Wampler, K. S., Miller, R. B. & Seedall, R. B. (Eds.). (2020). The handbook of systemic family therapy: Volume 1. The profession of systemic family therapy John Wiley & Sons.

It was clear and inspiring to read how far the field of systemic family therapy (SFT) has come as demonstrated in Volume 1. The Profession of Systemic Family Therapy of The Handbook of Systemic Family Therapy edited by Richard B. Miller and Ryan B. Seedall. A strength of this volume is the breadth of topics represented. Readers, perhaps especially students and those more unfamiliar with SFT, will be immersed in a comprehensive overview of the origins, practice, and assessment of systemic family therapy. Simultaneously, those who have been SFTs for many years will likely encounter newly inspired reflections on questions like, “Where is the field going and what is my part in where the field may be headed?”

In our review of Volume 1 of The Handbook of Systemic Family Therapy, we were struck by five central themes evident across all the chapters: (1) validity as a field, (2) inclusion and affirming therapy practices, (3) theory evolution, (4) responsibility to therapeutic practice, research, advocacy, and training, and (5) access to knowledge and globalization as a field. Systemic family therapy has advocated for legitimacy in the field of mental health, recently seen in the fight for C/MFTs to bill through Medicaid/Medicare (AAMFT, ^n.d.). Throughout Volume 1, authors detail how the field's evolution has included shifts in the ways that families are conceptualized, more complexity in the research being done, how therapy is conducted, and how student therapists are being trained. Societal and cultural influences have been monumental in the evolution of SFT, with inclusive and affirming therapy practice integration for all marginalized populations serving as a call to action for practitioners.

Family is no longer just defined by biology, a change driven by societal shifts and an acknowledgment of families beyond the traditional nuclear family by recognizing queer families, stepfamilies, interracial families, families with more than two parents, and more. With this incorporation and recognition of diverse families and individuals, chapter authors show that there has been a push towards more LGBTQ + affirmative therapy practices; more utilization of an intersectional approach to family therapy to attune to multiple, overlapping social identities; the inclusion of physiological measures of health and wellbeing; and the encouragement of therapists to have core competence around spirituality within their therapeutic practice. The unique view of change within SFT makes it a great approach for a number of disorders, presenting problems, and individuals across life cycles. This volume reexamines foundational family therapy theories that are taught to and used by clinicians. The increased use of common factors, evaluation of traditional models of family therapy, inclusion of evidence‐based models and practices, and the practicality of theories in practice have served to propel the field forward.

Although the breadth was vast and it makes sense that topics such as physiological considerations (Chapter 9), intersectionality and liberation‐based healing (Chapter 10), effectiveness research (Chapter 19), and supervision (Chapter 25), for example, were presented separately to cover each in‐depth—we found ourselves reflecting on how these various topics may be integrated even more in a truly systemic way. For example, how might the field of SFT continue to advance to address questions such as how the autonomic nervous system responds to and is shaped by experiences of oppression based on compounding, intersectional identities that are located in a broader socio‐historical context? And how might training programs and research methods further push to center the most marginalized (e.g., those at the intersections of class, race, immigrant, disability, and transgender identities)?

It was apparent throughout Volume 1 that the field of SFT should intentionally focus on becoming more inclusive in attuning to intersectionality and diverse identities in every area of the profession. Authors highlighted the need for more research in several areas such as addressing the implications of how the field trains and evaluates students within the frameworks of core competencies and COAMFTE; how accessible licensure and training is for marginalized students; and how the field of SFT may influence greater cultural systemic change, to name a few. Furthermore, some of the authors in this volume raised thought‐provoking, forward‐thinking questions for the field (e.g., Doherty, W. J., Chapter 2; Almeida, R. V. & Tubbs, C. Y., Chapter 10; Lyness, K. P., Chapter 24; Piercy, F. P., Chapter 33). These centered on how the field of SFT might embrace the core systemic ideas of the inextricable nature of being in relationship with ourselves, others, and our broader communities while also managing and mitigating the tensions of the medical model of treatment, DSM diagnoses, and our legitimacy as a mental health field.

For clinicians, this volume offers an overview of central systemic theories that can aid in case conceptualization and ways of practice by incorporating social and cultural contexts (Part 2) and theories to utilize (Part 3). This volume also offers valuable insight into how the field of SFT has evolved across the globe and is influenced by societal and cultural views of health and mental health services (Sim, T. & Sim, C., Chapter 3) as well as the ways in which SFT has reached and informed various settings (e.g., medical, military, technology; Chapters 29 and 30). This information could be helpful for clinicians practicing in various places around the world. There are also practical implications for educators, supervisors, and researchers in several chapters such as implementing Community Based Participatory Research (Parra‐Cardona et al., Chapter 21) and a model for addressing cultural complexities in supervision (i.e., iCARE; Castonova et al., Chapter 25). Overall, we were honored to have the opportunity to review this volume and walked away with hope and critical reflections for the future of the profession of SFT. We can see readers of this volume having in‐the‐moment implications for their practice as well as continued conversations with their peers about how to move the field forward.