the Land 10
Anatomy of a Theory 11
Voice and Tone 13
Suggested Uses for This Text 14
Suggestions for Thinking about Family Therapy Theories 14
Suggestions for Using This Book to Learn Theories 14
Suggestions for Using This Book to Write Treatment Plans 15
Suggestions for Use in Internships and Clinical Practice 15
Suggestions for Studying for Licensing Exams 15
Suggestions for Faculty to Measure Competencies and Student Learning 16
Questions for Personal Reflection and Class Discussion 16
Online Resources for Students 17
Online Resources for Instructors 17
Resources for Professional Competencies 17
References 18
vii
viii Detailed Table of Contents
2 Research and Ethical Foundations

Lay of the Land 19
Research and the Evidence Base 20
The Minimum Standard of Practice: Evidence-Based Practice 20
Heart of the Matter: Common Factors Research 21
Lambert’s Common Factors Model 22
Wampold’s Common Factors Model 22
Client Factors 23
Therapeutic Relationship 24
Therapeutic Model: Theory-Specific Factors 24
Hope and the Placebo Effect: Expectancy 24
Diversity and the Common Factors 24
Do We Still Need Theory? 25
Show Me Proof: Evidence-Based Therapies 25
Empirically Supported Treatments and Their Kin:
Empirically Supported Treatment Criteria 25
Real-World Applications of ESTs and MASTs 26
Research in Perspective 27
Review of the MFT Evidence Base 27
2012 Journal of Marital and Family Therapy Review 28
2014 Journal of Family Therapy Review 28
Lebow’s Review of Evidence Base 29
Unified Protocol for Couples Therapy 30
Legal and Ethical Issues in Couple and Family Therapy 31
Lay of the Land: More than Just Rules 31
The Big Picture: Standards of Professional Practice 32
Specific Legal and Ethical Concerns in Couples and Family Work 34
Current Legal and Ethical Issues in Couples and Family Work 38
Conclusion 40
Online Resources for Research 41
Online Resources for Law and Ethics 41
References 42
3 Philosophical Foundations of Family Therapy Theories 45

Lay of the Land 45
Systemic Foundations 46
Rumor Has It: The People and Their Stories 46
Systemic Theoretical Concepts 48
Social Constructionist Foundations 54
Side by Side: Comparing Systemic and Social Constructionist Theories 54
Postmodern Theoretical Concepts 55
Tomm’s Interpersonal Patterns (IP) 58
Identify Interpersonal Patterns 59
Types of Interpersonal Patterns 60
Using Tomm’s IPscope to Compare Family Therapy Models 65
Contemporary Approach to Power, Gender,
and Culture in Family Therapy 65
Socioemotional Relationship Therapy 67
Rock–Paper–Scissors and Other Strategies for Choosing a Theory 70
Detailed Table of Contents ix
How to Choose: Dating versus Marrying 70

Defining Your Philosophy 70
Modernism 71
Humanism 72
Systemic Therapy 72
Postmodern Therapy 73
Online Resources 75
References 76
Part II Couple and Family Therapy Theories 81
4 Systemic and Strategic Therapies 83

Lay of the Land 84
Systemic–Strategic Family Therapy 84
In a Nutshell: The Least You Need to Know 84
The Juice: Significant Contributions to the Field 85
The Big Picture: Overview of Treatment 90
Making a Connection: The Therapeutic Relationship 91
The Viewing: Case Conceptualization and Assessment 93
Targeting Change: Goal Setting 97
The Doing: Language-Based Interventions 99
The Doing: Action-Oriented Interventions 101
Scope It Out: Cross-Theoretical Comparison 106
Putting It All Together: Systemic–Strategic Case Conceptualization
and Treatment Plan Templates 107
Areas for Theory-Specific Case Conceptualization: Systemic–Strategic 107
Treatment Plan Template for Individual with Depression/Anxiety:
Systemic–Strategic 108
Treatment Plan Template for Couple/Family Conflict: Systemic–Strategic 109
Tapestry Weaving: Diversity Considerations 110
Ethnic, Racial, and Cultural Diversity 110
Sexual and Gender Identity Diversity 111
Clinical Spotlight: Multisystemic Therapy 113
Goals 114
Case Conceptualization 114
Principles of Intervention 114
Clinical Spotlight: Brief Strategic Family Therapy 115
Goals 115
Case Conceptualization 115
Principles of Intervention 116
Online Resources 117
References 117
Systemic Case Study: Adolescent Substance Use and Divorce 120
Strategic Systemic Case Conceptualization 121
Clinical Assessment 125
Treatment Plan 129
Progress Note 132
x Detailed Table of Contents
5 Structural Family Therapies 135

Lay of the Land 136
Structural Family Therapy 136
Making Connections: The Therapeutic Relationship 141
The Doing: Interventions 146
Putting It All Together: Structural Case Conceptualization
Areas for Theory-Specific Case Conceptualization: Structural 149
Treatment Plan for Individual with Depression/Anxiety: Structural 150
Treatment Plan Template for Distressed Couple/Family: Structural 152
Tapestry Weaving: Working with Diverse Populations 153
Cultural, Ethnic, and Socioeconomic Diversity 153
Research and the Evidence Base: Structural 155
Clinical Spotlight: Ecosystemic Structural Family Therapy (ESFT) 155
The Viewing: Case Conceptualization 157
Targeting Change: Goals 158
ESFT Supervision/Training Models 159
Clinical Spotlight: Intensive Structural Therapy 159
Measuring Outcomes 161
Functional Family Therapy (FFT) 162
Rumor Has It: People and Places 163
Putting It All Together: FFT Case Conceptualization and Treatment Plan Templates 173
Areas for Theory-Specific Case Conceptualization: FFT 173
Treatment Plan Template for Family: FFT 175
Research and the Evidence Base: FFT 177
References178
Structural Case Study: Teen Conduct Issues 181
Structural Case Conceptualization 182
Detailed Table of Contents xi
Treatment Plan 191

Progress Note 194
6 Experiential Family Therapies 197

Lay of the Land 198
Shared Assumptions and Practices in Experiential Approaches 198
Targeting Emotional Transactions 198
Warmth, Empathy, and the Therapist’s Use of Self 198
Individual and Family Focus 198
The Satir Model 199
Interventions for Special Populations 213
Putting It All Together: Satir Case Conceptualization and Treatment Plan Templates 214
Areas for Theory-Specific Case Conceptualization: Satir 214
Treatment Plan Template for Individual with Depression/Anxiety: Satir 214
Treatment Plan Template for Distressed Couple/Family: Satir 216
Cultural, Ethnic, and Gender Diversity 217
Research and the Evidence Base: Satir Model 218
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) 219
Making Connection: The Therapeutic Relationship 223
Putting It All Together: EFT Case Conceptualization and Treatment Plan Templates 233
Areas for Theory-Specific Case Conceptualization: EFT 233
Treatment Plan Template for Distressed Couple/Family: EFT 234
Gender Identity Diversity 236
Research and the Evidence Base: EFT 237
Clinical Spotlight: Symbolic–Experiential Therapy 238
References243
xii Detailed Table of Contents
Experiential Case Study: Child Sexual Abuse 247

Satir Human Growth Model Case Conceptualization 248
Satir Treatment Plan 258
Progress Note 261
7 Intergenerational and Psychoanalytic

Family Therapies 263
Lay of the Land 264
Bowen Intergenerational Therapy 264
Interventions for Special Populations 274
Putting It All Together: Case Conceptualization
Areas for Theory-Specific Case Conceptualization: Bowen 275
Treatment Plan Template for Individual with Depression/Anxiety: Bowen 276
Treatment Plan Template for Distressed Couple/Family: Bowen 277
Psychoanalytic Family Therapies 278
Putting It All Together: Case Conceptualization
Areas for Theory-Specific Case Conceptualization:
Psychodynamic 286
Treatment Plan Template for Individual with Depression/Anxiety:
Psychodynamic 287
Treatment Plan Template for Distressed Couple/Family: Psychodynamic 288
Gender Diversity: The Women’s Project 289
Ethnicity and cultural Diversity 290
References 293
Intergenerational Case Study: Panic, Launching Children,
and an Adult Survivor of Sexual Abuse 295
Bowen Intergenerational Family Therapy Conceptualization 296
Detailed Table of Contents xiii
Treatment Plan 304

Progress Note 307
8 Cognitive–Behavioral and Mindfulness-Based

Couple and Family Therapies 309
Lay of the Land 310
Cognitive–Behavioral Family Therapies 310
The Doing: Behavioral Interventions 319
The Doing: Cognitive and Affective Interventions 324
Putting It All Together: Case Conceptualization and Treatment Plan Templates 327
Areas for Theory-Specific Case Conceptualization: CBFT 327
Treatment Plan for Individual with Depression/Anxiety: CBFT 329
Treatment Plan for Couples/Families in Conflict: CBFT 330
Clinical Spotlight: Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy 331
Clinical Spotlight: Gottman Method Couples
Therapy Approach 334
Evidence-Based Couple and Family Group Therapies 340
Lay of the Land 340
Psychoeducational Multifamily Groups for Severe Mental Illness 340
Groups for Intimate Partner Abuse 342
Relationship Enhancement Programs 344
Parent Training 345
Mindfulness-Based Therapies 346
A Brief History of Mindfulness in Mental Health 346
Mindfulness Basics 347
Specific Mindfulness Approaches 349
Mindfulness in Couple and Family Therapy 351
References357
Cognitive–Behavioral Case Study: ADHD and Blended Family 362
Cognitive–Behavioral Family Therapy Case Conceptualization 363
xiv Detailed Table of Contents

Treatment Plan 372
Progress Note 375
9 Solution-Based Therapies 377

Lay of the Land 378
Solution-Based Therapies 378
Common Solution-Based Therapy Myths 378
Interventions for Specific Problems 395
Putting It All Together: Case Conceptualization and Treatment Plan Templates 398
Theory-Specific Case Conceptualization: Solution-Based 398
Treatment Plan Template for Individuals with Sexual Abuse Trauma:
Solution-Based 399
Treatment Plan Template for Distressed Couple/Family: Solution-Based 400
Solution-Oriented Ericksonian Hypnosis 401
Difference from Traditional Hypnosis 402
References408
Solution-Based Therapy Case Study: Divorce 411
Solution-Focused Family Therapy Case Conceptualization 412
Treatment Plan 422
Progress Note 425
10 Narrative and Collaborative Therapies 427

Lay of the Land 428
Narrative Therapy 428
Interventions for Specific Problems 443
Detailed Table of Contents xv
Putting It All Together: Narrative Case Conceptualization and Treatment

Plan Templates 445
Areas for Theory-Specific Case Conceptualization: Narrative 445
Treatment Plan Template for Individual with Depression/Anxiety: Narrative 446
Treatment Plan Template for Distressed Couple/Family: Narrative 447
Collaborative Therapy and Reflecting Teams 449
The Doing: Interventions and Ways of Promoting Change 457
Reflecting Teams and the Reflecting Process 461
Putting It All Together: Collaborative Case Conceptualization and Treatment
Plan Templates 464
Areas for Theory-Specific Case Conceptualization: Collaborative 464
Treatment Plan Template for Individual with Depression/Anxiety: Collaborative 464
Treatment Plan Template for Distressed Couple/Family: Collaborative 465
Clinical Spotlight: Open Dialogue, an Evidence-Based Approach to Psychosis 467
Applications with Native American, First Nations, and Aboriginals 468
Hispanic Youth 468
Multiracial/Ethnic Individuals and Couples 469
Research on Postmodern Therapies 472
Neurobiology of Narrative 473
References 475
Postmodern Case Study: Self-Harm, Depression, Lesbian Blended Family 480
Postmodern Therapy Case Conceptualization 481
Treatment Plan 490
Progress Note 493
Part Iii Clinical Case Documentation 495
11 Case Conceptualization 497

Step 1: Mapping the Territory 497
Case Conceptualization and the Art of Viewing 498
Overview of Cross-Theoretical Case Conceptualization 498
Introduction to Client and Significant Others 499
Presenting Concerns 499
Background Information 500
Client/Family Strengths and Social Location 501
Family Structure 505
Interaction Patterns 510
xvi Detailed Table of Contents
Intergenerational and Attachment Patterns 512

Solution-Based Assessment 515
Postmodern: Social Location and Dominant Discourses 516
Client Perspectives 518
Case Conceptualization, Diversity, and Sameness 519
References519
Cross-Theoretical Systemic Case Conceptualization Form 521
12 Clinical Assessment 527

Step 2: Identifying Oases and Obstacles 527
Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis 528
Purpose of Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis 528
Diagnosis and Our Inescapable Cultural Lenses 529
Mental Health Diagnosis in Family Therapy 531
Contemporary Issues in Diagnosis 532
Dimensional Assessment: The Future of Diagnosis 532
The Recovery Model and Diagnosis 532
Parity and Nonparity Diagnoses 534
Introduction to the DSM-5 535
Title of the DSM-5 535
Manual Structure 535
Organization of Diagnostic Chapters 536
Diagnostic Codes and the ICD 536
New Diagnosis Format 537
Subtypes and Specifiers 539
Dimensional Assessment 539
NOS versus NEC Diagnosis 540
WHODAS 2.0 540
Cultural Formulation and Assessment 541
Conducting a Clinical Assessment 541
Diagnostic Interview and Mental Status Exam 541
Cross-Cutting Symptom Measures 544
Symptom Severity Scales 545
Early Development and Home Background 546
Other Possible Assessment Instruments 546
Making a Diagnosis 547
Documenting Clinical Assessment 547
Identifying Information 548
Presenting Problem 548
Mental Status Exam 548
Diagnosis 548
Medical Considerations and Medication 548
Risk Management 549
Safety and Safety Planning 550
Case Management 552
Communicating with Other Professionals 553
DSM-ese 553
Mental Status Terms 554
References557
Detailed Table of Contents xvii
13 Treatment Planning 563

Treatment 1 Plan 5 ? 563
Step 3: Selecting a Path 564
A Brief History of Mental Health Treatment Planning 564
Symptom-Based Treatment Plans 564
Theory-Based Treatment Plans 565
Clinical Treatment Plans 565
Treatment Plan 565
Writing Useful Client Goals 567
The Basic Steps 568
The Goal-Writing Process 570
Writing Useful Interventions 572
Writing Useful Therapeutic Tasks 573
Social Location and Diversity Considerations 573
Evidence-Based Practice 574
Client Perspectives 575
Do Plans Make a Difference? 575
References 576
14 Evaluating Progress in Therapy 577

Step 4: Evaluating Progress 577
Nonstandardized Evaluations 578
Pros and Cons 578
Strategies for Nonstandardized Assessment 579
Standardized Evaluations 579
Pros and Cons 580
Effects on the Therapeutic Relationship 580
Real-World Options for Standardized Evaluations of Progress 580
Guidelines for Using Standardized Measures in Everyday Practice 580
Ultrabrief Measures 581
Brief Measures 583
Couple Measures 586
Family Measures 586
Final Thoughts on Outcome 587
References 588
15 Document It: Progress Notes 591

Step 5: Documenting It: A Profession behind Closed Doors 591
Two Different Animals: Progress Notes versus Psychotherapy Notes 592
Progress Notes 592
Progress Note Ingredients 593
Progress Note Options 593
The All-Purpose HIPAA Form for Progress Notes 594
Progress Note Form 594
Completing a Progress Note Form 595
A Time and Place for Progress Notes 598
Electronic Record Keeping 598
xviii Detailed Table of Contents
Final Note on Notes 599

References 599
Afterword Closing Thoughts: Where to Go from Here? 601

Getting Started: Working with a Supervisor 601
Realistic Expectations 601
Asking for What You Need 602
Seeking Advanced Training 602
Belonging: Professional Organizations 602
Self-Supervision603
Last Words 603
Appendix A Family Therapy Core Competencies 605
Appendix B CACREP Competency-Based Standards 613
Appendix c Psychology Benchmarks 615
Appendix D Social Work 2015 Competencies 625
Index 631
Foreword by Ronald J. Chenail, Ph.D.
Becoming Competent
with Competencies, or
What I Have Learned
About Learning
Even though I have been teaching in one form or another since 1978, I was never formally
schooled in educational concepts like student learning outcomes, rubrics, and competen-
cies. I, like many of my colleagues, followed a tried-and-true method of teaching—how I
remembered being taught by those teachers I admired the most and not teaching how I
recalled being instructed by those teachers I dreaded the most. (With this steadfast educa-
tional philosophy intact, I, along with my fellow teachers in the elementary, middle, and
high schools and community colleges and universities, would approach the latest, greatest
new educational theory, model, or fad rolled out by well-meaning, earnest administra-
tors and instructional specialists with the same disinterest as some of our students would
embrace our own zealous pronouncements of the importance of mastering algebra, know-
ing who Charlemagne was, and differentiating between first- and second-order change.)
Funny as it seems, we as teachers and students appeared to share the same lament—what
does all this learning stuff have to do with being successful in the real world? Now looking
back 30 years later, I have come to the realization that learning has everything to do with
being successful, and that learning is not the same thing as teaching.
Learning about Learning

I have always loved learning, although I was not always crazy about school. I was one of
those students who lived by the proverb to never let my schooling get in the way of my
education. Today I live by another proverb when it comes to working—to never let my job
get in the way of my career, but that is a preface for another book.
It was this apparent paradox of loving learning but not loving school that led me to
think about what made the two processes so different in my mind and life. For me, the
main difference between learning and schooling seemed to be predicated on who decided
what needed to be learned and who directed the learning process. When I was able to
explore what interested me, acquire information I felt I needed to master, and access men-
tors who could help facilitate my learning, I was always more successful in achieving my
goals and objectives.
With this new revelation filling my head, I started to think how I could share this
way of learning with my students. The first step in this epiphany was to see that my stu-
dents were not that different from me. They too liked to learn what they liked to learn,
so I made this insight the centerpiece of my learning-centric approach. The second step
was to see learning not as an epic dyadic struggle between me as the omniscient and om-
nipotent teacher who possessed all knowledge and wisdom and the students as reluctant,
empty opponents needing to be directed and taught, but rather as a triadic arrangement
xix
xx Becoming Competent with Competencies, or What I Have Learned About Learning
involving three interrelated parts: the student, a body of knowledge or group of skills, and
me. In this configuration, I find I am no longer in conflict with students, forcing them to
learn what I deem to be privileged knowledge; instead, I now try to learn what students
aspire to become; help them define this aspiration as goals, objectives, and competencies;
and work with them to support and facilitate their learning journeys.
Taking this approach was liberating for me and startling for many of my students.
In their formal schooling, many of them had never been asked to be proactive with their
learning; however, like me, they all found they could learn well when they could be in
charge of their own learning. Having confidence that students were really like me and
could learn very well on their own was an insight I wanted to put into practice in my
work with marriage and family therapy (MFT) graduate students.
Being Competent with Competencies

Most students who choose to matriculate in therapy programs like counseling, clinical
psychology, social work, or family therapy really want to be therapists or counselors. The
challenge is that students usually do not know all the things they will want to know before
they know them. We always wish we knew then what we know now. Students who want
to become competent marriage and family therapists are no different.
We now seem to be in the world of competencies for marriage and family therapists.
The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) initiated a dia-
logue in which marriage and family therapists reflected on what they knew about being
effective therapists and shared these insights with one another. Through this ongoing,
collaborative process, the AAMFT Core Competencies were born (Nelson et al., 2007),
with the result that therapists can now clearly define what competent marriage and fam-
ily therapists should be able to accomplish in their work with clients.
The effort to create this set of competencies originated within a number of critical con-
texts. Health care policymakers in Washington wanted practitioners to be clearer about
what they did and did not do with their patients and clients. Consumers also wanted
clarity in what they could expect licensed professionals to deliver. Higher education ac-
creditation professionals and policymakers wanted educators to take an outcomes-based
approach to learning and to become more accountable to students and employers so that
all interested parties could know what could be expected from graduates of specific de-
gree and training programs.
The good news was that the competencies were here. We as MFT educators could
work from a system that was specific enough to communicate learning objectives and
outcomes so that we, along with our students, could have reasonable expectations of
what becoming competent family therapists would entail, while being generic enough for
us to be creative in facilitating and supporting our students as they began the journey to
become therapists.
Of course, the bad news was also that the competencies were here. Most of us had not
been educated in this style of learning when we were training to become therapists. We
also had not been trained as faculty members and supervisors to educate our students in
this manner. The challenge before us was how to become competent with the competen-
cies. And that is where Diane Gehart’s delightful new book comes in.
To meet this challenge, Diane, like many of us, has had to learn about learning to be-
come competent with the competencies! She has taken the best of the learning-centered
approaches and has woven in the latest clinical innovations and scholarship from the
world of marriage and family therapy to create a clear and concise set of learning out-
comes that can become that third partner with students and faculty to form a triadic
learning model.
In the first part of the book, Diane introduces her readers to this wonderful world
of learning in which teachers and students work together to learn new knowledge and
Becoming Competent with Competencies, or What I Have Learned About Learning xxi
skills in the pursuit of transparent and mutually beneficial goals. She

then deconstructs the Core Competencies into the basics of case con-
ceptualization, clinical assessment, treatment planning, evaluation, and
documentation, making them more readily apparent to the beginning
marital and family therapist. Finally, she reconstructs MFT learning by
bringing modern and postmodern approaches into this world of learn-
ing outcomes and competencies so that we can skillfully conceptualize,
assess, treat, evaluate, and document our work, regardless of the clini-
cal approach we embrace.
In this new edition, Diane has taken great care to make the learning
Courtesy of Ron Chenail

more experiential by inviting her readers to try things for themselves
via practice prompts for building clinical skills and through reflective
questions to consider mindfully what they have learned and how they
can apply these ideas to their clinical work in a practical way. These
learning practices will help readers to become more active and respon-
sible in their own learning process as they are asked to translate theory and research into
clinical practice in a very personal way.
I encourage you to learn how Diane has learned how to learn marriage and family
therapy in a loving way so that you too can become proficient with the MFT competen-
cies, common factors, and evidence-based practice. If you do, I think you will come away
from this book with a new appreciation and affection for learning and be positioned well
to become a more mindful, ethical, and competent therapist.
Ronald J. Chenail, Ph.D.

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
REFERENCE
Nelson, T. S., Chenail, R. J., Alexander, J. F., Crane, D. R., Johnson, S. M., & Schwal-
lie, L. (2007). The development of core competencies for the practice of marriage
and family therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 33(4), 417–438.
doi:10.1111/j.1752-0606.2007.00042.x
Preface
The Purpose of This Book

Mastering Competencies in Family Therapy is designed to be an efficient and highly
effective means of teaching new therapists to master the essential competencies necessary
to succeed in doing couples and family therapy in the 21st century. As an instructor in an
accredited program and university that is required to measure student learning, I needed
something that would enable me to effectively measure student learning. Although I cre-
ated comprehensive assessment systems for measuring student mastery of competencies
(Gehart, 2007, 2009), I realized that in order to do so, the students needed resources that
meaningfully provided them with the detailed knowledge they need to actually develop
real-world skills. In short, I needed something more than a text that simply offered solid
but old school “book knowledge”; I needed a resource that eloquently responded to my
students’ everyday training experiences and needs. This book was written to be the missing
link between theory and practice that my students needed.
Text Overview
Using state-of-the-art pedagogical methods, this text is part of a new generation of text-
books, ones that are correlated with national standards for measuring student learning in
the mental health professions, including counseling, family therapy, psychology, and social
work. Using a learning-centered, outcome-based pedagogy, the text engages students in an
active learning process rather than delivering content in a traditional narrative style. More
specifically, the text introduces family therapy theories using: (a) theory-informed case
conceptualization, (b) clinical assessment, (c) treatment planning, and (d) progress notes.
These assignments empower students to apply theoretical concepts and develop real-world
skills as early as possible in their training, resulting in greater mastery of the material. In
addition, the text includes extensive discussions about how diversity issues and research
inform the contemporary practice of family therapy.
Furthermore, I use a down-to-earth style to explain concepts in clear and practical
language that contemporary students appreciate. Instructors will enjoy the simplicity of
having the text and assignments work seamlessly together, thus requiring less time spent
in class preparation and grading. The extensive set of instructor materials—which
include syllabi templates, detailed PowerPoint slides, test banks, online lectures, and
scoring rubrics designed for accreditation assessment—further reduce educators’ work-
loads. In summary, the book employs the most efficient and effective pedagogical methods
available to family therapy theories, resulting in a win–win for instructors and students.
xxiii
xxiv Preface
What’s New in the Third Edition

Students and instructors familiar with the second version of the text will notice a similar
style and format and also appreciate numerous enhancements:
●● Video series: A series of videos designed to accompany the text will be released with
this edition. Ranging from 30 to 60 minutes, these videos are designed to teach a
single intervention—such as enactment in structural therapy or sculpting in Satir’s
approach—and provides viewers with very specific instructions from leading experts.
In addition, during the interview, significant therapeutic moments are identified and
explained on the bottom of the screen to enable new clinicians to understand the
thinking of the therapist during the session. Finally, the videos include a debriefing
session with clients in which they share their personal experience during the session
and their reflections; in virtually every video, the client debriefing provides some of
the most useful instructions to viewers. Instructors who adopt the book will have free
access to these videos to stream in class via Cengage’s www.cengagebrain.com.
Students and professionals can access the videos individually for a nominal fee on www
.cengagebrain.com. The video topics include:
■■ Systemic–strategic therapy: Ordeals
■■ Structural therapy: Enactments
■■ Satir Human Growth Model: Sculpting
■■ Emotionally focused couples/family therapy: Tracking the negative interaction
cycle
■■ Bowen Intergenerational: Constructing a genogram in session with clients
■■ Cognitive–behavioral family therapy: Teaching families with a child diagnosed
with ADHD to practice mindfulness
■■ Solution-based: Solution-focused scaling to designed homework assignments
■■ Narrative therapy: Preferred narrative
■■ Collaborative therapy with reflecting teams: Mutual puzzling and reflecting team.
●● MindTap version of text: The third edition of this text will be available on MindTap, a
state-of-the-art learning platform that maximizes and significantly expands the learn-
ing experience by integrating video, role-plays, connection with peers and instructors,
external journal articles, flash cards, assignments, etc.
●● Theory-specific case conceptualization forms: In response to instructor requests,
theory-specific case conceptualization forms have been added for each theory. New
clinicians can use these forms to develop a theory-specific case conceptualization. Still
included, the former “Systemic Case Conceptualization” has been renamed “Cross-
Theoretical Systemic Case Conceptualization.” This form is ideal for programs that
want to measure student learning related to all couples and family therapy theories.
●● Cross-theoretical comparison: Couples and family therapy theories are now com-
pared in each chapter using Karl Tomm’s approach to conceptualizing interpersonal
patterns. Tomm’s approach includes conceptualizing not only pathologizing interper-
sonal patterns but also healing, wellness, transformation (therapeutic), deteriorating,
and sociocultural interpersonal patterns (Tomm et al., 2014). This flexible yet com-
prehensive approach to conceptualizing systemic patterns provides an unparalleled
method for comparing theories and has significantly improved my students’ ability to
understand the theories presented in this book. The foundations of Tomm’s approach
is introduced in Chapter 3, and then each chapter on a specific theory includes a sec-
tion that translates the theory into Tomm’s interpersonal patterns.
●● Cross-theoretical comparison table: Chapter 3, “Philosophical Foundations of Family
Therapy Theories,” includes a table that compares how each approach: (a) conceptu-
alizes interpersonal patterns, (b) defines wellness interpersonal patterns, and (c) inter-
venes to transform interpersonal patterns, allowing new practitioners to more quickly
grasp similarities and differences between theories.
Preface xxv
●● Revised treatment plan form: The treatment plan has been streamlined to include
more meaningful explorations of diversity and the evidence base. Enthusiastically
received by students, the new shorter form is organized as follows:
■■ Goals with interventions and option to set measurable targets
■■ Treatment tasks, including developing a therapeutic relationship, developing a case
conceptualization and assessment, and managing crises/referrals
■■ Diversity considerations, which prompts clinicians to discuss how a wide range of
diversity factors and contexts were addressed in the plan
■■ Evidence-based practice section, which prompts students to identify relevant
research to support their plan; the resources for this section are covered both in
the general review of the couple and family therapy evidence in Chapter 2 and in
the “Research and Evidence Base” section in each theoretical chapter.
●● DSM-5 clinical assessment: The clinical assessment form has been updated to include
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) diagnosis and Cross-
Cutting Symptom assessment. The clinical assessment chapter includes an expanded
section that introduces readers to the purpose, structure, and technical issues related
to the DSM-5.
●● New theories: Two new theories have been added: integrative behavioral couples theory
(a leading evidence-based couples therapy treatment) and intensive structural therapy.
●● Gender and power in couples therapy: Socioemotional relational therapy was intro-
duced to the philosophical foundations section (see Chapter 3) to provide a contem-
porary approach to address issues of gender, culture, and power that can be used in
conjunction with other approaches (Knudson-Martin & Huenergardt, 2015).
●● Expanded diversity sections: The diversity sections in each theory chapter were
updated and expanded to include specific, practical applications of the theory with
specific populations. Each chapter contains a discussion of ethnic/racial diversity as
well as sexual and gender identity diversity. Expanded sections on specific populations
provide students with detailed suggestions, adaptations, and cautions for using a given
theory with a specific population, including African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos,
Asian Americans, Native Americans/First Nation/Aboriginals, biracial/ multiethnic
individuals, gay men, lesbians, and transgendered youth.
●● Expanded section on research and the evidence base: The review of research in
Chapter 2 has been expanded to include: (a) a unified treatment protocol for couples
therapy, the first in the field of couples and family therapy, and (b) an expanded
review of outcome and process findings for couples and family therapy.
●● Try It Yourself: Each chapter contains prompts for the reader to practice applying
the concept or intervention in the chapter to promote building of practical skills for
working with couples and families.
●● Questions for Personal Reflection and Class Discussion: Each chapter now contains
a set of questions to encourage readers to personally reflect and think critically and
practically about the concepts in each chapter.
●● Chapter reorganization: The theory chapters in Part II were reorganized to even the
length across sections and to include evidence-based treatments in chapters with simi-
lar approaches to facilitate more effective learning.
Appropriate Courses
A versatile book that serves as a reference across the curriculum, this text is specifically
designed for use as a primary or secondary textbook in the following courses:
●● Introductory or advanced family therapy theories courses
●● Prepracticum skills classes
●● Practicum or fieldwork classes
●● Treatment planning and case documentation courses
xxvi Preface
Assessing Student Learning and Competence

The learning assignments in the text are designed to simplify the process of measuring
student learning for regional and national accreditation. The case conceptualization and
treatment plans in the book come with scoring rubrics, which are available on the student
and instructor websites for the book at www.cengage.com. Scoring rubrics are available
for all major mental health disciplines using the following sets of competencies:
●● Counseling: 2016 Council on the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educa-
tional Programs (CACREP) standards
●● Marriage and family therapy: MFT core competencies
●● Psychology: Psychology competency benchmarks
●● Social work: Council for Social Work Education accreditation standards
Rubrics are provided correlating competencies for each profession to the skills demon-
strated on the four learning assignments: case conceptualization, clinical assessment, treat-
ment planning, and progress notes.
Organization
This book is organized into three parts:
art I: Theoretical Foundations provides an introduction to competencies, research, ethics,
P
and the philosophical foundations of the field.
Part II: Couple and Family Therapy Theories covers the major schools of family therapy
■■ Systemic–strategic theories: MRI, Milan, and strategic
■■ Structural family therapies: Structural and functional family therapies
■■ Experiential family therapies: Satir’s human growth model and emotionally focused
therapy with a clinical spotlight on Whitaker’s symbolic–experiential family therapy
■■ Intergenerational and psychodynamic theories
■■ Cognitive–behavioral and mindfulness-based family therapies, including multicouple
and multifamily groups
■■ Solution-based therapies
■■ Postmodern therapies: collaborative and narrative
art III: Clinical Case Documentation details the five steps to competent therapy described
P
at the beginning of this chapter:
●● Case conceptualization
●● Clinical assessment
●● Treatment planning
●● Evaluating progress
●● Progress notes
The theory chapters in Part II are organized in a user-friendly way to maximize students’
ability to use the book when developing case conceptualizations, writing treatment plans,
and designing interventions with clients. The theory chapters follow this outline consis-
tently throughout the book:
●● In a Nutshell: The Least You Need to Know
●● The Juice: Significant Contributions to the Field: If there is one thing to remember
from this chapter it should be. . . .
●● Rumor Has It: The People and Their Stories
●● The Big Picture: Overview of the Therapy Process
●● Making a Connection: The Therapy Relationship
Preface xxvii
●● The Viewing: Case Conceptualization

●● Targeting Change: Goal Setting
●● The Doing: Interventions
●● Scope It Out: Cross-theoretical comparison using Tomm’s interpersonal patterns
●● Putting It All Together: Treatment Plan Template
■■ Theory-Specific Case Conceptualization Template
■■ Treatment Plan Template for Individuals with Depression/Anxiety Symptoms
■■ Treatment Plan Template for Distressed Couples/Families
●● Tapestry Weaving: Working with Diverse Populations
■■ Ethnic, Racial, Gender, and Cultural Diversity
■■ Sexual and Gender Identity Diversity
●● Research and Evidence Base
●● Online Resources
●● Reference List
●● Case Example: Vignette with a complete set of clinical paperwork described in Part
III, including a theory-specific case conceptualization, clinical assessment, treatment
plan, and a progress note.
MindTap for Mastering Competencies

MindTap®, a digital teaching and learning solution, helps students be more successful and
confident in the course—and in their work with clients. MindTap guides students through
the course by combining the complete textbook with interactive multimedia, activities,
assessments, and learning tools. Readings and activities engage students in learning core
concepts, practicing needed skills, reflecting on their attitudes and opinions, and applying
what they learn. Videos of client sessions illustrate skills and concepts in action, while case
studies ask students to make decisions and think critically about the types of situations
they’ll encounter on the job. Helper Studio activities put students in the role of the helper,
allowing them to build and practice skills in a non-threatening environment by responding
via video to a virtual client. Instructors can rearrange and add content to personalize their
MindTap course, and easily track students’ progress with real-time analytics. And, Mind-
Tap integrates seamlessly with any learning management system.
Instructor and Student Resources

MindTap for Mastering Competencies includes digital study tools and resources that comple-
ment this text and help your students be more successful in your course and their careers. There’s
an interactive eBook plus videos of client sessions, skill-building activities, quizzes to help stu-
dents prepare for tests, digital forms for all assignments, apps, and more—all in one place.
Instructors will find numerous teaching resources to accompany the book on the In-
structor Companion Site (login.cengage.com). These include:
●● Online lectures by the author
●● Sample syllabi for how to use this book in a theory class, prepracticum skills class, or
practicum class
●● PowerPoint slides for all chapters
●● Scoring rubrics for each assignment correlated to each profession’s competencies:
counseling, family therapy, psychology, and social work
●● An Instructor’s Manual
●● A Test bank with questions to accompany each chapter
Students can find digital forms, online lectures, and numerous other useful resources on
the author’s websites: dianegehart.com or masteringcompetencies.com
xxviii Preface
REFERENCES
Gehart, D. (2007). The complete marriage and family therapy core competency assess-
ment system: Eight outcome-based instruments for measuring student learning. Thou-
sand Oaks, CA: Author. Available at www.mftcompetencies.com.
Gehart, D. (2009). The complete counseling assessment system: Eight outcome-based in-
struments for measuring student learning. Marriage, Couple, and Family Counsel-
ing Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Author. Available at www.counselingcompetencies
.com
Knudson-Martin, C., & Huenergardt, D. (2015). Bridging emotion, societal discourse,
and couple interaction in clinical practice. In C. Knudson-Martin, M. A. Wells, & S.
K. Samman (Eds.), Socio-emotional relationship therapy: Bridging emotion, societal
context, and couple interaction (pp. 1–13). New York: Springer Science + Business
Media. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-13398-0_1
Tomm, K., St. George, S., Wulff, D., & Strong, T. (2014). Patterns in interpersonal in-
teractions: Inviting relational understandings for therapeutic change. New York:
Routledge.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank the following content experts who gave their time and energy to
ensure that the information in this textbook was accurate and current:
Interpersonal patterns: Karl Tomm, Sally St. George, Dan Wulff, and Tom Strong
Socioemotional relational therapy: Carmen Knudson-Martin
Systemic–strategic therapies: Angela Kahn, Wendel Ray, Todd Gunter, and Allison Lux
Structural therapies: Charles Fishman, Marion Lindblad-Goldberg, Angela Kahn
Satir Model: Kathlyne Banmen-Maki, Lynne M. Azpeitia, Angela Kahn
Symbolic–experiential therapy: Michael Chafin
Bowen Intergenerational Therapy: Michael Kerr, Cynthia Larkby, Jose Luis Flores, Angela
Kahn
Psychodynamic: Martha Carr, Dan Alonzo
Cognitive-Behavioral Family Therapy: Norm Epstein, Bill Northey
Integrated behavioral couples therapy: Andy Christensen and Dorothy O’Neil
Gottman’s Marriage Clinic approach: Naomi Knoble
Solution-based therapies: Bill O’Hanlon, Terry Trepper, Thorana Nelson
Narrative therapy: Gerald Monk
Collaborative therapy: Harlene Anderson
Emotionally focused therapy: Scott Woolley, Ben Caldwell
Functional family therapy: Thomas Sexton
Emotionally focused therapy case study: Jonathan Vicksburg
Multifamily group therapy: Eric McCollum
Outcome and session rating scales: Scott Miller
Outcome questionnaire: Michael Lambert
Competencies and learning assessment: Ron Chenail, Thorana Nelson, William Northey
Clinical forms: Julie Diaz, Angela Kahn
The following reviewers provided invaluable feedback on making this book work for
faculty:
William F. Northey, Jr. (Bill Northey): Former AAMFT staff member
John K. Miller: University of Oregon
Joshua M. Gold: University of South Carolina
Brent Taylor: San Diego State
xxix
xxx Acknowledgments
Randall Lyle: St. Mary’s University

Cynthia T. Walley: Old Dominion University
Graduate student research team for the third edition:
●● Christopher Abounayan
●● Deborah Brown
●● Jessica Erker
●● Sara Klausner
●● Matt Kloeris
●● Courtney Markowitz
●● Matt Stephan
●● Anna Schaerf
The following students and former students assisted in the development of the instruc-
tors’ manual for the first edition:
Brandy Lucus: Syllabi, test bank, and video lists
Tricia Lethcoe: PowerPoint slides and test bank
Karen Graber: Reference checks and CACREP rubrics
Julie Woodworth: Test bank
Alina Whitmore: Test bank
Instructor and student materials for the second edition were developed by:
Dana Stone: Test bank and web quizzes
Jessica Lopez: PowerPoint slides and glossary
Brooke Clarke: Rubrics and syllabi and test bank
Corie Loiselle: PowerPoint slides, test bank, and glossary
The following students and colleagues assisted in researching and proofing the second
edition:
●● Hiroko Okuishi
●● Alejandra Trujillo
I would also like to thank the following people for their generous assistance:
Bill O’Hanlon: Whose Writing Bootcamp made this book happen much more easily and
quickly and whose encouragement kept me going
Michael Bowers: Who provided permission to reprint the AAMFT Core Competencies
Marquita Flemming: The book’s initial editor at Cengage, who helped develop its vision
and focus
Seth Dobrin: The book’s second editor at Cengage, who helped bring it to its final form
Guenther and Anna Gehart: My parents, whose proofreading and editing kept the drafts clean
Michael and Alexander McNicholas: For teaching me about what family is all about.
About the Author
DR. DIANE R. GEHART is Professor in the Marriage and Fam-

ily Therapy and Counseling Programs at California State Univer-
sity, Northridge. Having practiced, taught, and supervised for over
20 years, she has authored/edited:
Theory and Treatment Planning in Counseling and Psychotherapy
Case Documentation in Counseling and Psychotherapy
Mindfulness and Acceptance in Couple and Family Therapy
Collaborative Therapy: Relationships and Conversations that Make
a Difference (coedited)
Photo by Jones Photo Art
The Complete MFT Core Competency Assessment System

The Complete Counseling Assessment System
Theory-Based Treatment Planning for Marriage and Family Thera
pists (coauthored)
She has also written extensively on postmodern therapies, mindful-
ness, mental health recovery, sexual abuse treatment, gender issues,
children and adolescents, client advocacy, qualitative research, and
counselor and MFT education. She speaks internationally, having
given workshops to professional and general audiences in the United
States, Canada, Europe, and Mexico. Her work has been featured in
newspapers, radio shows, and television worldwide, including the
BBC, National Public Radio, Oprah’s O Magazine, and Ladies Home
Journal. She is an associate faculty member at three international
postgraduate training institutes: the Houston Galveston Institute,
Taos Institute, and the Marburg Institute for Collaborative Studies
in Germany. In addition, she is an active leader in state and national
professional organizations. She maintains a private practice in Agoura
Hills, California, specializing in couples, families, women’s issues,
trauma, life transitions, and difficult-to-treat cases. For fun, she enjoys
spending time with her family, hiking, swimming, yoga, salsa dancing,
meditating, and savoring all forms of dark chocolate. You can learn
more about her work on www.dianegehart.com.
xxxi
Author’s Introduction:
On Saying “Yes” and
Falling in Love
I never envisioned myself writing a book such as this. Up to this point, I have focused my
career less on the science and more on the heart and soul of therapy, choosing to train as
a collaborative therapist who works side by side with clients to create new understand-
ings (see Chapter 10; Anderson & Gehart, 2007), to conduct postmodern qualitative re-
search that introduces the voices of clients into professional literature (Gehart & Lyle,
1999), and to incorporate Buddhist psychology, mindfulness, and spiritual principles and
practices into my work (Gehart & McCollum, 2007). Except for my earlier book on
treatment planning (Gehart & Tuttle, 2003), nothing in my background points in the
direction of writing a book on the competencies or the science-based aspects of family
therapy. So, how did I get here? Ironically, what led me here were the very things that one
would assume would have prevented it: namely, my postmodern and Buddhist training.
More specifically, their practices of saying “yes.”
One of the hallmark principles of collaborative therapy, and most family therapies
for that matter, is to honor the perspectives of all participants, saying “Yes, I hear you
and take your concerns to heart.” The Buddhist practice of “saying yes” is the practice
of softening and moving toward “what is,” even if it is uncomfortable, undesirable, or
painful. As a professional, saying “yes” involves taking seriously the perspectives of our
colleagues, our clients, third-party payers, state and federal legislatures, licensing boards,
professional organizations, and the general public. How do they see us? What questions
and concerns do they have about what we do?
Over the years, voices from outside our profession have increasingly demanded clarity
on and evidence for what we do. Answering these demands while maintaining integrity
with my training is often challenging because the working assumptions of what “counts”
as evidence in human relations are not as simple or straightforward as one might think.
What an insurance company considers as evidence of successful therapy (i.e., a particular
score on an assessment form) is quite different from what a therapist might emphasize
(i.e., observing the client move with the ceaseless stream-of-life stressors more gracefully).
As part of our profession’s response to the demand for greater accountability, fam-
ily therapists generated a list of Core Competencies that detail the knowledge and skills
that define the practice of family therapy (see Appendix A). For faculty members such as
myself, this is essentially a to-do list of what we need to teach our students. As a member
of this community, I recognized that I needed to find a positive, respectful way to work
with these external priorities and balance them with my own. This book is my answer,
my “yes,” to these concerns.
xxxiii
xxxiv Author’s Introduction: On Saying “Yes” and Falling in Love
My Other Purpose: Falling in Love

I must confess that I had another intention for writing this book: to help you to fall in
love. And, preferably to do so again and again—making even Casanova envious. I want
you to fall in love with not one but all of the family therapy theories in this book, enthu-
siastically embracing each while seeing both its beauty and its limitations, much in the
same way we help our clients to love each other. I hope you cultivate a profound respect
for the brilliant minds that have paved the way for us to help clients with their most com-
plex and intimate problems—their couple and family relationships—or, more essentially,
to teach them how to love. I hope you find yourself passionate about the insight each
approach offers in understanding human relationships as well as about helping people
create the relationships they desire. As family therapists, we inherit a stunning and pro-
found body of knowledge that is difficult to fully appreciate in the beginning. I personally
believe that some of the greatest wisdom in the Western world is captured in the philo-
sophical foundations of family therapy. Although these ideas sometimes seem surprising
or even objectionable at first, if you sincerely try to put them into practice, I believe you
will find that each touches upon a useful truth and reality. Should you choose to seriously
study it, the field of family therapy offers an ever-widening exploration of the human
experience that cannot help but transform you both personally and professionally. I hope
this book inspires you to start on a passionate journey of discovery that lasts a lifetime.
What You Will Find

This book is divided into three sections: the first introduces you to foundational concepts
in the field, including competence, the evidence base, professional ethics, and the philo-
sophical foundations. In the second part of the book, you will learn about the major fam-
ily therapy theories, both the traditional theories and the newer evidence-based therapies.
The chapters describe the theory using a highly practical approach that will provide spe-
cific instructions on how to use the concepts in session. In addition, each chapter includes
a case study with a complete set of clinical documentations: case conceptualization, clini-
cal assessment, treatment plan, and progress note. The final section provides you with
detailed instructions for completing this form as well as options for measuring clinical
progress.
The Invitation
I invite you to passionately and enthusiastically embrace each perspective, concept, and
theory that follows. Savor the big-picture view of case conceptualization while also tak-
ing time to examine the intricate matters of clinical assessment. Appreciate the unique
wisdom of each theory while also recognizing the common factors (see Chapter 2) that
they share. Get excited about research and the evidence base of our work (see Chapter 2),
while honoring the philosophical foundations (see Chapter 3). Be open to theories that
rely on technique and content to promote change as well as to those that rely on process
and relationship, knowing that each has its place when working with diverse clients. Say
“yes” to all that comes your way, and take pleasure in the incredible journey of becoming
a family therapist.
Enjoy the adventure.
Diane R. Gehart, Ph.D.

Westlake Village, California
July 2016
Author’s Introduction: On Saying “Yes” and Falling in Love xxxv
REFERENCES
Anderson, H., & Gehart, D. (2007). Collaborative therapy: Relationships and conversa-
tions that make a difference. New York: Brunner/Routledge.
Gehart, D. R., & Lyle, R. R. (1999). Client and therapist perspectives of change in col-
laborative language systems: An interpretive ethnography. Journal of Systemic Ther-
apy, 18(4), 78–97.
Gehart, D., & McCollum, E. (2007). Engaging suffering: Towards a mindful re-visioning
of marriage and family therapy practice. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 33,
214–226.
Gehart, D. R., & Tuttle, A. R. (2003). Theory-based treatment planning for marriage
and family therapists: Integrating theory and practice. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Part I
Theoretical
Foundations
c h a p t e r
1
Competency and Theory
in Family Therapy
Learning Objectives
After reading this chapter and a few hours of focused studying, you
should be able to:
●● Describe a broad-strokes overview of the elements of competent
therapy.
●● Outline the reasons why mental health practitioners are focused
on competency-based learning methods.
●● Identify four key aspects of competency in mental health.
The Secret to Competent Therapy

There is a secret to providing competent family therapy. The secret applies whether you
are trained as a psychologist, counselor, or social worker or as a family therapist spe-
cifically. Fortunately, it is an open secret, and the goal of this chapter is to sketch a map
showing where and, more importantly, how to look for it. You are probably familiar with
the basic landscape. You may recognize therapy’s more promising pathways and some
of the dead-end routes. But like everyone setting out on a journey, your choice between
the high road and the low road would be easier if you knew what was in store for you
beforehand.
Since I know you will race ahead if I make you wait too much longer, let’s lay our map
on the table right now and get a better sense of this secret on the first page. Mapping a
successful therapeutic journey involves five steps.
4 Chapter 1 ● Competency and Theory in Family Therapy
The Five Steps to Competent Therapy

Step 1. Map the Territory: Conceptualize the situation with the help of
theory (Chapter 11).
Step 2. Identify Oases and Obstacles: Assess the client’s mental status and
provide case management (Chapter 12).
Step 3. Select a Path: Develop a treatment plan with therapeutic tasks—
including how to build a working therapeutic relationship—and
measurable client goals (Chapter 13).
Step 4. Track Progress: Evaluate the client’s response to treatment (Chapter 14).
Step 5. Leave a Trail: Document what happens (Chapter 15).
Mapping a Successful Therapeutic Journey

These five steps follow a classic method used by all explorers in uncharted territory. And
that’s what each new therapeutic relationship is: uncharted territory, an unknown region,
terra incognita. Although it may seem that clients can be easily lumped into groups—
depressed clients, distressed couples, children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD), for example—any experienced therapist can tell you that each client’s journey
is unique. The excitement—and secret—to competent therapy is mapping the distinctive
terrain of each client’s life and charting a one-of-a-kind journey through it.
The first step is to delineate as much of the terrain as possible: to get the big picture.
What are the contours of the relationships? Where are the comfort zones? Where is the
page marked “Here Be Dragons?” As with all maps, the bigger and more detailed the
record, the easier it is to move through the territory. In family therapy, our maps are our
case conceptualizations, assessments of the client using family therapy theories. Once you
have a map of the big picture, you identify the landmarks, the oases and obstacles. You
notice where the rest stops are and identify what dangers lie ahead. In therapy, the oases
are client resources: anything that can be used to strengthen and support the client. The
obstacles are potential or existing hindrances to creating change in the client’s life: Are
there really dragons there, or is the region just unfamiliar?
Like a cartographer surveying the landscape, therapists carefully assess potential hin-
drances, ruling out possible medical issues in consultation with physicians, identifying
psychiatric issues by conducting a mental status exam, and considering basic life needs,
such as financial or social resources, through case management. When actual or probable
impediments are addressed early in the therapeutic process through clinical assessment,
the therapeutic journey is likely to proceed more easily and smoothly.
Once you have your map with oases and obstacles clearly identified, you can confi-
dently select a realistic path toward the client’s chosen destination or goal. If you have
done a good job mapping, you will be able to choose from among several different paths,
depending on what works best for those on the journey: namely, you and the client. This
translates to being able to choose a therapeutic theory and style that suit all involved.
Seasoned clinicians distinguish themselves from newer therapists in their ability to iden-
tify and successfully navigate through numerous terrains: forests, seas, deserts, plains,
paradises, and wastelands. The greater a therapist’s repertoire of skills, the more able the
therapist is to move through each terrain. Once a preferred path is chosen, the therapist
generates a treatment plan, a general set of directions for how to address client concerns.
Like any set of travel plans, treatment plans are subject to change because of weather,
natural disaster, human error, and other unforeseeable events, otherwise known as “real
life.” Therapists can rest assured that unexpected detours, delays, and shortcuts (yes, un-
expected good stuff happens also) will be part of any therapeutic journey.
Competency and Theory: Why Theory Matters 5
Once you select a course of action, you need to check frequently to make sure that: (a) the
plan is working and (b) you are sticking with the plan. In therapy, this translates to assessing
client progress along the way. If the client is not making progress, the therapist needs to go
back and reassess: (a) the accuracy of the map and (b) the wisdom of the plan. It is almost
always easy to make improvements in both areas that will get things back on course. The key
to assessing client progress is often just to notice when you are off course as soon as possible.
Finally, you need to leave a trail to track where you have been. Leaving a trail always
helps you find your way back if you get lost: others (as well as you) can see why and how
you proceeded. Therapists leave a trace of their path by generating thorough clinical doc-
umentation, which helps in two highly prized aspects of therapy: getting paid by third-
party payers (i.e., insurance) and avoiding lawsuits (i.e., the state lets you practice). By
making it clear where you are going, you can help everyone concerned better understand
your specific route of treatment. So, competent therapy is that simple: five basic steps that
this book will walk you through, step-by-step.
Try It Yourself
Either by yourself or with a partner, describe what elements of this map of the
therapeutic journey make sense to you. What do you find surprising?
From Trainee to Seasoned Therapist

The difference between trainees and seasoned therapists can be found in the quality of the
map, the effectiveness of the path of treatment, and the speed it takes to move through
the steps. A seasoned therapist may move through the five steps of competent therapy in
the first few minutes of a session, whereas a trainee may take more time, collecting infor-
mation and trying various options. How long it takes is less important than the quality of
the journey. This book is designed to help you move through these steps more effectively,
whether you are just starting out or have been doing therapy for years.
Competency and Theory: Why Theory Matters

Although much has changed in the past decade in mental health—better research to
guide us, new knowledge about the brain, more details about mental health disorders,
increased use of psychotropic medication—the primary tool that therapists use to help
people, theory, has not. Therapeutic theories provide a means for quickly sifting through
the tremendous amount of information clients bring; then targeting specific thoughts,
behaviors, or emotional processes for change; and finally helping clients effectively make
these changes to resolve their initial concerns. Even with fancy fMRI (functional magnetic
resonance imaging), neurofeedback machines, and hundreds of available medications, no
other technology has taken the place of theory. However, the changing landscape of men-
tal health care has altered how therapy theories are understood and used. Specifically,
theory and how it is being used and understood has been recontextualized by two major
movements in recent years: (a) the competency movement, which includes multicultural
competency; and (b) the research- or evidence-based movement, which is discussed in de-
tail in Chapter 2. These movements have not ended the need for theory, but have instead
changed how we conceptualize, adapt, and apply theory.
Arguably, working with couples and families often requires greater use of theory.
Regardless of professional identity—family therapist, professional counselor, social
worker, psychologists or psychiatric nurse—competent therapy with families involves
learning to conceptualize not only the psychology of the individual but also the complex
6 Chapter 1 ● Competency and Theory in Family Therapy
web of relationships that constitutes a person’s social world and the interaction between
the two. There are a lot of moving pieces. The theories in this text will help you learn
what to focus on to better understand this complex web of interpersonal dynamics. Some
readers may be quietly thinking, “I don’t want to do couple or family therapy” and may
conclude they don’t need to worry too much about these theories. The problem is that
even if you have only one client in the room, the client’s web of relationships is still affect-
ing his or her behavior and mood, often in ways that are difficult to imagine or accurately
assess without using couple and family theoretical concepts. In general, the more severe
the client problem, the more people you need in the room to effect change (Lebow, 2006).
Why All the Talk about Competency?

All health professions, including mental health, have been abuzz in recent years with talk
of competencies, detailed lists of the knowledge and skill professionals need to effectively
do their job. The main source of this movement has been external to the field and has
come from stakeholders who believe that professionals should not only be taught a con-
sistent set of skills but that their learning should be measured on real-world tasks (for a
detailed discussion, see Gehart, 2011). Thus, this movement is asking educators to shift
their focus from conveying content to ensuring that students know how to meaningfully
apply the knowledge and skills of their given profession.
Each major mental health profession—including counseling, marriage and family ther-
apy, psychology, psychiatry, psychiatric nursing, and chemical dependency counseling—
has developed a unique set of competencies. Thankfully, there are many similarities across
MFT Core Competencies Task Force Members and Facilitator: Ron Chenail, Thorana
Nelson, James Alexander, Russ Crane, Linda Schwalie, and Bill Northey
Courtesy of James Alexander

Courtesy of Thorana Nelson
Courtesy of Ron Chenail
Photo courtesy of Jr. William F. Northey

Courtesy of Dr. Russell Crane
Courtesy of Linda Schwallie
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no related content on Scribd:
of Orange, but if their purpose was to take possession of it for Great
Britain he would resist them to the utmost of his power. The colonel
was [44]a disappointment to the English, for they had counted upon
the Scotch strain in his blood and his well-known Orange
partisanship to bring him over to their designs at the first.
Thus three lines of cleavage militated against the perfect solidarity of

the colonists. A majority of the Burghers were prepared to resist the
British because they preferred the French, if there must be a change
of masters. Most of the lower officials and some of the town
Burghers were ready to accept the British occupancy, and went
about singing Orange party songs because they believed the English
were sincere in professing that it was their sole purpose to hold the
colony in trust for the Prince of Orange. As for Commissioner
Sluysken and Colonel Gordon, while it was their duty to defend the
Cape interests against any power that sought to subvert the rule of
the Stadtholder and the States-General of Holland, they were not
quite sure of the course they ought to pursue with reference to the
English, who had come to them professing loyal friendship to the
fugitive prince and accredited to them by his mandatory letter. There
was possible treason in either admitting or resisting them. These
circumstances account for some lack of energy on the part of the
civil [45]and the military heads of the colony in defending it against
the British attack that was soon to follow. [46]
[Contents]
CHAPTER III.
FIRST CONTACT OF AFRICANDER AND BRITON IN
WAR.
(1795.)
Toward the end of June, 1795, it became evident that the British
commanders, having failed to obtain peaceable possession of the Cape
colony, meant to use all the force necessary to carry out their purpose.
On the 24th of June, three Dutch merchant ships lying in Simon’s Bay
received instruction from Commissioner Sluysken to proceed to Table Bay,
but Admiral Elphinstone forbade them to sail. On the 28th of June, two small
vessels sailing under American colors anchored in Simon’s Bay. One of
these—the Columbia—carried Dutch dispatches from Amsterdam to the
Cape and Batavia. The English admiral promptly placed the Columbia under
guard and seized her mails. Such letters and dispatches as related to public
affairs were either suppressed [47]or mutilated, and measures were taken to
prevent newspapers from reaching the shore. A single paper, however, was
smuggled into the hands of a Burgher, and was the means of conveying
astonishing news to the colonists. The most startling of its contents was an
official notice by the States-General of Holland, under date of the 4th of
March, 1795, absolving from their oaths of allegiance to the Prince of Orange
all his former subjects, both in the Netherlands and in the Dutch colonies.
From this notice and from hints left in mutilated letters to private individuals it
was learned that so far from being a conquered country under the heel of a
rigorous French military administration, Holland was a free and independent
republic; that the Stadtholderate had been abolished by the free-will action of
the nation, and that France was in friendly diplomatic relations with the Dutch
Republic.
Thereupon, the Commissioner and his council determined that it was their
duty to hold out against the English. They reasoned that, should the colonial
forces be overpowered in the end, the Netherlands would have a better claim
to the restoration of the country when peace should be made than would
exist if the protection of [48]Great Britain had been accepted without a
struggle. They saw a bare possibility that the British force might be starved
into departure by refusing to furnish them with provisions. Moreover, aid from
Europe might then be on the way and might reach them in time to save the
colony to Holland. In any case, they judged, there was nothing to lose in
opposing the British but the control of the colony, whereas, they might lose
their heads as traitors should a combined Dutch and French fleet arrive and
they be found to have surrendered to the British without a show of
resistance. They decided that both duty and personal interest required them
to make what preparation they could for defense.
PRESIDENT KRUGER.
By order of the council, on the night of the 29th of June, Simonstown was
abandoned as untenable. All the provisions there were destroyed, the guns
were spiked, such ammunition as could not be carried away was thrown into
the sea and the troops joined the force at Muizenburg. Not being able to
evade the ships blockading Table Bay, the council chartered a cutter then
lying at anchor in Saldanha Bay and sent her with dispatches to Batavia
informing the Dutch colonists there of the state of things both at the Cape
and in Holland. [49]
When the call to assemble at the Cape was signaled to the country Burghers,
only seventy men from the Swellendam district responded. The nationals,
who had been in revolt against the Dutch East India Company’s government,
declined to obey. Further appeals by letter failed to bring any more of them
in. At last, on the 7th of July, in a written communication, it was proposed by
the nationals that they would rally to the defense of the country if the
government would grant them amnesty for the past and pledge a reasonable
redress of their grievances as soon as possible. Among the principal
stipulations were these: The nationalists were to be exempted from direct
taxation and to have free trade; the cartoon money—a depreciated currency
—was to be withdrawn from circulation, and they were to be granted
permission to hold in perpetual slavery all Bushmen captured by commandos
or individuals.
The nationals had no sooner dispatched the letter containing their overture
than it occurred to some of them that their claims would surely be ignored if
the British obtained control of the colony. Therefore, without waiting for a
response from the government, they resolved to aid in the defense of the
country, and at the [50]same time continue to assert their right to self-
government. In accordance therewith a company of one hundred and sixty-
eight mounted men was organized under Commandant Delpont and at once
set out for Cape Town.
The rally from the country districts of Swellendam, Stellenbosch and

Drakenstein brought together a force of eleven hundred and forty horsemen.
Two hundred of these were added to the post at Muizenburg. The rest were
stationed at Cape Town and along the road to the camp as pickets.
Hostile operations came on very slowly. Admiral Elphinstone seized three

more Dutch merchant ships that were lying in Simon’s Bay on the 9th of July.
On the 14th he landed four hundred and fifty soldiers, who occupied
Simonstown, and strengthened the post a week later by adding four hundred
marines.
Strangely enough, neither the English commanders nor Commissioner

Sluysken chose to regard these movements as acts of war. The
Commissioner had been careful to order that no attack should be made on
the English, and that nothing whatever should be done that would provoke
retaliation or furnish grounds for them to throw the blame of opening
hostilities on the [51]Dutch. It was not until the 3d of August that any act was
committed which was by either party construed into an act of war. On that
day a Burgher officer fired at an English picket and wounded one of the men.
For this he was reprimanded by the Commissioner. General Craig reported it
in his dispatches as the beginning of hostilities.
The time soon came when the British officers thought an advance might be
made. The Dutch had been remiss in not strengthening their earthwork
defenses toward the sea. They had permitted English boats to take
soundings off Muizenburg unmolested. And the English commanders had
been encouraged to hope that the nationals in the colonial force did not
intend to seriously oppose the British advance—that in all probability they
would come over in a body to the British side as soon as the first
engagement opened. On the other hand, the invading army was utterly
without field guns and could not muster more than sixteen hundred men. Re-
enforcements were on the way, but no one could foretell the time of their
arrival. To advance any part of their military force beyond the range of the
guns on the ships would expose the whole expedition to destruction in the
event [52]of a French squadron appearing in Table Bay to co-operate with the
Dutch colonists. In view of all the circumstances the British commanders
determined to capture Muizenburg, to reopen negotiations with the Cape
government from that position and to attempt no further aggressive
movement until the arrival of the expected re-enforcements.
On the morning of the 7th of August it became evident to the Dutch officers at
Muizenburg that the British were about to attack. A column of sixteen
hundred infantry and marines was advancing from Simonstown. Two small
gunboats, and the ships’ launches, carrying lighter guns, moved close in
shore about five hundred yards in advance of the column, to keep the road
open. The war vessels America, Stately, Echo and Rattlesnake were heading
for Muizen Beach.
The Dutch camp was at the foot of the mountain facing False Bay on the
west, the camp looking south and east, for it was at the northwest angle of
the bay. They had planted eleven pieces of artillery so as to command the
road from Simonstown, which ran along the west coast of False Bay. From
Kalk Bay to Muizenburg the roadway was narrow, having the water [53]on one
side and the steep mountain, only a few paces away, on the other. The
mountain terminates abruptly at Muizenburg, where begin the Cape Flats, a
sandy plain stretching across from False Bay to Table Bay. Near the north
end of the mountain is a considerable sheet of shallow water called the
Sandvlei, fed in the rainy season by an intermittent brook called Keyser’s
River, emptying into the north side of the vlei.
As soon as they came within range of the post at Kalk Bay the British ships
opened fire and the picket stationed there retired over the mountain. On
coming abreast of Muizenburg the fleet came to anchor and delivered their
broadsides at easy range upon the Dutch camp. The thunders of the first fire
had hardly ceased when the national battalion of infantry, and a little later the
main body thereof, led by Colonel De Lille, fled from the post through the
Sandvlei. One company under Captain Warneke retired more slowly and in a
little better order. Many of the artillerymen followed, leaving only a single
company under Lieutenant Marnitz to work the two twenty-four pounders.
These, being planted on loose soil, were thrown out of position by the recoil
of every discharge and could not be fired again until they had been handled
back [54]into place. The firing was, therefore, slow and with uncertain aim.
Two men were killed, four wounded and one gun disabled on the America,
and one man was wounded on the Stately, by Lieutenant Marnitz’s fire.
Whether it was through bad marksmanship or by design one can hardly
decide, but the English guns were aimed so high that the shot passed over
the camp and lodged in the mountain behind it. Marnitz soon perceived that
the post could not be held, and, first spiking the cannon, retired before the
charge of the British column. Nothing was saved from the camp but five small
field pieces.
The English followed the retreating burghers with a cheer. As soon as they
were out of range of the British ships the Dutch endeavored to make a stand,
but were quickly driven from it by a bayonet charge. After gaining the shelter
of the mountain the Dutch again faced their pursuers, this time with the
support of guns brought to bear on the English from the opposite side of the
Sandvlei, and with such effect that they fell back to Muizenburg. In this
second collision one English officer, one burgher and two Dutch artillerymen
were killed and one pandour was wounded.
Instead of rallying his men and making a [55]stand behind the Sandvlei, as he
might have done with a well-protected front, De Lille continued his flight to
Diep River, where he arrived with a fragment of his command, not knowing
what had become of his artillerymen and burghers.
As soon as news came that the English were advancing, a detachment of

five hundred burgher horsemen was hastened forward from Cape Town to
Muizenburg. On the way they learned from the fugitives that Muizenburg, the
camp and everything in it had been taken by the British. Then they halted
and encamped on the plain in small parties.
Next morning, the 8th of August, De Lille made some show of rallying and
returned to the head of the Sandvlei leading a part of the infantry that had
been discomfited the day before. The 8th became a day of general panic.
The English advanced in column to attack De Lille at the head of the vlei—
wading through water that, in places, came above their waists.
Notwithstanding the advantage this gave him, De Lille and all his command
fled precipitately on their approach. As the British issued from the water and
pursued them across the plain they observed a party of burghers coming
from behind some sandhills on their flank—the detachment [56]that had come
from Cape Town and camped on the plain during the night. Assuming that
the flight of De Lille and the movement of this body were in the carrying out
of an ambuscade, the British fled, in their turn, and were pursued by the
Dutch until they came under the fire of their own cannon, spiked and
abandoned by Lieutenant Marnitz, but drilled and placed in service by
General Craig. While the English were being driven in by the Cape Town
detachment, De Lille and his command fled all day in the opposite direction,
and in the evening camped within a mile of the camping ground of the night
before, near Diep River.
De Lille’s conduct in the field caused widespread indignation. In a formal

document drawn up by a number of burgher officers and forwarded to the
Commissioner, he was charged with treason. The fiscal who investigated the
case acquitted De Lille of treason, there being no proof that he had conspired
with the British to betray his trust. And yet he was neither a coward nor an
imbecile. His conduct can be explained in no other way than to say that he
was a devoted partisan of the House of Orange, that he regarded the
nationals as traitors to their legitimate ruler and that he believed the English
[57]were the loyal friends of the rightful sovereign and the ancient government
of the Netherlands. For these reasons he would not fight against the British.
He held that success in repelling them would result in handing the country
over to the colonial national party and to republicanism, which would be an
offense against the divine rights of the Prince of Orange. Later he took
service with the British and was made barrack master in Cape Town.
Thereafter he wore the Orange colors, and openly vented his abhorrence of
all Jacobins—whether French, Dutch or South African.
On the 9th of August the expected British re-enforcements began to arrive.

On the 12th Admiral Elphinstone and General Craig wrote the Commissioner
and his council announcing that already they had received an accession of
strength, and that they expected the immediate arrival of three thousand
more soldiers. They also repeated the offer to take the Cape colony under
British protection on the same terms as were proffered at first, and added, as
a threat, that their men were becoming exasperated at the resistance offered
and it might become impossible to restrain their fury.
The letter of the British commanders was laid [58]before the Commissioner’s
council, the councillors representing the country burghers and the burgher
militia; and these were all requested to express their judgment and their
wishes freely. With a single exception they were unanimous in adopting a
resolution declaring that the colony ought to be and would be defended to the
last. In accordance therewith the Commissioner transmitted to the British
officers the decision of the people, notifying them that the colony would still
be defended.
Notwithstanding the brave front thus presented to the invaders, influences
were at work which tended toward the rapid disintegration of the burgher
forces. It was being rumored among them that the Bushmen were
threatening the interior, and that the Hottentots in Swellendam, and the
slaves in Stellenbosch and Drakenstein, were about to rise in revolt. True or
false, these alarming rumors caused many burghers to forsake the ranks and
go to the protection of their homes and their families. In July the burgher
cavalry numbered eleven hundred and forty; by the first of September it was
reduced to nine hundred. Efforts to keep up the original strength by the
enlistment of foreign pandours, native half-breeds and Hottentots were
[59]unsuccessful. Only the burgher infantry, numbering three hundred and
fifty, remained intact—being composed of residents of the town.
The colonists were further dispirited by an abortive attempt to capture certain

English outposts on the Steenberg. The attack was gallantly made by the
burgher militia and pandours, but being unsupported by regular troops and
field artillery they were repulsed. On the same day the pandours mutinied.
One hundred and seventy of them marched in a body to the castle and made
complaint that their families had been ill-treated by the colonists, that their
pay was inadequate, that they were insulted by abusive remarks, that a
bounty of £40 promised them for good conduct had not been paid, and that
their rations of spirits were too small. Commissioner Sluysken so far pacified
them with promises of redress that they returned to the ranks, but from that
time they were disaffected and sullen, and their service was of little value.
The Dutch officers had planned a night attack in force on the British camp at
Muizenburg. When they were about to attempt it, there arrived, on the 4th of
September, a fleet of East Indiamen bringing the main body of the British re-
enforcements. These consisted of infantry of [60]the line, engineers and
artillerymen, numbering, in all, three thousand troops under the command of
General Alured Clarke. This had the effect of so completely discouraging the
burgher cavalry that many of them gave up hope and returned to their
homes. By the 14th of September only five hundred and twenty-one of this
branch of the colonial force remained in the ranks.
Once more, on the 9th of September, the British commanders issued an

address to the colonists calling upon them to give peaceable admission to
the overwhelming force now at their gates, and warning them that, otherwise,
they would take forcible possession. Commissioner Sluysken replied, as
before, that he would hold and defend the colony for its rightful owners, for so
he was bound to do by his oath of office.
The English army in two columns, between four and five thousand strong,
marched from Muizenburg to attack Cape Town, at 9 o’clock in the morning
of the 14th of September. This movement was signaled to the colonial
officers at the Cape, who ordered all the burgher cavalry, with the exception
of one company, to the support of the regular troops at Cape Town. A part of
the burgher force was sent out to strengthen the Dutch camp at Wynberg,
about [61]half way from Muizenburg to Cape Town on the route of the British.
Some attempt was made to harass the columns on the march, but with so
little effect that only one was killed and seventeen were wounded.
Major Van Baalen, then in command of the regular troops at Wynberg,

arranged a line of battle that was faulty in the extreme, and planted his
cannon in such position that they were practically useless as weapons of
offense against the advancing army. Certain officers of the artillery and of the
burgher militia contingent remonstrated against his plan of battle, but it was
in vain, and when the English came within gunfire he retreated with the
greater part of the regulars. Then followed a scene of confusion. The
burghers protested, and cried out that they were being betrayed in every
battle. One company of infantry and most of the artillery made a brief stand
and then retreated toward Cape Town, leaving the camp and all its
belongings to the British.
It had now become clear to the burgher cavalry that Commissioner Sluysken,
Colonel Gordon, and most of the officers of the regular force intentionally
fought to lose—that so far as the republican government then prevailing in
Holland [62]was concerned they were traitors at heart, and that they were
willing—after a mere show of resistance—to let the colony fall into the hands
of the British in order to have it held in trust by them for the fugitive prince of
Orange. The burghers, therefor, not being willing to risk capture or death in
battles that were not meant to win by those who directed them, dispersed
and returned to their homes. Meantime a British squadron was threatening
Cape Town, but keeping out of range of the castle guns.
The commissioner’s council was convened at six o’clock in the evening of the
14th of September to consider a very serious situation. A British force of over
four thousand men, thoroughly disciplined and equipped, was then in bivouac
at Newlands, less than ten miles from Cape Town. The colonial force was
only about seventeen hundred strong and nearly half of these had that day
retreated before the enemy without giving battle; the remainder were
distributed among the fortified posts at Hout Bay, Camp’s Bay and Table
Valley. If these were all loyal and united in a determination to fight to the last
they would certainly be overpowered in the end. But they were not at one in
their loyalty. Some were for the deposed and banished prince of Orange, and
[63]therefore favorable to the English who professed to be his friends. Others
were strong in their preference for the new republican government in the
Netherlands. While thus divided in political sentiments they were without
leaders in whom they could place confidence. Further effort at defense
seemed unjustifiable in view of certain defeat, and of the useless destruction
of property and life it would cause.
One member of the council, Mr. Van Reede von Oudtshoorn, stood out
against capitulation, offering to take, with the corps of pennists he
commanded, the brunt of a final battle with the English. The other members
were unanimous in deciding to send a flag of truce to the British at Newlands,
asking for a suspension of hostilities during the next forty-eight hours in order
to arrange terms of surrender. General Clarke consented to an armistice of
twenty-four hours only, beginning at midnight on the 14th of September.
As a result of conference between the representatives of the Cape

government and the British commanders the following terms of capitulation
were agreed to: The Dutch troops were to surrender as prisoners of war, but
their officers might remain free in Cape Town or return [64]to Europe on their
parole of honor not to serve against Great Britain during the continuance of
hostilities. No new taxes were to be levied, and the old imposts were to be
reduced as much as possible in order to revive the decaying trade of the
colony. All the belongings of the Dutch East India Company were to be
handed over to the English, but private rights of property were to be
respected. The lands and other properties of the Dutch East India Company
were to be held in trust by the new authorities for the redemption of that
portion of the company’s paper currency which was not secured by
mortgage.
Early in the morning of the 16th of July these terms of surrender were
officially completed by the signing of the document in which they were written
by General Clarke and Admiral Elphinstone. At eleven o’clock on that day the
council ordered the publication of the articles, and that official notice of what
had been done be sent to the heads of departments and other officers in the
country districts. Then the council formally closed its last session and its
existence.
The ceremonial in connection with the capitulation took place at three o’clock
in the afternoon of Wednesday, the 16th of September, 1795. [65]Twelve
hundred British infantry and two hundred artillerymen under command of
General Craig drew up on the open grounds in front of the castle. The Dutch
troops marched out of their late stronghold with colors flying and drums
beating, passed by the British line, laid down their arms and surrendered as
prisoners of war. Some of them did so in great bitterness of soul, muttering
and calling down curses upon Commissioner Sluysken and Colonel Gordon
for having betrayed and disgraced them. Lieutenant Marnitz, in writing of
these events, emphasized the fact that the only occasion on which the head
of the colonial military establishment, Colonel Gordon, drew his sword in the
conflict with the English was when he gave the order for the troops he had
commanded to lay down their arms.
Thus it was, after an almost bloodless war, that Cape Colony, founded by the
Dutch and governed continuously by the Netherlands for one hundred and
forty-three years, passed into the possession of Great Britain and became a
crown colony thereof. The charges made by some that Commissioner
Sluysken and Colonel Gordon were either imbeciles or traitors may not be
quite in accordance with the facts. Certainly [66]there is a wide disparity
between the always strong and defiant words in which they announced, to
the last moment, their determination to defend the colony, and the puerile
efforts they made to do so. The only rational explanation of their conduct is
that they preferred yielding to the British, after making a show of resistance,
to accepting in the colony the new regime of republicanism that prevailed in
the mother country. In all probability their secret thought was that by
prolonging a nominal resistance they might gain time enough for something
to occur in Europe—where events were moving with bewildering rapidity—
something that would reinstate the Prince of Orange as Stadtholder of the
Netherlands, and so leave the British no pretext for seizing the colony in his
interest.
This chapter may fittingly close with a few brief records of events that lead up
to the first trek northwards of the Africanders.
The Cape colony was restored to the Dutch on the conclusion of the peace of
Amiens, in 1802. When war broke out afresh in Europe, in 1806, the English
again seized the Cape to prevent Napoleon from occupying so important a
naval station and half-way house to the British possessions in India. The
second seizure was [67]accomplished after a single engagement with the
Dutch. In 1814 the colony was formally ceded to the British crown together
with certain Dutch possessions in South America, by the reinstated
Stadtholder of the Netherlands, who received in return therefor a money
consideration of thirty million dollars. [68]
[Contents]
CHAPTER IV.
THE AFRICANDERS’ FIRST TREK TO THE NORTH.
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where everyone had become alive to the fact that all was over for us.
Where was my husband? What had become of them all? This
thought nearly drove me mad with anxiety. I could not imagine what
their fate had been, but I knew the anguish of mind my husband
would endure when the sound of those terrible guns would tell him
that we were being attacked again, as he knew we were almost
powerless to make any resistance, through lack of ammunition.
We knew that our one chance lay in retreating, as that move had
been meditated by Colonel Skene early in the evening, before the
truce had taken place; so after an hour had gone by the doctor
began moving the wounded out of the cellar, as an immediate retreat
had been decided upon.
We were still without any definite tidings of the position of Mr.
Quinton and my husband, and the other officers who had
accompanied them, and our anxiety on their behalf increased every
hour.
It took a long time to get all the wounded on to the grass outside.
Mr. Brackenbury was moved first. Poor lad! he begged so hard to be
left in peace where he was, and the moving caused him terrible
agony. One by one all the poor fellows were helped out, until only a
few remained. I gave my arm to one of these, and we were going out
through the cellar door, when we were met by four Kahars, carrying
someone back into the hospital. The moonlight shone down upon
them as they came, and lit up the white face of him they carried, and
I saw that it was Mr. Brackenbury. The movement had killed him, and
he had died on the grass outside a few seconds after leaving the
cellar. Better thus than if he had lived a few hours longer to bear the
pain and torture of our terrible march; but it made one’s heart ache to
leave that young lad lying there dead, alone in the darkened cellar. I
went back there just before we left the place, and covered him up
gently with a sheet that was lying on the ground, and I almost envied
him, wrapped in the calm slumber of death, which had taken all pain
and suffering away.
I had no hope that we should ever succeed in making our escape,
and it seemed almost useless even to make the attempt. All was
ready, however, by this time for our departure, and I went out too,
hoping that the Manipuris would soon set fire to the house, which
would prevent any indignities being heaped upon the dead by their
victorious enemies.
Outside the noise was deafening. Shells burst around us at every
turn, and kept striking the trees and knocking off great branches. All
idea of going up into the house had to be abandoned, so I could not
get a hat or cloak or anything for the journey before us, and had to
start as I was. Just before lunch-time I had taken off the close-fitting
winter gown which I had put on in the morning, and instead had
arrayed myself in a blue serge skirt and white silk blouse, which
gave me more freedom for my work in the hospital. I could not have
chosen better as far as a walking costume went, and should have
been all right if only I had been able to collect a few outdoor
garments—hat, cloak, and boots, for instance. As things happened, I
was wearing on my feet thin patent leather slippers, which were
never meant for out-of-door use, and my stockings were the ordinary
flimsy kind that women generally wear. My dress had got soiled
already in the hospital, and was not improved by the march
afterwards; but I managed to get it washed when we eventually
reached British territory, and have it by me to this day. It will be
preserved as an interesting relic.
CHAPTER XVI.
Escape of the servants—Mr. Gurdon comes for me—Away from shelter and one’s
life in one’s hands—Over the hedge and across the river—Lie in the ditch for
shelter from shot—Fired on at Burri Bazaar.
The bustle and confusion outside were great. The Sepoys were
being mustered into marching order, but around them on all sides
people were rushing about, knocking each other over in their
eagerness to make good their escape. These were chiefly servants,
Bunnias,[17] and the many followers who accumulate wherever a
regiment goes.
I stood for some time watching them tearing away, until a sudden
fear took hold of me that I had been forgotten and left behind. I was
meditating going myself, but on second thoughts I remembered I had
promised the officers to remain where I was, and they had said they
would come for me; and just at that moment one of them came and
told me that we were to make a move.
Out in the open, away from the shelter of the house, with one’s life
in one’s hands, as it were, my senses nearly left me. The noise was
awful, for besides the bursting of the shells, the firing was heavier
than it had been before. I had not gone six yards from the house
when a shell exploded almost at my feet, knocking off some
branches of a big tree close by, and wounding me very slightly in the
arm. I jumped behind the tree, in the vain hope that its broad trunk
might save me from further injury, and there I remained for some
seconds. The scurrying of those going towards the river awoke me to
my senses again, and off I went, too, forgetting to look for my
companion, from whom I had managed to get separated.
It was no easy matter to get on to the Cachar road from the back
of the Residency, as there were many obstacles in the way. The
inner garden was separated from the outer compound by a tall
hedge, composed of thorns and sharp twigs. I had superintended the
erection of this hedge myself. We had kept a great many cows, and
they were always making their way into the flower-garden and
destroying the rose-bushes. Nothing seemed to keep them out until
we made this thorn hedge, and that, as I remarked to my husband
when I took him to see it first, ‘was calculated to keep an army of
men out if it came to the point.’
Fortunately, by the time I arrived at this hedge it had become
much broken down, the result of the energy of those who had
already gone through it. I found a convenient hole, and got through
with comparatively little damage to my raiment; but my hands
received a good many scratches, and my poor stockings were
dreadfully torn. However, on I went, perfectly insensible as to who
were travelling with me. The next obstacle was a mud wall, low
enough on our side, but with a six-foot drop on the other. I found
myself sitting on the top of this, wondering how I was going to make
the descent of the other side, when someone gave me a gentle
push, as a sort of warning that I was stopping the traffic, and I slid
gracefully down on the other side into the arms of a friendly Bunnia,
who also helped me down the river bank, which was very slippery
and muddy. I fell two or three times, doing considerable damage to
my already dirty dress; but I got to the water’s edge at last, and
made a valiant effort to cross the river.
Fortunately for us, it was March, and not April or May; for had
these events taken place later in the year, I do not know how we
should have crossed that river. But as it was the end of the cold
weather, and the rains had not commenced, the stream was low and
easily waded. I did not know how deep it was, for we had never
crossed it riding, as we generally did Manipuri rivers. We had often
thought of doing so, but the banks were so steep and slippery that
my husband said it would do the horses no good to clamber down
them, and then we might find the river too deep to ford.
So with this delightful uncertainty about things, I made my first
plunge, and stepped into the water, which was dreadfully cold. I had
got into the middle of the stream, when I was overtaken by the
doctor, who seemed rather astonished at finding me there alone.
However, I explained to him that I had been too frightened to remain
at the house when I saw so many people running away, and had
managed fairly well up to that time, but I did not like the river.
He was certainly a good Samaritan on this occasion, for he carried
me the rest of the way through the water, and was just about to land
me high and dry on the bank, when his foot slipped in the mud, and
down we went. We soon picked ourselves up, however, and
scrambled out, and then I found that the heel had come off my shoe
in the water. I was covered with mud and shivering with cold, for my
skirts were dripping with water and very heavy. But there was no
time to be lost, and I climbed up the bank and crossed the road, on
the other side of which was a deep ditch, into which I retreated and
lay down, for firing was going on, and I did not know from which side
it came, whether from our men, who had all caught me up by this
time, or the Manipuris. Whenever I heard shots afterwards I used to
be alarmed, for I never could tell when our men were firing, and
always feared the worst, unless I was actually in the midst of the
Sepoys, and could see them shooting with my own eyes.
We waited in the ditch some time, until all the Sepoys had crossed
the river, and then we started off again to find the way to Cachar. We
went some way in the opposite direction at first, and had to come
back again; but at length we turned down on to the right road, and
commenced the march in real earnest. It was a moonlight night,
which enabled us to see quite plainly. Had it been dark, our
difficulties would have been increased tenfold. We could not march
fast, for the wounded had to be brought along with us, and the
number of Kahars carrying them was limited. What they must have
endured no one can imagine, being jolted along for so many hours
together without any food or rest. I knew every inch of the road we
were travelling, as I had ridden down and up it so often in my
journeys to and from Cachar, and I was able to give the others the
benefit of my knowledge.
We marched along in silence for some miles. At a place called
Burri Bazaar we were fired on, but we were not followed from the
palace, as we had fully expected. Whether they did not know we had
escaped, or whether they thought discretion the better part of valour,
and preferred remaining behind the shelter of their stone walls, to
following after us with hostile intent, I cannot say. But it was fortunate
for us that they gave us the start, and let us get some distance away
before they attempted to pursue us.
CHAPTER XVII.
Burning of the Residency and of all our effects—Difficulties of retreat—No food,
wet clothes, burning sun—Pursued—Exhaustive march—Kindness of a Naza
boy—Fired on—Sleep after a march of twenty miles—Have to march again—
Captured—A Manipuri with rice—Enemy lurks around us—Come upon a
stockade—Are attacked—Goorkhas in sight.
It was about two in the morning that we left the Residency, and we
marched steadily on until daybreak. We had not gone four miles
away from the station, when I turned to look back, and found the
whole sky for miles round lit with a red glow, whilst from among the
trees surrounding our house flames were leaping up. Those only
who have feelings of affection for the places where they live, and
which they call home, can picture what that burning house meant for
me.
All we possessed was there—all our wedding presents, and
everything that goes towards making a place homelike and
comfortable; and these were being destroyed under my very eyes,
while I, like Lot’s wife of old, had to turn my face in an opposite
direction, utterly powerless to avert the terrible destruction which was
overtaking all I valued.
I thought of my husband, who I believed to be a prisoner in the
palace, surrounded by enemies, witnessing the demolition of the
house, and not knowing where I was, or what had become of me. He
would see the flames, and hear those terrible guns booming out at
every second, and he would know that I was either flying for my life
or dead, but no more. And yet I thought he was better off than we
were. All hoped that Mr. Quinton and his party would be quite safe,
even though they were prisoners, safer than we were; and I myself,
knowing the Jubraj so well, thought that he would be clever enough
to see his own advantage in keeping them as hostages, even if he
were not influenced by feelings of friendship for my husband. And
with this reflection I had to quiet my own misgivings. But it was hard
to march on in silence without giving way, and it was only by
resolving not to look back at all that I managed to restrain my
feelings.
I was glad when the dawn came. Every misfortune seems so
much harder to bear at night, and there is something in the daylight
which gives us strength. If we are ill, we always seem worse during
the night; if in sorrow, it is harder to bear in the dark when we are
awake and the world is sleeping. And so with myself at this time. The
daylight seemed to lessen the horror of the whole situation, and
when the pink flush of the dawn came, it mingled with the red glow
caused by our burning home, until all was merged into the full light of
the rising sun. Then we halted, and had a consultation as to what
route we were to pursue. If we went straight on for another six or
seven miles, we knew we should have to pass a large Thana
strongly garrisoned. On the other hand, if we forsook the main road
and took to the hills, we stood the chance of losing our way
altogether.
Our great hope was to meet with Captain Cowley and his
detachment of two hundred men, who, we knew, were marching up
from Cachar. They had commenced their journey to Manipur some
days before the rebellion had taken place, and did not know anything
of the sort was likely to occur. We knew they were due at a place
called Leimatak, some thirty miles from the capital, on the 25th, so
that if they had kept to their dates, they could not be more than
twenty miles away from us at that moment.
It was the early morning of the 25th when we found ourselves
debating over the road, twelve miles away from Manipur. It was
decided at length to cut across the fields, and make our way over the
hills, hoping to strike the Cachar road again at a higher point, and
avoid the Bishenpur Thana.
So we started off again. I was then very exhausted. We had had
no food, and the water we met with was very dirty. My feet were cut
and sore from the rough walking I had already had, and my clothes
still damp and heavy. By this time the sun was fairly high in the
heavens, and beat down upon my uncovered head, threatening me
with a bad headache at the least, and possibly sunstroke. It was
quite evident that some sort of head-gear must be provided, so after
trying a turban, which I found insufferably hot and heavy, one of the
officers gave me his helmet, and wore the pugaree himself. Our way
lay for some distance across Dhan-fields.[18] Owing to the heavy
dew which had fallen during the night, these were very wet and
soppy, and we were glad when we reached the first hill and began
the ascent.
We had been unmolested for some hours now, but the boom of
the guns and the crack of the bullets hitting the walls of the house
had left such an impression on me that I fancied firing was still going
on, and could scarcely believe the others when they told me nothing
of the kind was taking place, for the noise in my ears was dreadful.
The first hill was very steep, but only a foretaste of what was to
come later on. It was covered with short straggling green grass,
interspersed with the rough stubble of last year, which had originally
been several feet high, but had been burned, according to the
custom in those parts. Here and there a long tough end that had
escaped the fire hit one in the face, covering one with smuts, and
leaving a black mark where it had touched one, so that after a very
short time we all looked more or less like sweeps.
The hill we were climbing had a small plateau about three-quarters
of the way up, and we steered for this, intending to have a really long
halt, and hoping to find water. It was a shady little spot, and when we
did reach it, we were all glad to lie down and rest after our terrible
exertions. We had a wide view of the plain and the road by which we
had travelled, so knew we should be able to note at once if the
enemy were pursuing us, and could afford to give ourselves a little
breathing space. Water had been found, as we expected, quite near,
and as it was much cleaner than what we had discovered in the
fields below, everyone drank a good deal, and the Sepoys filled up
their bottles with it.
I do not know how long we remained here, as I went to sleep
almost at once on our arrival; but when I woke up at last, the others
were moving on up the hill, and I had to go too with them. Some
distance behind we noted a crowd of natives following us. It was
difficult to distinguish whether they were Manipuris or Nagas, but as
they were armed with spears and Daôs,[19] we concluded they must
be the latter. Manipuris would have had rifles.
They never came very close to us, for fear of being shot
themselves; but we could see them the whole time dancing behind
us, shouting and waving spears about. Once or twice they were fully
within range, and we could have shot some of them; but it was
hardly worth while, and our ammunition was none too plentiful. A
terrible fate would have overtaken any straggler who might have
fallen behind without the means to defend himself. His head would
have been captured as a glorious trophy, carved off while he was
alive, for these tribes never trouble about killing their victim first
before taking his scalp unless he offers great resistance.
We had reached by this time an elevation of about 4,000 feet
above sea-level, and knew that more than 2,000 feet at least still
awaited us to be climbed before the top of the ridge could be
reached. The Leimatak hill, towards which point we were travelling,
was 6,700 feet high, and was the topmost peak of the first range of
hills lying between us and Cachar.
We clambered on steadily, but very slowly. I was so tired that I
could hardly put one foot in front of the other, and felt much more
inclined to lie down in the jungle and go to sleep, than to march on.
We were very hungry, but I think I suffered less in that respect than
the men did; for though I should have eaten probably as heartily as
the rest had we possessed food, as there was none to be got, I
never thought much about it. Sleep seemed much more desirable.
It was two o’clock on the morning of the 25th that we left the
Residency, and it was now between three and four in the afternoon.
Every fresh hill seemed worse than its predecessor, and at last we
began ascending one which appeared almost impossible to climb. Its
sides were very steep and rocky, and there was only the merest
apology for a path to direct us in any way. It was a case of using
hands and knees to perform the ascent, and it seemed as though we
should never reach the summit. When, after wearily toiling on for
some hours, we did arrive at the top, I felt that I could not move
another step.
We did halt for a short time here, and while we waited an incident
occurred which touched me very much. A young Naga, who had
been a Sais[20] in our service for several months at one time, found
his way to our camp at the risk of losing his life had he been
discovered by the enemy, and presented me with three eggs,
expressing at the same time his sorrow at not being able to do more
for me. He stayed till sunset with us, and then crept back under
cover of the darkness to his village. I was much touched at this
simple act of kindness, and I have often remembered it since, and
wished it were in my power to do something for the brave lad. But
unfortunately I have forgotten his name, and that of the village to
which he belonged.
Three eggs are not many among eight hungry people, not to
speak of the Sepoys; but no one would share them with me, in spite
of my begging them to do so. I could not manage a raw egg, though I
made several valiant efforts to swallow one. Eventually they all came
to a bad end, for the two remaining ones were put into somebody’s
pocket for safety, and were smashed later on, so no one benefited
much by the little Naga boy’s well-meant offering.
While we were halting on the top of this hill, one of the officers
took a few men with him and went on to take stock of the
surrounding country, as our exact whereabouts seemed uncertain.
He came to a Manipuri Thana before he had proceeded far, and had
a parley with the native officer in command there, who called to him,
telling him he had something to say. So the party went up to within
speaking distance, and the Manipuri called out that he had orders to
‘pass the Memsahib and Sepoys,’ but that all the officers must return
to Manipur.
However, as soon as he was told that our party intended
proceeding undivided, he ordered his men to fire on us, which they
immediately did, and we had to begin marching again down the hill
and up the other side of the ravine. The firing continued on both
sides the whole time, and it was only when we eventually reached
the summit of the opposite hill to that upon which we had halted, and
disappeared over the crest, that it ceased.
The sun had set, and night was beginning to close in and put an
end to the longest day I have ever known. It seemed months almost
since our departure from the Residency, and yet it was but twenty-
four hours.
How I envied my husband and the others, who, as I then thought,
were at any rate in comparative safety, able to eat and sleep, even
though they were prisoners! Not that anxiety on my husband’s
account did not trouble me. I longed to know how he was being
treated, and whether they would tell him of my escape, and spare
him the torture of not knowing my fate, for I knew how he would fret
over it if he did not know.
It seemed so terrible to be obliged to march away leaving them all
behind, and at times I longed to hurry back and see for myself what
was happening, while, again, I would have given anything to have
reached Cachar, and been able to send up help to those in captivity.
We thought that Mr. Melville had been made prisoner and brought
back to Manipur, as a rumour to that effect had reached us on the
24th, and in that case we supposed he would be with the Chief and
his party, a prisoner in the palace.
Perhaps the utter weariness of body and mind which threatened to
overcome me at this time prevented my brooding too much on the
possible fate of those we had been forced to leave in the hands of
their enemies, and it may have been well that it was so.
All that terrible night we tramped on, I with bare feet, as my thin
shoes had given out long since. At length, about one o’clock in the
morning, we halted in a small grove of trees, lying in a hollow
between two hills. We had marched more than twenty miles, and rest
was absolutely essential. Here we lay down and slept. The officers
gave me their great-coats and bore the intense cold themselves, and
I slept as I have seldom slept in a comfortable bed at home, never
waking once until someone aroused me about half-past three in the
morning, and told me the weary tale again—we were to move on.
The first glimmer of dawn was appearing as we commenced
marching again—hungry, tired, and dispirited. No one knew the way,
and we only had rough paths here and there to guide us through the
jungle; but the actual walking was not so difficult, as we were
travelling along the top of a ridge of hills, and had no very steep
ascent or descent.
Every now and then we were able to see the Leimatak peak, still
some distance off, which I had recognised and pointed out to the
others, and I knew that the road to Cachar passed right through a
small grove of trees on its summit, so we made it our landmark.
The chances of meeting Captain Cowley’s party seemed growing
less every hour. Had he been obliged to turn back? we wondered.
Would he have gone on towards Manipur, and have passed the
place where we hoped to strike the road? We knew nothing.
We were all utterly weary, and dispirited from want of food and
rest. It was now the morning of the 26th, and we had none of us
tasted food since the 24th. I was so tired that I wished I were dead
more than once, and everything seemed quite hopeless, when we
came upon the road suddenly.
I think from this moment fate favoured us. We had entertained so
little hope of finding the road at all, that it seemed a piece of good
fortune when we came upon it suddenly, even though we had all our
work still before us and were without food.
The next thing that happened cheered our drooping spirits not a
little. We came round a corner and found three Manipuri Sepoys
sitting by the roadside, with their arms and accoutrements by them,
cooking their morning meal. They were taken by surprise at our
sudden advent, and two of them fled, leaving the third a prisoner in
our hands. He was not so active as the rest, and the Ghoorkas were
too quick for him. They tied him up with straps and anything they
could find, and the poor creature evidently thought that his last hour
had come. He fell on his knees when he saw me, calling me ‘Ranee,
Ranee,’ and imploring of me to save him. So I spoke to him as well
as I could in Manipuri, telling him not to be frightened; that we did not
intend to hurt him.
Meanwhile, the rice they had cooked came in most acceptably,
and perhaps, had a disinterested onlooker been present, he might
have been very much amused at the eager way we all rushed at it to
devour it. How good it seemed, even though there were scarcely two
mouthfuls for each one. What there was was received most
gratefully, and I felt very selfish at discovering that, in their
thoughtfulness for me, the officers had managed to save a small
basketful, which no one would touch, and which they insisted on
keeping for me. After the rice was disposed of, we questioned the
Manipuri we had captured to find out whether he knew anything of
Captain Cowley’s movements. He told us that he knew the Sahib
had arrived at Leimatak on the 25th, and that he had not yet passed
along the road towards Manipur. So we were cheered at the tidings,
for we knew now that, with any luck, we must meet with the
detachment before very long, and could not be more than eight miles
away from Captain Cowley at that moment.
The Manipuri went on to say that there were a number of the
enemy lying in wait for us about half a mile further on, and he
advised us to take to the jungle again, offering to show us a path that
would lead us into Captain Cowley’s camp. The idea of more fighting
struck terror into my heart, and had I been in command I should
have been foolish enough to take the man’s advice; but fortunately
the others decided without hesitation to go on, and said they did not
believe the prisoner was speaking the truth.
We had scarcely gone half a mile when we came suddenly upon a
stockade, and as soon as we appeared round the turn in the road
which disclosed it to our view, we were fired on from the hillside
above us. I threw myself down for protection against the sloping side
of the road, but was not allowed to remain there, as the stockade
was about to be rushed, and I had to get over it too, as best I could.
Fortunately it had been constructed to prevent Captain Cowley’s
party from getting past that point in the road, and was in
consequence easier for us to clamber over, as we had come from
the opposite direction; but I knew that it was useless for me to
attempt climbing over it, as my dress would be certain to catch on
the sharp ends of the bamboos with which the stockade was
constructed, and there I should be suspended, an excellent mark for
any stray bullet. So I made a rush to the other side of the road,
where I lost my footing and fell, rolling down the Khud. But luckily it
was not as steep as it might have been, and I managed to scramble
up and get round the stockade, helped very considerably by my
former friend the Bunnia, before mentioned, who stretched out his
leg from a secure position, and I clambered up by it and lay down
completely exhausted and panting from my exertions down the
hillside.
Meanwhile firing was going on overhead, which was returned by
our men, who killed one or two of the enemy. But the latter were so
well screened by the trees around them that it was difficult to get a
shot at them at all. I do not know how matters might have ended, but
suddenly someone called out that there were more men coming up
the hill. No one knew who they were, for they were a long way off,
and could only be seen every now and then as they appeared in and
out of the trees. Sepoys they were we knew, but were they friends or
enemies?
I felt too exhausted to get up and look at them, as all the others
were doing, until there was an exclamation from someone that the
new arrivals were Ghoorkas. I had felt certain that they would turn
out to be Manipuris, who would put an end to us in a very short time.
But when opinion became divided as to their identity, the longing for
life which we all possess so strongly surged up into my brain, driving
me nearly crazy with excitement, and hope, that takes so much
killing, rose again within me.
Still we were doubtful. We could see as they came nearer that
they wore Kharkee, but the uniform worn by the Jubraj’s men was
almost identical with that of the Ghoorkas. We sounded our bugle,
and it was answered by the advancing party; but then we
remembered the Manipuri bugle call was the same as that of the
43rd Ghoorka Rifles, to which regiment Captain Cowley belonged.
We got out our only pocket-handkerchief, tied it to a stick, and waved
it about, but we could not see whether that signal was returned or
not. The time which had elapsed since they were first sighted
seemed hours; it was in reality only a few minutes.
Gradually they advanced nearer, running up the hill as fast as they
could, and then the majority cried out that they were the Ghoorkas
from Cachar. I shut my eyes, for I could not bear the strain of
watching them while their identity was uncertain. But at last a Sahib
was descried amongst them, and all doubt was over; they were the
Ghoorkas, and we were saved. I remember someone asking me if I
would make one last effort and run down the hill to meet them, as
the firing was still going on, and a stray bullet might even then find its
billet; and I remember getting up, with a mist in my eyes and a
surging in my head, and running as I have never run before or since
down the hill, helped along by two of the officers.
I remember putting my foot on a stone which rolled away from
under it, and gave my ankle a wrench which sprained it, and turned
me sick and giddy with pain; and I remember meeting Captain
Cowley, and seeing his men rushing past me up the hill, and then I
remember nothing more for some time. I did not faint, but I believe I
sat down on the side of the road and sobbed, for the strain had been
more than I could bear after all the horrors of the previous two days,
and tears were a relief.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Saved—Captain Cowley pursues the enemy, and we fall on our feet—Have to
wear Sepoys’ boots—Halt at Leimatak—Transitions of climate—Manipuri
attack—Tables turned on them—Shortness of food—The Nagas—Cross the
Jhiri and regain the British frontier.
We were saved! That was the one thought in my mind when I was
able to recover my senses sufficiently to be able to think at all.
Saved from the terrors of starvation, and from the hands of our
enemies; and in my heart I thanked God for having given me the
strength which had enabled me to bear all the misery and weariness
of the last few days. We human beings are so given to forgetfulness,
and fail so often to remember that we owe thanks to Providence for
preserving us when man’s help is of no avail. We are ready enough
to thank our fellow-men for what they do for us, but we forget the
rest. This time I can honestly say that I thanked God from the bottom
of my heart.
As I sat there by the side of the road, bereft of everything I
possessed in the world save only the clothes I wore, I did not think of
what I had lost, but only of the life that was still mine. This world is
very good and pleasant to live in. Home and friends are very dear to
one at all times. But all these are never so precious as when we see
them slipping from our grasp, and feel that even our breath, and the
lifeblood coursing through our veins, are to be taken from us; then
alone do we fully rouse ourselves to action, while we struggle and
fight for the life that is so dear.
It was some time before I recovered my senses sufficiently to be
able to join with the rest in giving the rescuing party a detailed
account of our miraculous escape. Some of Captain Cowley’s men
were still pursuing the now-retreating foe, and we could hear shots
being fired from the brow of the hill above us. We remained where
we were for some time, and our rescuers produced biscuits and
potted meat and soda-water. They had whisky with them too, so we
really felt we had fallen on our feet. I was too exhausted to eat much,
and did not feel at all hungry; but I was glad enough to drink a peg,
[21] and felt very much better for it. My ankle was very painful, so the
doctor, who was among the newcomers, bound it up for me, and I
went to sleep by the roadside for a short time.
I have said we were saved, but that does not mean that we were
entirely out of danger of being fired upon by the Manipuris. They had
not spared Captain Cowley’s party, though they had allowed him to
march up to within twenty miles of us without making themselves
unpleasant. But the night before he met us he had marched as usual
into a new camping-ground, wholly ignorant of what had occurred in
Manipur, and to his great surprise had been fired on. Shortly
afterwards fugitives from our party arrived, and told him that we were
wandering about in the jungle with every chance of coming to grief
before very long, unless rescued. This news was startling, to say the
least of it, and caused him to hurry on to our help. When, some miles
away, he heard shots being fired from the top of the hill, he
concluded that we were not far off, and before long caught sight of
the stockade and arrived in the nick of time with men, food, and
ammunition to our aid.
The rest of our march was a different thing to what the
commencement had been, though discomforts were still many and
great. Food was none too plentiful for the Sepoys, though we did not
fare badly, and after two days of starvation one is not particular. The
43rd had got a supply of beer, whisky, and cocoa, which were all
most acceptable commodities, and I was able to get other luxuries
from one of the party, viz., a brush, a sponge, a grand pair of woollen
stockings, and some Sepoys’ boots, which each measured about a
foot and a half in length and were broad in proportion. However,
beggars can’t be choosers, and as my ankle was very much swollen
the commodious boots did not come amiss.
After we had rested some hours we pushed on down the hill to
Leimatak, which place was reached before sunset. I was carried in a
dooly, as my ankle was too painful to allow of my walking.
When we arrived at the camp we found a string of elephants and
mules, which had been travelling up with the detachment, and which
had been left behind by Captain Cowley when he discovered the
state of affairs we were in, and had to hurry on to our help. It seemed
difficult to realize that we were still in a hostile country, surrounded
by enemies, for the camp looked just the same as it had done in
more peaceful regions.
I had travelled down from Shillong, in the winter of 1890, with the
43rd Ghoorka Rifles, and was consequently quite accustomed to the
bustle and movement accompanying a regiment on the march.
We halted at Leimatak for four or five hours, and had a very
respectable dinner, to which we did full justice. Afterwards I lay down
and went to sleep again, until it was time to move on.
From this time our march was very monotonous. We got up at
three every morning and marched until sunset. We had a meal of
army rations and cocoa in the morning, and another meal of army
rations and beer in the evening, after which we all went to sleep as
we were, and never woke until the bugle sounded the reveille.
We were always dead-tired. The hills were very steep, and as we
got nearer Cachar the heat was intense during the day, and the cold
piercing at night. We could only move very slowly, and with caution,
for we never knew when we might be attacked. Pickets were posted
all around us on the hills at night, for the purpose of keeping a look-
out against the enemy.
We were fired at several times during the march, but the Manipuris
did not like the look of a large party, and kept a respectful distance,
sometimes firing at us from such a long way off that we did not take
the trouble to reply to it. And yet I was more nervous and unstrung at
this time than I had been when the danger was really imminent, and
bullets coming fast. A stray shot used to make my heart beat with
terror, and at last I got so nervous that whenever a shot was fired my
companions used to say it was only a bamboo burning in the jungle
behind us.
We set fire to nearly all the Thanas on the road, which we found
for the most part deserted and empty. At one place called Khowpum,
the Manipuris had only left the Thana a few minutes before our
arrival. They were lying in wait for us though, on the top of a small
ridge, hoping to catch us as we came round the turn of the road. But
they were caught themselves, as the Ghoorkas made a small detour
and appeared on the top of the ridge instead of below it, and opened
fire upon them, causing them to retreat hastily, after a very slight
show of resistance.
We then marched into the Thana, and found a quantity of rice in
baskets, which had evidently just arrived from the Maharajah’s
Godowns[22] for the monthly rations. We could not take the whole
amount with us, but the Sepoys were allowed to carry as much as
they could, and it was a lucky find. It was often very difficult to
procure food for the men, and they had more than once to go without
dinner when they got in at night, though as a rule they had half-
rations. We had managed to get a supply of rice from one of the
Naga villages situated near the road.
The Nagas were for the most part friendly disposed towards us,
but here and there they gathered together near their villages, which
they had deserted for the meanwhile, and had a stray shot at us as
we passed along. We never burned these villages, thinking they
might be useful to the troops when they should return.
I walked most of the way, except the first march after meeting
Captain Cowley. He had a pony which he lent me, but the hills were
very steep at the best of times for riding, and on this occasion I had
to balance myself as best I could on a man’s saddle, with the off
stirrup crossed over the pony’s neck to make some sort of pommel.
Riding thus downhill was an impossibility, and I never made the
attempt.
My ankle pained me very much at times, but for the most part it
seemed to have no feeling in it at all, and was swollen into an
unsightly mass.
We came across one or two poor old Manipuri women on the road
as we neared the frontier. They had been peaceably travelling up to

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Mastering Competencies in Family

Therapy: A Practical Approach to

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Printed in the United States of America

Insoo Kim Berg

Foreword by Ronald J. Chenail, Ph.D. xix

Part I Theoretical Foundations 1

Part II Couple and Family Therapy Theories 81

Part III Clinical Case Documentation 495

Afterword Closing Thoughts: Where to Go from Here? 601

Appendix A: The Family Therapy Core Competencies 605

Appendix B: CACREP Competency-Based Standards 613

Appendix C: Psychology Benchmarks 615

Appendix D: Social Work 2015 Competencies 625

Foreword by Ronald J. Chenail, Ph.D. xix

Part I Theoretical Foundations 1

1 Competency and Theory in Family Therapy 3

2 Research and Ethical Foundations

3 Philosophical Foundations of Family Therapy Theories 45

How to Choose: Dating versus Marrying 70

Part II Couple and Family Therapy Theories 81

4 Systemic and Strategic Therapies 83

5 Structural Family Therapies 135

Treatment Plan 191

6 Experiential Family Therapies 197

Experiential Case Study: Child Sexual Abuse 247

7 Intergenerational and Psychoanalytic

Treatment Plan 304

8 Cognitive–Behavioral and Mindfulness-Based

Clinical Assessment 368

9 Solution-Based Therapies 377

10 Narrative and Collaborative Therapies 427

Putting It All Together: Narrative Case Conceptualization and Treatment

Part Iii Clinical Case Documentation 495

11 Case Conceptualization 497

Intergenerational and Attachment Patterns 512

12 Clinical Assessment 527

13 Treatment Planning 563

14 Evaluating Progress in Therapy 577

15 Document It: Progress Notes 591

Final Note on Notes 599

Afterword Closing Thoughts: Where to Go from Here? 601

Appendix A Family Therapy Core Competencies 605

Appendix B CACREP Competency-Based Standards 613

Appendix c Psychology Benchmarks 615

Appendix D Social Work 2015 Competencies 625

Learning about Learning

Being Competent with Competencies

skills in the pursuit of transparent and mutually beneficial goals. She

Courtesy of Ron Chenail

Ronald J. Chenail, Ph.D.

The Purpose of This Book

What’s New in the Third Edition

Assessing Student Learning and Competence

●● The Viewing: Case Conceptualization

MindTap for Mastering Competencies

Instructor and Student Resources

Randall Lyle: St. Mary’s University

Part III Clinical Case Documentation 495

Afterword Closing Thoughts: Where to Go from Here? 601

Appendix A: The Family Therapy Core Competencies 605

Appendix B: CACREP Competency-Based Standards 613

Appendix C: Psychology Benchmarks 615

Appendix D: Social Work 2015 Competencies 625

Experiential Case Study: Child Sexual Abuse 247

Afterword Closing Thoughts: Where to Go from Here? 601

Appendix A Family Therapy Core Competencies 605

Appendix B CACREP Competency-Based Standards 613

Appendix c Psychology Benchmarks 615

Appendix D Social Work 2015 Competencies 625