Family Assessment

At the conclusion of family interviews or observations of the family in the home, in the laboratory or playroom, or in an office, ratings can be made of the same dimensions of family functioning assessed by questionnaires as well as of many other characteristics (Kerig and Lindahl 2001). Such ratings of family dynamics from family insiders and outsiders and in different social contexts can, of course, be similar in one or more ways and divergent and conflicting in significant ways. These similarities and differences may have great significance for determining and evaluating interventions that would reduce complaints by individuals within and outside the family.