December 17, 1985

International American pressure to remove the Philippines' Chief of Staff, Gen. Fabian C. Ver, contributed to a factional dispute that is hampering the work of the military, President Ferdinand E. Marcos said. Mr. Marcos, who despite this pressure reinstated General Ver after his acquittal on charges of involvement in the slaying of Benigno S. Aquino Jr., said in an interview that he expected the general to be removed from his post soon. [Page A1, Column 2.] A statewide election in Assam that brought out large numbers of voters was seen as a crucial test for Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's political control over the state. Tens of thousands of policemen and paramilitary troops kept watch. [A3:4.]

Because of an editing error, the Sky Watch map in late editions on Sunday mislabeled the path to be followed by the Moon later this week. The path is that of the summer solstice sun.

PSYCHOTHERAPY, after a century of existence, has splintered into factions so diverse that there is little agreement on exactly what psychotherapy is, how it should proceed or what it should accomplish. And despite the best of ecumenical efforts, the deep divisions seem to be getting even deeper. Those rifts were apparent at a landmark conference last week in Phoenix at which most of the great living therapists gathered to discuss their craft. Salvador Minuchin, one of the major figures in family therapy, said: ''We each have our fiefdoms, the boundaries determined by the beliefs we share. Information does not cross those boundaries very easily. We almost never get together so many therapists of differing views.''

Investigators were focusing increasing attention yesterday on the possibility that the the crash of a chartered airliner in Newfoundland last week was caused by a reversal of power in one of the engines. This would be consistent with the sudden veering and speed loss that Canadian officials said the plane had experienced just before it plunged to the ground. But other possible causes of the crash are still being investigated. Canadian investigators said the Arrow Air DC-8 had reached a speed sufficient for a proper takeoff before it decelerated and crashed. Pending a full investigation of the cause of the crash, the Defense Department is continuing to charter troop and cargo planes from Arrow Air, the Pentagon said. [Page B8.] Thrust Reverser Deployed According to officials close to the inquiry, an examination of the wreckage showed that the right outboard engine's thrust reverser, which helps to slow a plane on landing, was in the deployed position. The reversers on the jet's three other engines were properly stowed, the officials said.

In a new policy ordered by Mayor Koch, homeless families seeking emergency housing will be sent to dormitory-like shelters, not welfare hotels, unless the shelters are full. Mr. Koch said the hotel rooms have been acting as a magnet, drawing families who had previously doubled up with friends or relatives or who had been living in substandard housing. He said that because the homeless families sheltered in hotels were given priority on the city's permanent housing list, families have been trying to get into the hotels to better their place on that list. 'Whenever We Can' ''Our plan is to limit the use of the hotels so people won't feel that getting into a hotel is better than what housing they have,'' he said.