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Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Family Systems Therapy
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Individuals – are best understood through assessing the
interactions within an entire family
Symptoms – are viewed as an expression of dysfunction within
the family
Problematic behaviors –
 Serve a purpose for the family
 Are a function of the family’s inability to operate productively
 Are symptomatic patterns handed down across generations
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Copyright © 2005 Wadsworth Group. Brooks/Cole is an imprint of the
Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
The Family Systems Perspective
A family
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 14 (1)
Transparency 1
 is an interactional unit
 change in one member effects all members
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Adler:
First psychologist to do family therapy; Rudolph Dreikurs
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Multigenerational Family Therapy: Bowen
Evolved from psychodynamic approaches
Applied to schizophrenia –hospitalize entire families
Focuses on patterns across generations
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Copyright © 2005 Wadsworth Group. Brooks/Cole is an imprint of the
Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Approaches to Family Therapy
Human Validation Process Model: Satir
Transparency 2
Also known as conjoint family therapy
Importance of connections and therapeutic relationship
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Experiential – Carl Whitaker, Satir
Application of existential therapy
Emphasis of therapist involvement with family
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Structural-Strategic – Salvador Minuchin/Jay Haley
Transparency 3
Emphasize interaction patterns in the family including
alliances among members
Not much emphasis on the past
Structural – symptoms indicators of deeper problems
Strategic – symptoms are both the problem to treat and
metaphor of family functioning
Copyright © 2005 Wadsworth Group. Brooks/Cole is an imprint of the
Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Approaches to Family Therapy
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Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 14 (2)
Transparency 4
Adlerians use an educational model to counsel
families
Emphasis is on family atmosphere and family
constellation
Therapists function as collaborators who seek to
join the family
Parent interviews yield hunches about the
purposes underlying children’s misbehavior
Copyright © 2005 Wadsworth Group. Brooks/Cole is an imprint of the
Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Adlerian Family Therapy
Unlock mistaken goals and interactional patterns
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Engage parents in a learning experience and a
collaborative assessment
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Emphasis is on the family’s motivational patterns
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Main aim is to initiate a reorientation of the family
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 14 (3)
Transparency 5
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Copyright © 2005 Wadsworth Group. Brooks/Cole is an imprint of the
Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Adlerian Family Therapy
Therapy Goals
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Patterns of behaviors and communication occur across generations
 A family can be best understood from a three generation perspective
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Differentiation of the self
 A psychological separation from others in the family is a life-long process
 Separation while keeping a sense of belonging is necessary for personal
growth and effective communication
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Copyright © 2005 Wadsworth Group. Brooks/Cole is an imprint of the
Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Multigenerational Family Therapy/Bowen
Triangulation
 A third party is recruited to reduce anxiety and stabilize a couples’
relationship (typically a child)
Transparency 6
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 14 (4)
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To change the individuals within the context of the
system
To end generation-to-generation transmission of
problems by resolving emotional attachments
To lessen anxiety and relieve symptoms
To increase the individual member’s level
of differentiation
Transparency 7
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 14 (5)
Copyright © 2005 Wadsworth Group. Brooks/Cole is an imprint of the
Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Multigenerational Family Therapy
Therapy Goals
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Open communications
 Individuals are allowed to honestly report their perceptions
 Members act differently in the presence of other members
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 Family decisions are based on individual needs
Encouragement of growth
 Differences are acknowledged and seen as opportunities for
growth
Transform extreme rules into useful and functional rules
 Families have many spoken and unspoken rules
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 14 (7)
Transparency 8
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Enhancement of self-esteem
Copyright © 2005 Wadsworth Group. Brooks/Cole is an imprint of the
Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Human Validation Process Model
Therapy Goals
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A freewheeling, intuitive, sometimes outrageous
approach aiming to:
 Unmask pretense, create new meaning, and liberate family
members to be themselves
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Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 14 (8)
Transparency 9
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Techniques are secondary to the therapeutic
relationship
Pragmatic and atheoretical
Interventions create turmoil and intensify what is
going on here and now in the family
Copyright © 2005 Wadsworth Group. Brooks/Cole is an imprint of the
Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Experiential Family Therapy
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Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 14 (9)
Transparency 10
Facilitate individual autonomy and a sense of
belonging in the family
Help individuals achieve more intimacy by
increasing their awareness and their experiencing
Encourage members to be themselves by freely
expressing what they are thinking and feeling
Support spontaneity, creativity, the ability to play,
and the willingness to be “crazy” in order to
empower members (not take themselves too
seriously
Copyright © 2005 Wadsworth Group. Brooks/Cole is an imprint of the
Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Experiential Family Therapy
Therapy Goals
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Developed by Minuchin working with families with
illnesses
Focus is on family interactions to understand the
structure, or organization of the family
Symptoms are a by-product of structural failings
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 14 (10)
Transparency 11
Disengaged families- rigid boundaries, lack of
warmth/affection
Enmeshed families – diffuse boundaries, appear
supportive but thwart autonomy and independence
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Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Structural Family Therapy
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Structural changes must occur in a family before
an individual’s symptoms can be reduced
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Techniques are active, directive, and well thoughtout
Transparency 12
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 14 (10)
Copyright © 2005 Wadsworth Group. Brooks/Cole is an imprint of the
Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Structural Family Therapy
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Reduce symptoms of dysfunction
Bring about structural change by:
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 14 (11)
Transparency 13
Modifying the family’s transactional rules
Developing more appropriate boundaries
Creation of an effective hierarchical structure
• It is assumed that faulty family structures have:
– Boundaries that are rigid or diffuse
– Subsystems that have inappropriate tasks and
functions
Copyright © 2005 Wadsworth Group. Brooks/Cole is an imprint of the
Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Structural Family Therapy
Therapy Goals
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Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 14 (12)
Transparency 14
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Focuses on solving problems in the present
Presenting problems are accepted as “real” and
not a symptom of system dysfunction
Therapy is brief, process-focused, and solutionoriented
The therapist designs strategies for change
Change results when the family follows the
therapist’s directions & change transactions
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Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Strategic Family Therapy
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Problems often arise during the transition from one
developmental stage to the next
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 14 (13 )
Transparency 15
Resolve presenting problems by focusing on
behavioral sequences
Get people to behave differently
Shift the family organization so that the presenting
problem is no longer functional
Move the family toward the appropriate stage of
family development
Copyright © 2005 Wadsworth Group. Brooks/Cole is an imprint of the
Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Strategic Family Therapy
Therapy Goals