The provision of suitable mental health care is one of the major tasks facing general practitioners and their teams. Family-oriented primary care has moved from doctor-controlled to patient-centred consultations, with a greater emphasis on collaboration. The systemic framework uniquely lends itself to this shift in emphasis, as it views the delivery of care in social rather than merely medical terms. There is now a strong evidence base for the efficacy of systemic approaches in managing many different types of mental health and relationship issues.

Family Work in Primary Care: A Systemic Approach is a practical guide for health professionals working in primary care who wish to improve their management of problem patients, problem families and problem situations. Step-by-step it introduces both the theory and the practice of the family approach

[Family Work in Family Care is based on 'Family Solutions in Family Practice' by Eia Asen and Peter Tomson published in 1992}.