Family or individual therapy: the determinants of modality choice.

There are powerful non-rational forces in patients and therapists alike, and in the therapeutic context. These forces often determine whether individual or family therapy is chosen. Historical, cultural, and economic forces, patient and family motivations, and therapist preferences are all powerful determinants of modality choice. This is partly due to the newness of the field of family therapy, and will probably continue until we have a better conceptual grasp of family theory and nosology, the interrelation of individual and family pathology, and a clearer delineation of the criteria for these modalities.