Moving forward, the concept of boundaries is equally important in therapy according to Minuchin. Boundaries in structural therapy outline transactions between members of a system to the oversight of others in the family system. As a therapist the concepts of functional organization within the family must have rules of engagement between the parental, the siblings, the family unit as a whole, and the individual. For instance, after the first session with Sarah, the therapist would include both parents in the second session to actively observe the family as a system. Paying attention to differentiation and enmeshment during their interaction. The concept of boundaries is a useful family diagnostic that illustrates dysfunction: a subsystem that is overly close or where the family is too distant from one another. The therapist also needs to address the brother’s death, only if the family injects the issue within the discussion. Other concepts that follow can be triangulation, where one person is torn between two other people (Minuchin, 1981). For instance, Sarah may be involved in taking sides because of her devotion to both, in confrontation she could be forced to take sides. Using assessment of structure is said to be beneficial against developmental norms (Pardeck, 2002). Looking at the term disengaged will best describe Sarah after the news of the divorce; therefore she transitioned within the process of development. As I indicated previously joining is vital to accommodating communication during family therapy, yet reconstruction is needed to transform them into normal family development. In order to perform this task, the therapist must inject himself/herself as an active role (Minuchin, 1974) within the family forcing... ... middle of paper ... ... and strategies to see if structural therapy is effective style. Structural Family Therapy, consist of some good contextual stages of treatment but I believe it is situational oriented, meaning this type of therapy results would vary based on problem involved within the family structure. The nature of a family’s subsystem as a therapist I need to identify all issues to include unemployment/financial problems, ongoing abusive adult relationships, and conflict with family members, and limited social support (Nichols, 2013). Due to the nature of structural therapy, being aggressive in treatment according to Families and Family Therapy book probably is not favorable in my intention of the applied practice after graduating. Dealing with PTSD affected families I need a more gentler approach due to aggression is a trigger which should not be enabled. References:
According to Chibucos et al. (2005) boundaries are found in every family system. Boundaries define the family system based on the amount of permeability (i.e., the inflow and outflow of information) allowed into the system (Whitchurch & Constantine, 1993). Becvar and Becvar (1999) have indicated that the degree of permeability also specifies the openness or closedness of the family system (i.e., the boundary’s level of flexibility). It is important to note that all family systems are considered open systems, as the system will always experience some type of interaction with the environment. Thus, it is the degree of openness that dictates family members’ ability to adapt and change in a changing environment, which can differ greatly across systems (Whitchurch & Constantine, 1993). For this reason, both the Watson family and the Taylor family are considered as open systems, but each have distinct boundaries that differentiate one from the other. In the film, the union of Jason and Sabrina represent the process of boundary formation in which each family member will soon become a part of each other’s family system. In particular, Pam and Claudine (the matriarchs of the families) are both highly critical of each other’s system as well as the acceptance of new family members. Throughout the film, each of them resists accepting and adapting to the changing
Gladding, S. T. (2010). Family therapy: History, theory, and practice (5th Ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson
Within a family system, individuals were seen as a product of the family unit, rather than exclusions of the unit; this eliminated compulsions and obsessions in a family unit (Taylor, Asmundson, & Jang, 2011). Within family system therapy, the goal is to be capable of eliminating abnormalities in functions that affect all individuals and to treat or respond to the entire family; the goal is to also focus on the identified family member, reducing their extreme stress (Carr, 2000). The family system therapy searches for the balance between the independent individual performance and the function of the group (Taylor, Asmundson, & Jang,
Napier provides a crucial exploration of the therapy of a family struggling with battles for the structure of their family and battles to define and grow their relationships with one another. Napier and Whitaker seamlessly and purposely work with each family member, educating and
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
While her therapist helps her with her father, the therapist unintentionally improves her relationship with her husband. At Southeastern Louisiana University’s common read, Smith explains, “I think I was able to meet him [her husband] because I cleared up a lot of silly stuff through therapy” (Smith). This confirmation allows the reader to receive a higher understanding of the effect therapy impacted Tracy K. Smith.
I enjoyed reading your post. Weakness regarding the structural family therapy approach is that yet focuses on the family being a whole and a nuclear family; it fails to incorporate other factors such as blended families or extended families and how it will work with this approach considering subsystems and
Goldenberg, H. & Goldenberg, I. (2013). Family therapy: An overview (8th ed.). Belmont CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.
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.
Nichols, M. P. (2010). Family therapy concepts and methods (9 ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Furthermore, “the central premise of this theory is that one must resolve all emotional issues with the family of origin, rather than reject reactively or accept passively that family, before one can become a mature and healthy individual” (Charles, 2001, p. 280). Bowen believed that the change in the self occurred through the change in relationships with others, so he encouraged the client to reconnect with the nuclear family members and resolve all emotional issues with them. This is because Bowen believed that unresolved conflicts with the family of origin would catch up with the client and affect his or her present relationships. Also, conflicts do not exist in the person, but in the family system. The necessary changes must take place in the self as well as in the larger system.
The techniques used in marriage and family counseling can be different. For instance, counselors will sometimes handle family therapy in different ways than they would couples or marital therapy. Both family and marriage c...
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).
According to Lisa Ware, "One promising treatment for families who have a history of child maltreatment is parent-child interaction therapy". This type of therapy focuses on the interactions that the child and the parent have. It coaches the parents in how to interact with their child the proper way. Along with interaction therapy, the child and parents are also given separate therapy. The child’s therapy is centered on the abuse they received, their social and academic skills, and teaching ways of relaxation and anger management. While the therapy for the parents are more concerned with finding ways so that the parents can interact with their children in the right way. The therapy gives the parents proper techniques for controlling their anger and allows them to identify how they view abuse. These examples of techniques practiced in therapy have shown promising results, but there are many different forms of therapy that also work. When dealing with individuals and families who suffered from abuse or were the one's abusing, the therapy needs to be fitted to the specific needs of the individuals as well as the whole family. If a child suffers from a certain problem, it is the job of the therapist to focus on ways to help the child with that specific problem. A generalized therapy plan to help everyone with their problems will not work because each individual experiences different things when faced with abuse, which is why the therapy needs to be specific to the needs of the
Satir, V. (1967). Conjoint family therapy; a guide to theory and technique (Rev. ed.). Palo Alto, Calif.: Science and Behavior Books.