Description

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In this widely adopted text and professional reference, leading contributors provide the knowledge needed to design strong qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method studies; analyze the resulting data; and translate findings into improved practices and programs. Following a consistent format, user-friendly chapters thoroughly describe the various methodologies and illustrate their applications with helpful concrete examples.

About the Author

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Douglas H. Sprenkle, PhD, until his death in 2018, was Professor Emeritus at Purdue University, where he was developer and former Director of the Doctoral Program in Marriage and Family Therapy Dr. Sprenkle was past Editor of the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy and the author or editor of over 130 scholarly articles and books. He received the Osborne Award from the National Council on Family Relations, which is given biannually for outstanding teaching, and the Outstanding Contribution to Marriage and Family Therapy Award, the Cumulative Career Contribution to Marriage and Family Therapy Research Award, and the Training Award from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Dr. Sprenkle also won the Award for Significant Contribution to Family Therapy Theory and Practice from the American Family Therapy Academy.

Fred P. Piercy, PhD, is professor and head of the Department of Human Development at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He has served two times on the Board of Directors of AAMFT, and as the chair of the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education. Dr. Piercy is also a member and fellow of both AAMFT and the American Psychological Association. He has written over 160 published articles, 5 books, and 35 funded grants. Most recently, he is the coeditor of the Handbook of the Clinical Treatment of Infidelity (with Katherine Hertlein and Joseph Wetchler). Dr. Piercy has won both national and university teaching awards. He has also collaborated extensively with colleagues from the University of Indonesia and Atma Jaya University (in Jakarta, Indonesia) and was the principal investigator of a World AIDS Foundation-funded project in Indonesia.

Praise For…

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"The second edition of Research Methods in Family Therapy breaks new ground in presenting an in-depth perspective on qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method approaches to family therapy research. Providing great breadth and depth in each of these areas, the editors have pulled together a close-to-perfect handbook for young researchers entering the field, as well as for seasoned family therapy researchers. Sprenkle and Piercy have given us, once again, an ideal text in family therapy research methodology."--William M. Pinsof, PhD, The Family Institute at Northwestern University

"This excellent second edition offers a significant expansion and update of its predecessor and addresses a variety of essential research issues. New and revised chapters cover such topics as computer-aided qualitative data analysis, future directions for qualitative methods, and quantitative and mixed-method approaches at the cutting edge of family therapy research. This book belongs on the shelves of practitioners and students who want to build their research skills, as well as seasoned family therapy researchers."--Sandra M. Stith, PhD, Marriage and Family Therapy Program, Virginia Tech

"As a faculty member in an accredited master's-level MFT program, I've been waiting for the second edition of Sprenkle and Piercy's classic text on research methods. Our faculty want a textbook that will make research interesting and relevant to master's-level clinicians. At the same time, we want a book that reflects the growing sophistication of MFT methodology. Sprenkle and Piercy's new edition meets both goals admirably. I'm confident that we will adopt it as a basic text!"--Jo Ellen Patterson, PhD, Marriage and Family Therapy Program, University of San Diego


"Sprenkle and Piercy do an excellent job of bringing together a group of learned authors on a multitude of family therapy research methods. The balance between qualitative and quantitative methods is well organized, and the Mixed Methods section is exceptional. Throughout the text, the use of computer technology in data collection and analysis is discussed as an essential research technique. This alone is enough to recommend it as a graduate text. This book would serve well as a 'stand-alone' text for the first graduate research class in marriage & family therapy and in other mental health and human services disciplines. It would also be a valuable resource for those clinicians already in practice, especially those responsible for administrative or program evaluation duties."
— The Family Journal

"This book is a good choice for the family therapy practitioner who wants to understand more about the research enterprise and is a very good choice for the researcher who seeks a reference point for emerging issues across the domain of family therapy research approaches. For graduate students and their mentors, this will be an excellent core text and a worthy heir to the foundation established by the first edition."
— PsycCRITIQUES

"Lays out an important bridge between research and practice in family therapy. This very readable volume answers immediate research questions and serves as a convenient reference guide for further in-depth reading and application....For the clinician, this book is a must have to consult when evaluating research studies for an evidence-based practice protocol. Professors will want to have this resource for preparing lecture notes or for assisting student researchers. Students will benefit from having this book so that they can see more vividly the research/practice connection. Researchers will want to refer back to specific chapters relating to the methodological protocols and themes in order to produce solid and applicable research projects."
— Journal of Marital and Family Therapy