[Systemically oriented family counseling (and treatment) within the scope of a social psychiatry service].

For the last 5 years the sociopsychiatric service of the public health administration of the city of Flensburg has been operating a kind of systemic family therapy. The theory of this method is described and placed in relationship with other family therapy theories. Some techniques of family therapy are demonstrated by means of a case. The legal background is shown. The system family treatment has improved as crisis intervention and short time therapy.