1. Structural family therapy-The basic idea is when the essence of the therapy is to try to fix and
control the issues through making sure the structure of the family is structured properly. Dallos
and Draper (2010) write “Salvador Minuchin and his colleagues in the 1960s and 70s made a
simple and enduring point about families: that children thrive when parents, or other caregivers,
can collaborate in looking after them’ (Kraemer 1997: 47)” (p. 44). If this structure gets mixed up
and the child has to play adult, or even when grandparents play parents, it may lead to
problems. The therapist will try to restructure the family into what he/she feel is the healthiest
structure (Dallos and Draper, 2010, p. 45-46). Minuchin (1974) writes, “In restructuring, he
functions like the director as well as an actor. He creates scenarios, choreographs, highlights
themes, and leads family members to improvise within the constraints of the family drama” (p.
138).
Another structural change that can be made to try and help fix the problem is to change the
structural way a family communicates. Dallos and Draper (2010) write, “Inducing some
emotional upheaval is seen as preparing the ground for directing the family to develop some
more authentic and productive ways of communicating and relating to each other” (p. 48).
Two methods of Structural family therapy can be: 1. Enactment, as Dallos and Draper (2010)
write, “rather than simply talking about or describing situations and problems that occur at
home or elsewhere outside of the therapy room, a family is invited to display the patterns there
and then” (p. 48). Another method is 2. Unbalancing; this is when the therapist takes sides and
“the therapist in using himself or herself in a deliberate way to alter the dynamics of a
relationship” (Dallos and Draper, 2010, p. 48).
2. Strategic family therapy-The therapist will implement and devise various techniques and
strategies to try and find a solution to the problem. Dallos and Draper (2010) write, “one of the
sources of inspiration for strategic therapy was the work of Milton Erickson who developed a
rich variety of techniques, some of which have been developed as strategic techniques and
others as forms of hypnotherapy (Haley 1973)” (p. 49). The therapist will try to implement and
create some type of behavioral change. Dallos and Draper (2010) add “Less frequently stated
perhaps is the central premise of strategic approaches – that people are fundamentally
strategic” (p. 51).
In Strategic family therapy the therapist is the “expert” and devises a plan to implement change.
Dallos and Draper (2010) point out the key steps; Define the problem-pick a strategy to alter the
problematic pattern-Give the family “homework”, to integrate the plan in their lives-assess if
the plan is working- revise if necessary. (p.53)
As “homework” the therapist may give direct tasks to help, and to family that has a hard time
following directives, they could be given paradoxical tasks. (Dallos and Draper, 2010, p. 53-54)
Dallos and Draper (2010) sum it up “as implied by the term ‘strategic ’ , the orientation is one that
focuses on problems and contemplations about how to solve these” (p. 52).
Work cited
Dallos, Rudi, and Ros Draper. Introduction to Family Therapy, McGraw-Hill Education, 2010.
Minuchin, S. (1974). Families family therapy. Cambridge, Ma: Harvard University Press.