Prevention and treatment of problems with sibling relationships

Sibling relationships are one of the longest lasting and at times the most influential relationships of a person's life, yet scholars and systemic family therapists have disregarded sibling relationships. This chapter provides an introduction to the current research on the multifaceted aspects of sibling relationships (e.g., gender, age, birth order) and discussion of potential sibling problems, such as rivalry, bullying, or abuse that may warrant therapeutic intervention. We will discuss systemic family therapy (SFT) theories, analyze ways that SFT theories have conceptualized siblings, and provide a discussion of themes across SFT theories. We will provide strategies to work with sibling relationships including contextual considerations that may be applicable to situations like siblings in foster care and siblings and divorce. Finally, we will discuss future directions in theory and research surrounding sibling relationships and therapy.