GARF Assessment Sourcebook

A guide to using the Global Assessment of Relational Functioning (GARF) scale for family assessment, for practicing professionals as well as students in training programs. Describes each element of the scale, compares it to other marriage and family assessment tools, and summarizes GARF research. A

First published in 1998. The GARF Assessment Sourcebook is a comprehensive guide to the Global Assessment of Relational Functioning (GARF) scale for family assessment. This comprehensive guide to the GARF is an essential tool for practicing professionals as well as students in training programs. It provides a thorough description of each element of the GARF, a comprehensive review of the GARF in relation to other marriage and family assessment tools, summaries of GARF research, and a comprehensive appendix of reproducible GARF-related forms.

The GARF Assessment Sourcebook challenges marriage and family therapists to use, evaluate, and refine the GARF so that it may be included in the main portion of the next revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). As managed care becomes more pervasive and providers start giving more direction over treatment options, the GARF will become an important new tool in family mental health treatment to assist clinicians who are struggling to improve services and justify their work to the broader health-care community.