...Family Systems Therapy Alexis M. Foote Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi Family Systems Therapy There are a number of theories under the Family Systems Therapy group that focus on communication patterns within the family unit. Systems theory is based on the family’s response to feedback from one another and the desire of the group to make changes to maintain the status quo. In the family system we discover who we are, we grow and change, and we give and receive support that is necessary for survival (Corey, 2013). A number of theories exist based on various approaches, but the theory behind them is that families are SYSTEMS of interconnected and interdependent individuals and to understand the individual, we must understand the family system. The family systems perspective is rooted in the idea that the client’s behavior may do four things, the behavior may serve a purpose of function for the family, the behavior may be unintentionally maintained by the family, be a function of the family’s inability to operate productively, and lastly the behavior could be a symptom of dysfunctional patterns that have been handed down across generations (Corey, 2013). Alfred Alder was the first therapist to use family therapy in a systemic approach. Following him, Murray Bowen developed his Multigenerational Family Therapy approach to resolving problems in the family unit. He focuses on differentiation of self for individuals to reduce the chance for entanglement, which...
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...Systems Theories: Strategic Therapy Strategic Therapy or Strategic Family Therapy is one of the oldest theories used in the practice of marriage and family therapy today. It was developed by Don Jackson and others affiliated to the Palo Alto group. Jay Haley and the Milan Group are also important practitioners of the model Strategic Therapy. This theory is portrayed as focused on altering family dynamics, eliminating problems and focusing on the presenting problems rather than the past, and often giving homework and behavioral tasks to clients. In this essay is a detailed description of the history of strategic therapy, beliefs, techniques and problems presented by this theory. The strategic therapy is dated back to the early 1950s and as mentioned before was developed by Don Jackson and is associated with communication theory which was developed by Gregory Bateson, who is also the leader of Palo Alto. During the mid-1980s and early 1990s strategic family therapy was sharply criticized as being covert, manipulative, and even unethical in its practice (Duncan, 1992; Held, 1992;Wendorf & Wendorf, 1985). Strategic therapy is wide spread throughout the world even though there was a lot of resistance from traditional therapists. As mentioned before Jay Haley and the Milan Group are important practitioners of this approach and focusing primarily on resolving the presenting problems in a seemingly “paradoxical” way. The strategic approach is also associated with the Mental Research...
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...A pod of family psychiatrists is sitting around and chatting about the state of family psychiatry. They are preparing for a plenary at the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry with the goal of showing how far family psychiatry has come since the first psychiatrists embraced the paradigm of systemic thinking. They also are debating why family psychiatry is ignored in current practice, especially since the evidence shows that family treatment dramatically improves recovery rates for many illnesses. When family therapy had its first wave of popularity, the charismatic leaders were out front wowing the crowds. Dr. Sal Minuchin's sessions were heavily focused on structure and boundary making, and involved much chair rearranging and pulling family members, especially children, out from between the couple dyad and into their own space and chairs One of his most famous tapes involved putting an ashtray between the chairs of two family members to literally increase the distance between them! Jay Haley, Ph.D., delivered strategic barbed arrows that pierced the hearts of the family members. Virginia Satir demonstrated the theater of families, sculpting organic shapes that pulsed with the gestalt of the family. There was much smoking of cigarettes during the sessions, by both the family psychiatrists and the family members. Psychiatry was exciting. The possibilities for change were endless. It was the 1960s. Unfortunately, in those early days, family therapy was oversold as...
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...Basic Techniques in Marriage and Family Counseling and Therapy. ERIC Digest. The area of marriage and family counseling/therapy has exploded over the past decade. Counselors at all levels are expected to work effectively with couples and families experiencing a wide variety of issues and problems. Structural, strategic, and transgenerational family therapists at times may seem to be operating alike, using similar interventions with a family. Differences might become clear when the therapist explains a certain technique or intervention. Most of today's practicing family therapists go far beyond the limited number of techniques usually associated with a single theory. TECHNIQUES The following select techniques have been used in working with couples and families to stimulate change or gain greater information about the family system. Each technique should be judiciously applied and viewed as not a cure, but rather a method to help mobilize the family. The when, where, and how of each intervention always rests with the therapist's professional judgment and personal skills. THE GENOGRAM The genogram, a technique often used early in family therapy, provides a graphic picture of the family history. The genogram reveals the family's basic structure and demographics. (McGoldrick & Gerson, 1985). Through symbols, it offers a picture of three generations. Names, dates of marriage, divorce, death, and other relevant facts are included in the genogram. It provides an enormous amount...
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...Experiential Family Group Therapy Experiential Family Group Therapy Melanie Davis Columbia College In today’s world, many people seek professional therapy or counseling for a limited amount of time in order to deal with different life crises, they may experience. Others seek professional help for the majority of their lives in order to deal with a psychological disorder. Earlier this year I was served with divorce papers. This entitles me to long hours of counseling, to help me understand and deal with my situation. Although I have had some marriage counseling in the past, the majority has been subsequent to being diagnosed with depression. I have done individual counseling, marriage and family counseling too. And most recently, I am currently taking a course titled Working with Groups, at Columbia College. It discusses the different types of therapy. Needless to say, it is very interesting to know the different "features" of group therapy and the different therapy techniques, and be able to recognize and better understand certain therapy sessions. All of the information on the different types of therapies has helped me to more fully understand my own personal life crises and situations. This brings me to Experiential Family Therapy. Experiential therapy comes from the humanistic side of psychology, which focuses on the immediate, here-and-now experience. This paper will give a brief background of Family Therapy and critique the various family systems approaches dealing...
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...Family Therapy: A Systemic Integration, 8th Edition PART 1 THE SYSTEMIC FRAMEWORK Chapter 1: Two Different Worldviews The Framework of Individual Psychology The Framework of Systemic Family Therapy Basic Concepts of Systems Theory and Cybernetics Family Therapy or Relationship Therapy? Summary Chapter 2: The Historical Perspective Planting the Seeds: The 1940s Cybernetics Development of Interdisciplinary Approaches Gregory Bateson Putting Down Roots: The 1950s Bateson (Continued) The Double-Bind Hypothesis Nathan Ackerman Murray Bowen Carl Whitaker Theodore Lidz Lyman Wynne Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy John Elderkin Bell Christian F. Midelfort Overview of the 1950s The Plant Begins to Bud: The 1960s Paradigm Shift The MRI Salvador Minuchin Other Developments Blossom Time: The 1970s Psychodynamic Approaches Natural Systems Theory Experiential Approaches Structural Approaches Strategic Approaches Communication Approaches Behavioral Approaches Gregory Bateson Connecting and Integrating: The 1980s Other Voices The Limits of History Controversy, Conflict, and Beyond: The 1990s The Feminist Critique Family Therapy and Family Medicine Integration and Metaframeworks Managed Care The Twenty-First Century: Continuing Concerns and Emerging Trends Summary Chapter 3: The Paradigmatic Shift of Systems Theory A Cybernetic Epistemology Recursion ...
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...Structural family therapy (SFT) is a method of psychotherapy developed by Salvador Minuchin which addresses problems in functioning within a family. Structural Family Therapists strive to enter, or "join", the family system in therapy in order to understand the invisible rules which govern its functioning, map the relationships between family members or between subsets of the family, and ultimately disrupt dysfunctional relationships within the family, causing it to stabilize into healthier patterns.[1] Minuchin contends that pathology rests not in the individual, but within the family system. SFT utilizes, not only a special systems terminology, but also a means of depicting key family parameters diagrammatically. Its focus is on the structure of the family, including its various substructures. In this regard, Minuchin is a follower of systems and communication theory, since his structures are defined by transactions among interrelated systems within the family. He subscribes to the systems notions of wholeness and equifinality, both of which are critical to his notion of change. An essential trait of SFT is that the therapist actually enters, or "joins", with the family system as a catalyst for positive change. Joining with a family is a goal of the therapist early on in his or her therapeutic relationship with the family. Structural and Strategic therapy are important therapeutic models to identify as many therapists use these models as the bases for treatment. Each model...
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...are one of the major objectives of family counseling (Atwood , 1995 . Family counseling may help in promoting better relationship and understanding within a family (Berg , Sperry Carlson , 1999 . All families have conflicts or disagreements at times , and resolving their differences in a positive manner with respect to the interest and needs of each member is possible with the aid of family counseling approaches (Berg , Sperry Carlson 1999 . Different types of family counseling therapy can help in improving the lives of each family member with focus on different orientations , including the past family origin and early life difficulties , the present happenings which may either be satisfactory or unsatisfactory , their thoughts , behaviors , and emotions (Berg , Sperry Carlson , 1999 What causes the pain in the lives of family can be healed and have great potential to move into more productive ways through different family therapy approaches (Eisenberg , J Wahrman , 1991 . The Psychodynamic or Transgenerational Models , Cognitive Behavioral or Behavioral Models and Structural /Strategic /MRI Models are some of the more well-known family counseling approaches that will be explored and analyzed in this study (Eisenberg , J Wahrman , 1991 . Comparing and contrasting the Cognitive Behavioral Models of family therapy with other major models of family therapy can help better understand the family system 's boundaries , complementarities , family ties , capacity for change , and ability...
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...Liberty University Abstract As the world looks at the reality of communal exchange, thumbing back to historical debates of empirical and rational schools of thought, delineations from dualism to social interchange and collaboration refine hypothesis’ of undisputable truth. Reminiscent of the psychoanalytic movement with greats such as Freud, Jung and Adler, therapy, more of an art than science, and current day philosophies drive which models influence today’s truth. Reality is fashioned by language, how we feel, act and think, revealing “stories” we tell the self as contextual meanings. These beliefs now evolve one’s creation and truth. The therapist, joining in recognition of new perspectives, empowers and helps the client see that forward progress is strength within oneself. In a social constructivist point of view, the therapist detaches from the expert status of defining the problem. From family therapy and the multicultural lens, therapists now challenge cultural factors that, in turn, shape the client’s perceptions in the format of brief therapies. Keywords: brief therapies, collaborative, family therapy, social constructionism Postmodern Approach to Social Constructivism In the 21st century a paradigm shift motivated the field of psychology to unlock a fresh world view revealing the objet d'art of collective exchange. Referring to the modernistic creation of self, it is said that the anthropological essence and the search for truth is being reworked...
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...Head Office 30 Grosvenor Street, Neutral Bay, NSW 2089 Ph: 02 9904 5600 Fax: 02 9904 5611 Coming to grips with family systems theory in a collaborative, learning environment. info@thefsi.com.au http://www.thefsi.com.au Bowen Family Systems Theory and Practice: Illustration and Critique By Jenny Brown This paper will give an overview of Murray Bowen’s theory of family systems. It will describe the model’s development and outline its core clinical components. The practice of therapy will be described as well as recent developments within the model. Some key criticisms will be raised, followed by a case example which highlights the therapeutic focus of Bowen’s approach. This is the author’s version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Australian Academic Press for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy (ANZJFT) Vol.20 No.2 1999 pp 94-103). Introduction Murray Bowen's family systems theory (shortened to 'Bowen theory' from 1974) was one of the first comprehensive theories of family systems functioning (Bowen, 1966, 1978, Kerr and Bowen, 1988). While it has received sporadic attention in Australia and New Zealand, it continues to be a central influence in the practice of family therapy in North America. It is possible that some local family therapists have been influenced by many of Bowen's ideas without the connection being articulated. For example, the writing of Guerin...
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...Drug and Alcohol Review, (July 2005), 24, 369 – 385 Family interventions in the treatment of alcohol and drug problems ALEX G. COPELLO1, RICHARD D. B. VELLEMAN2 & LORNA J. TEMPLETON2 1 Birmingham and Solihull Substance Misuse Services and School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, UK and 2Mental Health Research and Development Unit, University of Bath, UK and Avon Witshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust Abstract Alcohol and drug problems affect not only those using these substances but also family members of the substance user. In this review evidence of the negative impacts substance misuse may have upon families are examined, following which family-focused interventions are reviewed. Several family-focused interventions have been developed. They can be broadly grouped into three types: (1) working with family members to promote the entry and engagement of substance misusers into treatment; (2) joint involvement of family members and substance misusing relatives in the treatment of the latter; and (3) interventions responding to the needs of the family members in their own right. The evidence base for each of the three types is reviewed. Despite methodological weaknesses in this area, a number of conclusions can be advanced that support wider use of family focused interventions in routine practice. Future research needs to focus on (1) pragmatic trials that are more representative of routine clinical settings; (2) cost-effectiveness analyses, in terms of...
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...Journal of Family Psychotherapy, 20:72–88, 2009 Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 0897-5353 print/1540-4080 online DOI: 10.1080/08975350802716566 Journal 1540-4080 0897-5353 WJFP of Family Psychotherapy, Vol. 20, No. 1, January 2009: pp. 1–25 Psychotherapy FAMILY THERAPY AND MENTAL HEALTH, Edited by Malcolm MacFarlane, M.A. A Systemic Approach to the Treatment of Dissociative Identity Disorder S. Pais Systemic Treatment of Dissociative Identity Disorder SHOBHA PAIS Department of Family Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA Although dissociative identity disorder (DID) continues to be questioned by some clinicians, those who work with this population understand the complexity of this disorder. Most often DID clients undergo predominantly individual psychotherapy to help them integrate their fragmented parts or personalities usually taking an average of 5 to 7 years. Although there is limited literature on the use of systemic therapy with DID clients, family therapy approaches can be used to conceptualize the treatment of the DID client and their family members. This article discusses how individual psychotherapy from a systemic perspective can be applied to treat DID while family systems therapy can be used to help educate the client’s family about DID, the process of treatment, as well as how to recognize and become prepared for any symptoms of recurrence. The internal family systems model of therapy with a DID client is discussed...
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...understand and know one another. This would also help one of them to view the world from the viewpoint of the other. The pattern and frequency of communication change according to several factors especially time and familiarity. Yet, effort towards an effective communication should be present in both the entities involved in the relationship. In this particular case of study these entities are the husband and the wife. The purpose here is to show how the communication between husband and wife helps in shaping their relationship and deciding the direction and outcome of family systems and decision-making. While studying the family structures, we have considered mainly a couple and one child framework (that is a triangle structure) for most of the analysis. At the same time, the paper also involves in studying the different factors, which affect such communication, and how these may influence the entire family orientation and structure. Introduction Communication refers to the exchange of ideas and information among two or more organisms via certain medium or means. Communication may occur with the help of words or through signs and gestures. The idea is to share some message and communication is effective when the message is shared successfully or the thoughts can be transferred to the concerned entity. Communication has become more and more important in the global scenario as the markets have opened up and the notion of competition brings on new challenges. In this fast...
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...essence of their lived experience. The study indicates a strong sense of essential positivism from the participants’ stories, and overall, it seems PD has brought some degree of biological, psychological, socially, and/or spiritual meaning to their lives that they may not have otherwise noticed or experienced. Key Words: Parkinson’s Disease, Phenomenology, Biopsychosocial-spiritual, Adult, Children and Illness Introduction “The bond between mother and child is so deeply rooted in our emotions that we fear to discuss openly anything that threatens the bond” – Glenna Atwood (1991) Establishing links between chronic illnesses and family impact are not novel (e.g., Cooke, McNally, Mulligan, Harrison, & Newman, 2001; Kielcolt-Glaser & Newton, 2001, Martire, Lustig, Schultz, Miller, & Helgeson, 2004). However, much of the attention to study inclusion of a family caregiver into the care experience has focused on the spouse (Keefe, Buffington, Studts, & Rumble, 2002) or children under the age of 25 (e.g., Olsen & Clarke, 2003; Pakenham, Bursnall, Chiu, Cannon, &...
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...Evaluating Client Profile 4: Using Family Systems Approach Strengths Family systems approach can be used in solving family problems. This approach is suitable for family communication issues and or marital stress problems (Corey, 2013). It integrates and respects everyone in a family. The biggest strength of systemic perspective is the diverse perspective to work with multicultural groups as they place great value on extended family (p. 451). Limitations Corey (2013) finds it difficult to be clear about any limitations to this approach from a diversity perspective. This approach embraces family dynamics essential to multicultural perspective. As much as this approach tends to advocate for individualism rather than collectivism, a therapist could still put a model together to cater for Lois and her family. Non-Western cultures are known for family and togetherness (p.452). Because Lois is from Hispanic background it does not necessarily mean she and her husband share the same ethnicity. It might require the therapist to consider accommodating certain cultural norms and differences. There is also a probability that Lois may be several generations a North American resident living in a white society which could mean a therapist has to understand if she holds deep values of her cultural beliefs. It is common for children of ethnic-minority to adapt to Western concept of incongruence. Cultural/Gender/Age Issues Lois is of Hispanic background and a Catholic which may have an...
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