SONJA A. SUTHERLAND, MS, LPC, NCC
Clinical Therapist
Life Coach
Adjunct Professor, Grand Canyon University
PhD Student
Regent University
Counselor Education and Supervision
SYSTEMIC THEORIES
Developed in the 1950’ – 1960’s
 Foundational Premise

“Individuals can best be understood within
the context of their environments”

Influences
 Cybernetics
 General Systems Theory
SYSTEMIC THEORIES
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

Family systems theory speaks about
the individual members of the family,
and describes both the interrelationships between and among
members of the family, and the rules
that exist to maintain the family in its
current functioning.
SYSTEMIC THEORIES
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
Systems & Subsystems
 Structure, Roles & Rules
 Hierarchy - generational
 Power
 Boundaries
 Feedback loops
 Homeostasis

SYSTEMIC THEORIES
OVERVIEW: UNIVERSAL CONCEPTS

Virginia Satir (1916 – 1988)
 “Mother of Family Therapy”
 Communication / Strategic Family Therapy
 Conjoint Family Therapy (The Satir Model)
SYSTEMIC THEORIES
KEY THEORISTS
KEY CONCEPTS

Communication


Pathology is an interactional process
between family members


the key to understanding human behavior
Function of pathology is homeostatic
maintenance
Therapy focuses on change in
communication patterns between
individual family members
KEY TERMS & TECHNIQUES









Double Bind Communication
Punctuation
Symmetrical / complementary
communication
Schism
Reframing
Prescribing the symptom
Reduction ad absurdum
Therapeutic double binds
Straight / Paradoxical directives
SYSTEMIC THEORIES
COMMUNICATION/STRATEGIC THERAPY & THE SATIR MODEL

Murray Bowen (1913 – 1990)
 Psychiatrist – Georgetown University
 Bowenian Family Therapy
SYSTEMIC THEORIES
KEY THEORISTS
KEY CONCEPTS




Pathology stems from inadequate
differentiation of self from family of origin’s
emotional system
Severe pathology such as schizophrenia is
the result of a multigenerational
transmission process
Goal of therapy is to increase differentiation
of self
Therapist’s role is to model differentiated
self rather than become caught in family
triangles
SYSTEMIC THEORIES
BOWENIAN FAMILY THERAPY
KEY TERMS








Differentiation of self
Fusion
Undifferentiated family ego mass
Triangulation
Emotional cut-off
Family projection process
Multi-generational transmission
process
Responding from a “responsible I”
position rather than “we” or “you”

Salvador Minuchin (1921 




SYSTEMIC THEORIES
KEY THEORISTS
)
San Salvador, Entre Rios, Argentina
Russian-Jewish Heritage
Psychiatrist trained in individual psychotherapies
Theory developed within the context of the Civil
Rights Era
Power families have over psychopathology
STRUCTURAL FAMILY THERAPY

Treatment occurs best within the social and
relational contexts of the family, rather than
the individual

Delinquency – Anorexia Nervosa - Medical
Focus on the here and now rather than the
past
 Psychological distress caused and maintained
by relationships
 Family belief structure – cognitive schema

SYSTEMIC THEORIES
STRUCTURAL FAMILY THERAPY
SYSTEMIC THEORIES
STRUCTURAL FAMILY THERAPY
EXPANDED SITE OF PATHOLOGY
Boundary Continuum
Disengaged
Family Structure
Rigid
Isolation, Disengagement, limited
access between subsystems, weak
family connections, system closed
to change, inflexible organization
Normal
Family Structure
Enmeshed
Family Structure
Clear
Frequent Communication,
interdependent, supportive, healthy
healthy autonomy , system open to change,
open to change, flexible organization, adaptable
to external change, belonging but separateness
Depression, psychosomatic
complaints, antisocial symptoms
SYSTEMIC THEORIES
STRUCTURAL FAMILY THERAPY
Diffuse
Encroachment on personal and
system boundaries, loss of
autonomy, system resistant to
change, enmeshment, poor
differentiation of self
Incest
SYSTEMIC THEORIES
STRUCTURAL FAMILY THERAPY
ROLE OF THE THERAPIST
Active and Directive
 Aware of structure and rules
 Focused on the here and now
 Problem reframer

 Individualistic ideology vs systemic
perspective
 Focus is on the individual within the
system
 To interpret role of symptoms
SYSTEMIC THEORIES
STRUCTURAL FAMILY THERAPY
ROLE OF THE THERAPIST

Joining


Ongoing process of entering a family system to engage & influence its
members
Enactment

Process of changing patterns of interaction in the here and now


Restructuring




SYSTEMIC THEORIES
STRUCTURAL FAMILY THERAPY
Activities that attempt to change family rules
Accommodation


Blocking of unhealthy interactional patterns
Process of adjusting to and accommodating the rules of the system.
Changing family myths
Challenging family belief systems
Coaching new communication patterns
INTERVENTIONS AND TECHNIQUES

General considerations
 Therapist’s interest in the culture
 Impacts
joining
 Family observation
SYSTEMIC THEORIES
STRUCTURAL FAMILY THERAPY
MULTICULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS

Specific Populations
 Chinese and Hispanic
families
 Highly structured
boundaries and roles
 Emphasis on social context
 Chinese – American
cultural disconnects
SYSTEMIC THEORIES
STRUCTURAL FAMILY THERAPY
MULTICULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS

Cultural assessment tools for Therapists
 Cultural Auditing through Reflective
Practice
 What are my initial reactions to this family and
what does it tell me about my beliefs, values and
assumptions?
 In what ways do I assume that we are similar or
different because of our cultural backgrounds?
 What are my initial hypotheses about the impact
of culture on this family’s presenting concerns?
How sure am I of the accuracy of my hypotheses?
How open am I to being wrong, considering new
information, and modifying my assumptions?
SYSTEMIC THEORIES
STRUCTURAL FAMILY THERAPY
MULTICULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS

General similarities
emphasis on family as essential for
individual growth and development
 Bowenian Family Therapy most akin
 Emphasis on clearly defined family
hierarchies





SYSTEMIC THEORIES
CONCEPTUALIZATION OF FAITH
parent-child relationships (Exodus 20:12;
Deuteronomy 21:18; Proverbs 22:6; Proverbs
29:17),
family responsibility (1 Timothy 3:1, 4-5; 5:8),
good communication (Ephesians 6:4;
Colossians 3:21)
marriage like union of Christ and the church
(Ephesians 5:25-30).

Modern


Primary use of techniques like
those used in structural therapy
Belief in therapist’s knowledge,
expertise and power to influence
change

Post Modern



Social constructionist view with
focus on relational, narrative
paradigm
Therapist takes “not knowing”
stance
Use of language and conversation to
elicit client’s expertise and story
SYSTEMIC THEORIES
MODERN – POST MODERN FRAMEWORK INTEGRATION

The Para-Modern Stance



A “both/and” approach to family therapy
Dual positioning allows for more effective treatment
What is most relevant is what works in practice rather than adherence to a theoretical position such as
systemic theories or social construction theory.


“An ethical stance allows family therapists to access a range of therapeutic languages and
techniques at once. The priority is not what knowledge we use but how we use it…putting theory to
work in the service of others.” (Larner, 2009, p. 54)
Concerns



Dearth of evidence-based research documenting effectiveness
Does ethical utilization of theories allow for “mixing and matching” in the name of “integrative
practice?
Recent documentation of effectiveness with adolescent depression and eating disorders
SYSTEMIC THEORIES
MODERN – POST MODERN FRAMEWORK INTEGRATION
SYSTEMIC THEORIES
Conclusion
American Counseling Association. (2005). American Counseling Association Code of Ethics,
Alexandria, VA.
Banmen, J. (1986, December 1). Virginia Satir's family therapy model. Individual Psychology: The
Journal of Adlerian Theory, Research and Practice, 42(4), 480-493.
Banmen, J. (2002, March). The Satir model: Yesterday and today. Contemporary Family Therapy,
24(1), 7-22.
Banmen, J. (2009). Satir model developmental phases. The Satir Journal, 30(1), 14-19.
Banmen, J. (2010). Forgiveness as therapy in the Satir model. The Satir Journal, 42(1), 6-23.
Beels, C. (2011, March). Family process 1962 - 1969. Family Process, 50(1), 4-11. doi:10.1111/j.15455300.2010.01342.x
Campbell, J., & Handy, J. (2011). Bound to care: Custodial grandmothers' experiences of double
blind family relationships. Feminism and Psychology, 21(3), 431-439.
Collins, S., Arthur, N., & Wong-Wylie, G. (2010, Summer). Enhancing reflective practice in
multicultural counseling through cultural auditing. Journal of Counseling and Development,
88(3), 340 - 347.
DSM-IV-TR. (2000). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association.
Jones, S. L., & Butman, R. E. (1991). A comprehensive Christian appraisal: Modern
psychotherapies. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press Academic.
SYSTEMIC THEORIES
REFERENCES
Jung, M. (1984). Structural family therapy: Its application to Chinese families. Family Process, 23, 365-374.
Larner, G. (2009). Integrative family therapy with childhood chronic illness: An ethics of practice. The Australian and
New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 30(1), 51-65.
Minuchin, S. (1974). Families and family therapy. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University press.
Minuchin, S., Montalvo, B., Guerney, B., Rossman, B., & Schumer, F. (1967). Families of the slums: An exploration of
their structure and treatment. New York: Basic Books, Inc.
Muir, J. A., Schwartz, S. J., & Szapocznik, J. (2004, July). A program of research with Hispanic and African American
families: Three decades of intervention development and testing influenced by the changing cultural context of Miami.
Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 30(3), 285 - 303.
Napoliello, A. L., & Sweet, E. S. (1992). Salvador Minuchin's structural family therapy and its application to Native
Americans. Family Therapy, 19(2), 155-165.
Navarre, S. E. (1998). Salvador Minuchin’s structural family therapy and its application to multicultural family systems.
Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 19(6), 557-570. doi:10.1080/016128498248845
Prochaska, J. O., & Norcross, J. C. (2010). Systems of psychotherapy: A transtheoretical analysis. Belmont, CA:
Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.
Vetere, A. (2001). Therapy matters: Structural family therapy. Child Psychology & Psychiatry Review, 6(3), 133-139.
SYSTEMIC THEORIES
REFERENCES