The Structural Model In our society families are the foundation of all human relationships. Therefore learning to maintain and develop healthy families are the goals of family therapist. Counselors can use the Structural Family Therapy approach in counseling hurting families. The pioneer of structural family therapy is Salvador Minuchin (Hammond & Nichols, 2014). Structural family therapist have exemplified within the context relational therapies that uncovers stressors in relationship between individuals (Vetere, 2001). Structural family therapy has been known to be called “interventive approach” because of the “intensity” to encourage clients to change (Hammond & Nichols, 2014). Structure therapy states that psychopathology is preserved and created not through individual pathology but through deficit in a family’s organizational structure. Therefore family therapist are not trying to solve the families’ problem but rather concentrate on the family’s organizational form (Ford, Durtchi, Franklin, 2012). Furthermore, the structural family therapy are theories and techniques method for individuals to help them in their social and relational relationships (Vetere, 2001). Additionally, the definition of structure is organizational characteristics of families at any given time, the family subsystems, and open and concealed rules that effect interpersonal decisions and behaviors in the family (Vetere, 2001). Moreover, the foundational approach to structural family therapy are that families’ are views as psychosocial systems, attached within social systems, which operate in a transactional patters. The transaction patterns are how, when and whom to relate, and reinforce systems. As a result each family duty are carried ou... ... middle of paper ... ...is with an illustration of his personal family dynamic. Meanwhile, Mrs. Davis will be encourage to communicate her truly feelings on how she has felt about being mistreated and feeling alone. The couple has lacked communication as well as Mrs. Davis has felt unheard. Therefore, helping the couple in communication will began to reshape and reform new clear boundaries within the spousal subsystem and parental subsystem. Helping my client’s communicate in a way that brings value to each other will strengthen the couple’s love for each other which will build hope (Worthington, 2005). In assisting the Davis’s in communication I would ask them to complete invention 10-5 exercise the will help them discern their personal love language. A love language is how each person in a relationship expresses their love through words and actions (Worthington, 2005).
Structural family therapy (SFT) emphasizes the idea that a system is only as good as its hierarchies, rules and boundaries. Under SFT, a family system functions by having boundaries, between and within each subsystem that offer clear identification with the hierarchy. Hierarchies determine the rules that govern each subsystem explicitly; therefore, SFT argues that hierarchies are necessary to ensure that the system continues to grow and adapt as well as provide structure for the family. SFT maintains that there are three primary subsystems in a family, parental, spousal and sibling. According to SFT, the rules and subsystem also determine the appropriate boundary that is needed when interacting with
As a social worker it is often complex to determine which theory to employ in practice, each client will warrant for an in-debt assessment of the presenting problem and goals the client desires to achieve. This paper will explore one family intervention model that can be applied to the Taylor family. The two theories analyzed are Cognitive Behavioral Family Theory, (CBFT) and Structural Family Theory (SFT); both theories can be utilized when assisting individuals or families. The social worker will focus on the Cognitive Behavioral Family Therapy model when applying treatment and interventions to the Taylor family case.
Structural therapy focuses on the family as a whole. It is concerned about how the issues effect the family relationships and connections. This theory concentrates on how well the understanding is amongst the family members and counselor. The members of the family are prompted to understand how the issues were created, where did the issues come from, when the issues started effecting their family, and what the family needs to overcome their issues. Its focus is to help others understand and improve negative behavior. The structural therapy concentrates on the interaction and boundaries of families with separating the whole family into smaller groups. The subsystems will create a clearer understanding of what issues are hurting their family environment (Gladding, S. T. 2010). The counselor is concerned about the members interaction because this reveals how strong the relationships and connections are in the home. The boundaries are important because they create an understanding that there are limits and order, and the boundaries can be diffused, rigid, or clear (Gladding, S. T. 2010). The counselor is expected to identify techniques so members can understand which boundaries are clear, positive, and healthy (Gladding, S. T. 2010).
The intervention process used in contextual family therapy involves framing the discussion to properly address everyone separate story and they move the discussion to the collect desires of the family (Sude, 2015). Interventions that the therapist can use involve given verbal permission for the client to express feelings, thoughts and perspectives. The therapist then uses the intervention process to explore the nature of the clients individual and family conflicts.
Progress is seen on the front of Claudia and Carolyn’s relationship. David attempts to reorganizes his relationship with Claudia in an effort to remove the pressure placed on her. However, the battle between Carolyn and Claudia continues to ebb and rise as the family narrows in on the dynamics of David and Carolyn’s relationship. Napier states to Claudia that, “...the family unconsciously agreed to go back to your and Carolyn’s war to rescue your mom and dad from the hot seat” (p. 137). When the family finally breaks free from this structure the exploration of David and Carolyn’s own relationship becomes the most critical aspect in therapy.
Nichols, M. P. (2010). Family therapy concepts and methods (9 ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
The step son reluctant to speak with the step father, and the stepfather is feeling angry and excluded by the son. Structural Family therapy is the model that would work under these conditions. More common than not you have families where the children are not performing to their fullest compatibly at school, are disruptive in the home, and school setting. You are asked to attend counseling the father never shows, which is causing the mother stress, Strategic family therapy model would work under these circumstances. Bowen Family therapy model would work under the following conditions, for example couple gets married at a young age, they know have three children, both work fulltime and live in a modest home which they have fell behind on the mortgage payment. The wife is spending beyond their means, while the children have been rude and disrespectful. However the father is feeling overwhelmed with responsibilities, whenever he attempts to speak with the wife about his concerns, it cause stress and discord in the family structure, she find peace with shopping and being away from the
They aim to make the family feel uncomfortable at times during the sessions while by creating confusions or disorganization. Still, they are done with warmth and in complete support of the family in order to create substantial, long-term growth and insight. One intervention would be the use of absurd comments to which the therapist may ask if Mary would prefer to leave Mark to marry her son Samuel. This intervention appeals to the universal principles to be at odds with the family’s beliefs. This types of comments are understood to be distasteful, but are said to force the family to think differently about the current family dynamic. Forcing the family to think unconventionally may unlocked emotions and provide new perspective on the dysfunctional roles that are currently being played between family members. In addition, the use of role reversals between family members can allow for insight to what the emotions or feelings that the other is interpreting along with the intentions and outcomes that exist. These interventions are subject to the experiences in the sessions allowing for the here-and-now perspective to be the catalyst in therapy. Also because there is a therapist’s use of self, interventions by the way of personal stories and metaphors are used to related more to the family as a primary goal to become integrated in the family dynamic. Lastly, the therapist would encourage the family to participate in free associations to bring forward the raw emotions and spontaneity during the
Experiential Family Therapy is a therapy that encourages patients to address subconscious issues through actions, and role playing. It is a treatment that is used for a group of people in order to determine the source of problem in the family (Gurman and Kniskern, 2014). Experiential Family Therapy has its strengths and weaknesses. One of the strengths of this therapy is that, it focuses on the present and patients are able to express their emotions on what is happening to them presently. The client will have time to share everything about his/her life experiences one on one without any fears. As a result, it helps the client in the healing process because, he/she is able to express their feelings freely and come out of the problem. Therefore, in this type of therapy, the clients are deeply involved in solving their issues. It helps clients to scrutinize their individual connections and to initiate a self-discovery through therapy, on how their relationships influence their current behaviors (Gurman and Kniskern, 2014). By examining their personal relationships through experiential family therapy, family members are able to
In the industrial age before World War II, when individual psychotherapy was born and thrived, human beings were essentially seen as machines, with broken parts—including the mind—that could be repaired; after World War II, the dawning information technology age brought a paradigm shift in the view of human life from mechanical to relational, and communication and systems theories provided family therapy with increased validity and prominence. (White, 2009, pp. 200-201). The modern family systems theories that grew out of this paradigm viewed families narrowly as functional or dysfunctional according to the delineation of each theory. Today, postmodern theory suggests that no absolute truth governs individuals or families; instead, people are
Structural Family Therapy offers a framework that provides order and meaning within the family connections (Nichols, 2013). Divorce for a family is considered a significant transition for all parties involved. When counseling a family going through divorce the structural family therapist’s job is to build an alliance with the family and obtain information about the structure. The structure of the family consists of the roles, interactions, organization, and hierarchy. Family therapy yields the belief that changing the organization of the family leads to change in the individual members. The structural family therapist often will try to become part of the family to gain a perspective of their issues as whole so not to place the focus on one individual. Joining is an empathetic approach in helping families explain and break down their individual stories without uncomfortable challenge or unnecessary confrontation (Nichols, 2013). It is important to note that family dysfunction that often leads to divorce is not attributed to one individual, but the entire family system. In structural family therapy, part of dealing with the issue of divorce in the family is to focus on the interactions between all the family members both positive and negative. Through these interactions the therapist can discover where the conflicts arise, which will in turn help the therapist understand how these negative interaction affect the family. Family therapy in these cases allows for repair of long-standing interactional patterns in which divorce is just one of a series of ongoing transactions that are disruptive to the child’s development (Kaplan, 1977, p.75). The structural family therapist often has the family play out these family interactions via enactments so that he can get a firsthand look at maladaptive patterns, roles, and
Duty, G. (2010, December 10). Family Systems Therapy. Lecture presented at Principles of Counseling Class Notes, Bethany.
Goldenberg, H. & Goldenberg, I. (2013). Family therapy: An overview (8th ed.). Belmont CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.
My theoretical approach to family therapy is very integrative as I believe families cannot be described nor treated from a single-school approach. I view humans through a humanistic and existential lens but am more technically structural and solution-based. With this integrative approach, I believe I will be the most effective in helping families grow and reach their goals.
Each member of my family have to feel like the therapist is working with them if not change will not occur. The use of family mapping will help distinguish the types of boundaries that exist among my family. With the disengagement within my family subsystems, using the enactment technique will illustrate the interaction among family members. I am close to the siblings that I grew up with and my father his siblings were very close. With that being said, I will like to see the dynamic between my aunts and uncles when they are all in the same room together after years of being apart. I chose structural family therapy because at the end of the therapy session, I want the restructuring of my family structure.