...Structural Family Therapy Janea Taylor St. Edward’s University July 22, 2014 CNCO 6364.01 Professor Michael S. Bishop, Ph.D., LMFT, LPC, PA Abstract The purpose of this research paper is to examine the theory upon which Structural Family Therapy is based. The history and construct of the theory, as well as a description of the techniques used while practicing this particular theory in application are discussed. An evaluation and critique are also provided, in addition to an overall summary of what was learned in the process of researching Structural Family Therapy. Keywords: structural family therapy, structural family theory, family systems Structural Family Therapy Historical Overview Structural Family Therapy (SFT) was created based on a theory developed by Salvador Minuchin which focuses on functioning within a family system (Nichols, 2014). Minuchin was born and raised Jewish in Argentina prior to moving to Israel where he became a physician. During the early 1960’s, he worked with at-risk youth within underprivileged sectors of society and poor families. As a result of his work with minority groups, Structural Family Therapy is one of the only theories with a sense of multi-culturalism. In 1967, Minuchin wrote a book entitled Families of the Slums which described his experiences with these families. While he was trained in psychodynamic techniques, he opted to take a different approach in working with this population by focusing on sociological...
Words: 3686 - Pages: 15
...Introduction Structural family therapy (SFT) is a method of psychotherapy developed by Salvador Minuchin which addresses problems in functioning within a family. Therapeutic interventions for troubled families often sound and appear unusual or abstract, such as Structural Family Therapy. This isn’t a name that instantly rolls off your tongue or a therapy you hear used frequently in the press or in movies, such as the more ubiquitous techniques of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. But SFT is similar to other types of therapies categorized under the psychological framework of family systems therapy. These types of therapies view the family unit as a system that lives and operates within larger systems, such as a culture, the community, and organizations. This system – ideally – grows and changes over time. But sometimes a family gets stuck, often resulting from behavioral or mental health issues of one of its family members. Rather than focus on the individual’s pathology, however, SFT considers problems in the family’s structure, a dysfunction in the way the family interacts or operates. SFT does not maintain that the family’s interactions, or “transactions” cause the pathology, but rather that the family’s transactions support or encourage the symptoms. Transactions are simply patterns of how family members routinely interact with each other. For example, a mother’s transaction with her daughter could be controlling and overprotective, or an older brother’s transaction with...
Words: 1151 - Pages: 5
...Family Counseling Approach: Structural Model Jennifer Tankard Liberty University Abstract Structural family therapist takes an approach to therapy that seeks to help the entire family rather than looking at the family member that has a presenting problem. Healthy families have a healthy balance within the family subset when clearly defined roles are present. Structural family therapy was developed by Salvador Minuchin and a team of researchers from New York. The techniques of the theory are centered on creating a healthy relationship among family members. Structural family therapist looks at creating a healthy partnership with each member of the family to help the family find a solution to their problem. Structural family therapy can be integrated with a biblical worldview. Counseling from a Christian perspective will help families understand God’s design for the family, and understand the role of each member as stated in scripture. Christian counselors using an integrative approach to structural therapy will be able to help families see the biblical roles that God has set for the husband/father, wife/mother and the children/siblings to develop a functional family. Keywords: Theory, intervention, psychosomatic, integration, structural therapy, dysfunction, family. Part I Introduction Everyone has a family. Each family is different in how the system functions. A family is defined in many different ways. Some consist of the traditional definition of father, mother...
Words: 4305 - Pages: 18
...Paper Structural Therapy was first recognized by Salvador Minuchin in the structural school of counseling back in 1974. Minuchin observed that families developed patterns within the family that resulted in structure. Each family operates with transactional patterns that represent a system. Structure is a mutual agreements made between people until someone decides that they want to go in another direction. Families have a process of verbal and nonverbal communication that amongst family members makes it easy to understand. The goal of structural therapy is to transform dysfunctional family structures by creating imbalance. The attempt is done by the therapist to influence the family into positive change. Ultimately, the goal for the family is to focus on having change to better balance. Family-Directed Structural Therapy (FDST) is an approach to family therapy built upon traditional concepts of Structural Family Therapy, the strengths model, and group work therapy. This therapy is focused on a multicultural population in the Midwest being researched the last 12 years. The diversity that the Midwest had was one of the better options for observation having the different cultures. Sessions are set and timed as the initial assessment generally requires one 90 minute session and then seven to nine sessions with a therapist. Therapist assists the family in incorporating the process and vocabulary of FDST into their everyday lives. Within the sessions the families take they...
Words: 453 - Pages: 2
...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...
Words: 996 - Pages: 4
...concerned with is describing what is happening in the system. We aim to answer questions such as, “who are members of the system?, what are the characteristic patterns of interaction in this system?, what rules and roles form the boundaries of the system and distinguish it as separate from other systems?. “(Becvar & Becvar 2014. Pg 69 ) In first-order cybernetics we also attempt to find out how freely information is transmitted in and out of the particular system, as well as view the balance between change and stability within the system. Consistent with the element of recursiveness, the system is one that has reciprocal causalty and not linear and both people and events are mutually interactive and influenced. In order to analyze the family system, relationships and interactions amongst members are viewed instead of viewing the individuals in isolation. From the perspective all systems are influenced and influence each other. From a cybernetic perspective, we acknowledge that an isolated cause/effect event is only a small part of a large pattern of circularity. “Feedback refers to the process whereby information about past behaviours is fed back into the system in a circular manner.” ( Becvar & Becvar, (2014) pp. 70) 1 In first order cybernetics, feedback can be spoken about in as both positive and negative feedback which could be both good and/or bad. When there is positive feedback, change has occurred and been accepted in the system for the better. Whereas in...
Words: 2828 - Pages: 12
...Structural Approach to Family Counseling Beverly Manning COUN 601 – Marriage and Family Counseling I Liberty University July 5, 2013 ABST RACT Families are always growing and changing. They are considered living systems made up of many components. If families can’t adjust to change, the capability of the family and its individual members can be compromised. Structural family therapy (SFT) is a therapeutic approach that identifies that families have a lot of strengths. SFT tries to push families past dysfunctional patterns of interaction. This report details the application of the structural family therapy model, and I will specify my own therapeutic technique and explain how I would include faith into my counseling sessions. Structural Approach to Family Counseling One of the most important goals of a therapist is to understand how a family works. The family therapy movement has had the daunting task of trying to uncover the many facets of the family. Family therapy is full of many different approaches from psychoanalysis to the narrative approach. Each approach has been able to uncover a new aspect of the family. According to Nicholas (1999), the structural family therapy has had a significant impact on family therapy by introducing concepts of family hierarchy and boundaries. This allowed for the introduction to the idea of family as a new and organized strategy to cope...
Words: 3701 - Pages: 15
...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...
Words: 1894 - Pages: 8
...Introduction to Family Counseling CJHS425-1503A-01 Phase 3 Individual Project Tauni Caldwell Instructor: Dr. Goldstein July 28, 2015 Family therapy brings forth the dynamics of each role that members play within the family. Your family structure is very important to maintain and keep healthy and family therapy works to keep the family stable, prepare the family for a major life change such as divorce, remarriage, a move or death. Family therapy is used to resolve a specific issue that someone outside of the family can help with better than then members involved as sometimes it is difficult for members to determine what their role is and how to have proper cohesion with their loved ones as we are all emotional people. There are several models used to address families, depending on the situation and what they are needing to improve. This particular model is called structural family therapy (SFT), this model is a method of psychotherapy developed by Salvador Minuchin which addresses problems in functioning within the family. SFT is slightly different from the usual techniques of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy within family therapy. The usual models suggest the family is a unit that operates within larger systems, such as culture, the community, and organizations. The goal is for this particular system to grow and change overtime, but sometimes a family gets “stuck,” often resulting from behavioral...
Words: 823 - Pages: 4
...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 ...
Words: 954 - Pages: 4
...Table of content page Introduction 2 1 First-order cybernetics principles 2 2 Second-order cybernetics 4 3 Perception of reality 5 4 Health and pathology 6 5 The role and function of therapy 7 6 Ethical concerns 8 7 Integration of first- and second-order cybernetics 8 Conclusion 9 Reference list 10 A comparison of first- and second-order cybernetics Introduction When considering psychology most think of individual psychology. But in more recent years, systems theory or cybernetics as a school of thought in psychology has grown in its influence in the field. Within cybernetics there are two different approaches, namely first-order or simple cybernetics and second-order cybernetics. What student hopes to achieve with this assignment is a better understanding of these two by exploring what sets them apart. 1 First-order cybernetics principles In describing first-order cybernetics, Becvar and Becvar (2014) use the following principles to highlight its fundamental assumptions. 1.1 Recursion People and events do not exist in isolation but within a context, more specifically within the relationships in which they are involved in. Recursion refers to the fact that all elements involved in a relationship influence each other as they are constantly interacting. 1.2 Feedback It is the part of recursion that allows a system to correct itself by using the information given about past behaviours in order to make...
Words: 2524 - Pages: 11
...In general, family therapy, including couples therapy, has been an intimidating concept and practice during my professional development. For me, the most challenging aspect of family therapy is governing the mental and emotional energies of multiple people within the same session. I am sure, just as with most clinical skills, practice and development over time would lessen my apprehension and deepen my clinical acumen. Perhaps my path and current outlook may have taken a different direction with other guidance during my graduate studies. Initially, I intended to pursue a double concentration in Behavioral Health and Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT), while picking up a certificate for alcohol and other drug (AODA) treatment along the way. I recall vividly that my advisor at time suggested the outlay of coursework would not only be rigorous, but also potentially extend beyond the average sequence for MSW graduate students. Following...
Words: 518 - Pages: 3
...An Article Review Written by: Sabah Sayed Ali In 2012, the American Journal of Family Therapy published an article titled “Structural Therapy with a Couple Battling Pornography Addiction” by Jeffrey J. Ford, Jared A. Durtschi, and Darell L. Franklin. This remarkable publication addresses an issue about how the increasing availability of pornographic material is becoming detrimental to couples’ relationships. It notifies the reader that boundless addictions to pornography are affecting individuals in a relationship, and as a result, therapists are pursuing effective ways to solve this significant issue. In this article, it is mentioned that pornography causes personal distress and symptoms of withdrawal and tolerance, which, in turn, can adversely affect relationship and neurological functioning. Unfortunately, there are many instances where therapists encounter victims of pornography addiction, but due to its uncommon occurrence, importance is not given to these addictions. The effects of this addiction are often underestimated, and it is often ignored that these addictions are as severe and difficult as other types of addictions. Therefore, this article addresses the severity of pornographic addictions, in addition to introducing the implementation of a successful structural therapy for obsessive patterns of pornographic addiction. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the structural therapy, the authors present a case study of a couple battling a pornographic addiction. The...
Words: 1034 - Pages: 5
...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...
Words: 268 - Pages: 2
...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...
Words: 1129 - Pages: 5
