The role of the family therapist in health risk reduction.

To increase significantly the amount and duration of behavior change in health education risk reduction programs, a multi-dimensional approach is needed. The family system in which each individual functions has a unique impact on an individual's probability of change. The authors propose that risk reduction programs include family therapists as primary change agents and suggest that multiple family therapy is the most effective strategy for reducing long-term change. This model may be applied and adapted to meet the characteristics and needs of most health education risk reduction programs. Given the prevalence of heart disease and cancer, the problems of bringing about risk reduction behavior change have been paramount in the health care community. Attrition rates and recidivism, however, have plagued risk reduction programs. It is proposed that by including family therapists in these programs, personal and family issues may be hindering and/or sabotaging attempted behavior change could be resolved, thus facilitating greater success.