1. What are the basic tenets of this approach to therapy?
The basic tenets of the strategic approach to therapy are being a solution-focused model, time sensitive, and engaging in a type of reverse psychology in order to guide the client/patient to effect change in their lives. Where the goal is to identify what the chief complaint/problem is, and focus on how best to solve that issue without exploring the client/clients on a deeper level.
2. How does this approach understand health and pathology?
This approach understands pathology as whatever the maladaptive pattern is, comes from an individual needing something from a relationship with another. When they are not getting what they need, they act out or engage in a maladaptive behavior in
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When examining the similarities, both theories present the same concepts while using different terminology. For example, Minuchin describes "detouring" as an inclusion of a third party into a relationship in hopes of maintaining equilibrium and harmony; as described by Bowen, this is referred to as "triangulation." Essentially, both theorists excessively describe the importance of looking at the context of the family opposed to solely the individual. Contrastingly, while Bowen's theory is transgenerational and encourages the clinician to look at recurring themes or connections across generations, Minuchin's theory is stationary and solely looks at the family as is. He believes that exploration of past transgenerational patterns is not important for the work he intends to do within the family, here and now. Lastly, Minuchin adopted a very "hands-on" perspective and felt the need to wholly immerse himself in the family to make the necessary changes. Minuchin and Fishman state, "Therapy is the process of taking a family who is stuck in the developmental spiral and creating a crisis that will push the family in the direction of their own evolution" (1981, p. 27); this describes the perfect scenario for a structural theorist to become willingly immersed in a family and their problems. Opposingly, Bowen preferred to "intellectually distance himself from the …show more content…
In addition, I disagree with his idea of the clinician inserting his/herself into the family; at the end of the day, the clinician does not get to go home with the family and will not be there to navigate through certain scenarios with them. I also strongly disagree with not looking at the transgenerational patterns and connections of a family; in doing so, it can more accurately explain to the individual, family, and clinician where changes need to be made in order to break the mold of prior generations. Although I grew an appreciation for concepts that were foreign to me such as boundary permeability, enmeshment, and disengagement, I seem to more so align myself and my beliefs with Bowen's transgenerational
According to smith and Hamon (2012), Families are considered as a whole in society. However, they believed that couples have many components in which makes up the family, if one component is missing, the family as a whole can get unbalance (Smith & Hamon, 2012). In the Brice’s family, communication was the component that was missing. The couple was not able to communicate their differences, which was what caused Carolyn and David to verbally insult each other. Smith and Hamon (2012), also explain that a person who expresses his or her feeling is considered as someone who is breaking the functions of their family system; especially if the person is focusing on the individual who is causing the problem, rather than the problem itself. In the Brice family, Carolyn could be considered the one that cause the dysfunction in the family structure because she was focusing on David as the problem of their marriage, rather than focusing of the elements that are causing their problems. Smith and Hamon (2012) explain that individuals should focus on how to solve a problem, rather than trying to find who is causing the
My theory will include both directive and non-directive approaches, focusing on building a supportive client-therapist relationship, a full lifestyle assessment and understanding of the client’s belief system, as well as engaging in a strength based, goal-oriented practice which focuses on changing thoughts and choices, through education to the client and building self-regulation within the
Murray Bowen developed family systems theory. This transgenerational model looks at how a family’s history informs their present functioning. Today it is a prominent model used by today’s family and marriage mental health professionals. Derived from psychoanalytic thinking and sometimes called natural systems theory, it posits that families are living and evolving systems shaped by chronic anxiety transmitted through its generations. Anxiety is aroused when individuals attempt to balance their individual identity with being a part of a family. This balancing act inevitably causes anxiety, triggering biological coping responses instead of healthy cognition and reasoning (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2012). Erford
This is why we try not to look at family therapy simply as a particular therapeutic arrangement. Instead, we interpret it as a special way of thinking, one that does
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
The main theory that has largely influenced my clinical work at my current practicum site is cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). CBT asserts it is an individual’s thoughts and behaviors that directs the individual, so in this case my job would be to help the my client (individual) to find his or her thought that is driving his or her action(s). CBT is a fine dance; it may seem simple, identify the thought and replace the thought with a healthier thought. CBT is quite contrary to being simple, the techniques and timing is a fine juggling and balance act. To elaborate further, after a client has identified his or her thought that has been driving his or her action, they would need to restructure certain things in the their life that will help implement certain behaviors that will lead to a more healthier cognition.
...p their own solutions to problems. Clients may need some guidance, education, or direction depending on their abilities and how the therapy is going. It is then that I want to be able to help them feel more empowered and recognize that they can make changes with effort on their part.
Irwin G. Sarason and Barbara R. Sara, Abnormal Psychology: The Problem of Maladaptive Behavior,10th ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2002)
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.
Views of human development and maladaptive behavior: Not much is given in this source on theory of personality, other than saying that the stages of development are not described in great detail in person-centered therapy. Maladaptive behavior arises when certain
Charles, R. (2001). Is there any empirical support for Bowen's concepts of differentiation of self, triangulation, and fusion?. American Journal Of Family Therapy, 29(4), 279-292. doi:10.1080/01926180126498
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).
Psychopathology is what goes wrong with the mind. It is distress related to mental processes and statistical deviations from the norm. Psychopathology is what clinicians treat and researchers research (quoted in Frances & Widiger, 2012). Psychopathology has many possible definitions because it does not exist in a vacuum—the context affects the definition. Common themes in possible definitions include distress, dysfunction, disability, and dyscontrol, but none of these quite capture the whole picture (Frances & Widiger, 2012). What if a person is not distressed, but their behavior is clearly maladaptive, for example someone with antisocial personality disorder who manipulates others to achieve their goals? Is this person not pathological? Of
I think the major technique is focusing on the person and not the problem which would help the client to achieve independence and allow the client to cope with current and future problem they may face. Another major technique is the client determines the course of directions of therapy. Another technique is the person-centered therapy which is a non-directive which allows the client to be the focus of the therapy session without the therapy giving advice.
This is possible as it contains a step-by-step method that an be taught to the client and further applied outside of therapy sessions. The method can be simplified to follow the small actions of attitude adjustment, problem definition, creating alternate solutions, outcome prediction and fulfilling the chosen path (Dobson, 2009, p. 212). Altering the attitude to being positive about the problem is crucial as it sets the mental state to place in which motivation to solve the problem can thrive. Furthermore, defining the problem realistically is vital as it allows the individual to understand the full scope of what a realistic goal for overcoming the problem may be. From there the client must create alternate possible routes for them to undertake to possibly solve the problem. The Client must then assess the alternate solutions, predict the positive and negative outcomes and pick the best perceived option. Finally, the client must then try out the chosen path. They should monitor the situation and to understand progress. It is important that if the client does not receive a successful outcome that they do not give up. Rather they should repeat the cycle until a positive outcome takes place, considering any additional information gain from this