#MM07 – Q&A Mondays with Moshe Lang: The Art of Family Therapy
This is Episode 7 of the Q and A series with psychologist Moshe Lang. Moshe is one of Australia’s best known family therapists, a renowned author and teacher. Every fortnight WAWID listener's send in questions for Moshe. These questions can be be about anything to do with his journey, therapy or the field of mental health more generally.
Moshe has been practicing psychotherapy for over 52 years and is insatiably curious, and wonderfully wise.
This weeks questions are from Jensen Young:
- How would you work with an adolescent in individual therapy if they continually report that their parents are not meeting their attachment/emotional needs (say through emotional neglect, or consistent criticism), and the parents refuse to engage in family therapy?
- In adolescent and family therapy, what do u do when parents are uncooperative, or highly critical of their children in and out of sessions, or fail to consider your feedback?
- There are many (if not the majority) of programs out there in the community that treat anxious children using individual therapy (often with individually focussed modalities like CBT or ACT). As a family systems therapist, whats your position on treating an anxious child using an individual frame?
- ”Moshe you are trained in clinical psychology and in family therapy. Can u give some examples of when you would lean more towards one of these lenses in a) working with couples and b) working with families i.e., what are your ‘markers' for adopting a clinical psychology approach vs a systemic approach?
- When you work with individuals, what are your preferred individually focussed modalities and why?
More info on Moshe
Moshe Lang is one of Australia’s best known family therapists. He was born in Israel and he migrated to Australia in 1961. He studied psychology at the University of Melbourne and is currently the Director of the Williams Road Psychotherapy Centre.
Between 1965 and 1979 Moshe was the senior psychologist at the Bouverie Clinic and Director of Training. In 1975, during a sabbatical, he worked in Ramat-Chen Mental Health Clinic in Israel. In 1979, he founded Williams Road Family Therapy Centre, the first independent family therapy centre in Australia. He remained involved with the Centre until 2012.
Moshe was the Foundation President of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (1979-1988), and from 1982 to 1984 was President of the Victorian Association of Family Therapists (now known as Australian Association of Family Therapy). He is a Life Member of the Australian Association of Family Therapy (1992).
Moshe has published extensively in the professional literature on themes ranging from:
- working with children and adolescents
- depression
- suicide
- working with Holocaust survivors and their families
- couples therapy
- teaching family therapy.
Moshe has co-authored a variety of books based on his therapeutic work that are highly regarded and have been extensively reviewed and translated to Hebrew and French. More recently he released a highly praised DVD titled Behind Closed Doors, providing the viewers, both professional and general public alike, with the opportunity to see him at work.
Recommended Resources
To learn more about Moshe visit to his website – moshelang.com.au
Books:
- Corrupting the Young and Other Stories of a Family Therapist – Moshe Lang
- Resilience: Stories of a Family Therapist – Moshe Lang (with Tesse Lang)
- A Family in Therapy and The Answer Within – Moshe Lang (with Peter McCallum)
- Behind Closed Doors, (DVD) – Moshe Lang doing couples therapy!
Your Comments or Questions
Post your question for Moshe under this episode! Leave us a comment or some feedback, we’d love to hear from you!
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Have you seen many adult survivors of family csa disclose this to their family and if so what have you seen unfold. What do you advise those victims to do if they have always wanted
to tell someone who they love. There may be implications and consequences. Any advice would be most appreciated.
Hi Jane,
This is a great question. I will put it to Moshe in one of our next recording sessions!
Thanks,
Amy