Family counseling draws on systems thinking in its perspective of the family as an emotional unit. When systems thinking, which assesses the portions of a system in relation to the whole, is related to families, it proposes behavior is both informed by and indivisible from the performance of a client’s family of origin. Families facing a struggle within the family unit and looking for professional help to address the problems may find family counseling a helpful approach. Within family counseling there are four family system approaches: systems, structural, strategic, and communications. Family System Aprroach Family counseling centers on, and is best defined as, the family and its members’ interactions and relations (Henderson & Thompson, …show more content…
There are eight concepts that form its foundation (Henderson & Thompson, 2018): 1. Differentiation of self - refers to the manner in which a person is able to separate thoughts and feelings, respond to anxiety, and cope with the variables of life while pursuing personal goals. 2. Detriangulation of Self from the family emotional system - represents the smallest stable network of human relationship systems (larger relationship systems can be perceived as a network of interlocking triangles). It also refers to two family members bring a third into a conflict situation. 3. Nuclear Family Emotional Process - refers to how the family system operates to handle anxiety and stress in times of …show more content…
The power struggle does not involve who controls but who defines the relationship. Strategic family therapy blends a strategic approach to discovering a positive form of change for individuals within the individual’s family. The strategic therapists are active problem-solvers and solution-finders directly involved like a coach or referee. They are normally not worried about where or how the issue started, only how to address and solve the problem at the present point in time. Strategic family therapy reproduces family exchanges and communications, encouraging and engaging family members with provoking questions and discussions. During these sessions, issues present themselves, and the therapist coaxes the situation so that family members come to recognize and appreciate the socially impaired interactions taking
This provides analytical approach to families with problems of low and bad structure in the family relations. Also, Structural Family Therapy is a therapy session that requests the therapist to be involved and active as well in the therapy sessions (www.psychotherapy.net ,video). Therefore, during the video of the family of three which is made up of Adrian, Judy, and Pam. Adrian and Judy are a married couple and the parents of Pam. Adrian and Judy has been through numerous therapists to comprehend their daughter’s Pam anger problem.
Evidenced Based Family Paper Brenda K. Foster Arkansas Tech University Evidenced Based Family Paper The purpose of this paper is to select a family and enter into a contract to determine the needs of the family. Five visits spanning five weeks helped identify family interests, needs, and concerns. The paper identifies three priority family needs determined during family visits.
Stone writes about three essential functions of family stories– to pass on the family’s standards, to identify family characteristics, and coping strategies. The first of the three functions is the standards of the family since the family act as the “first culture,” teaching people what their family values and their opinions on certain situations like marriage and illness, mental or physical (Stone 384). The second factor is the family’s characteristics and their traits that bind them together, which act as the family member’s confidence boost (384). Furthermore, this boost makes them value themselves more than the next family, so that the family members contently remain together (384). The third factor is influencing how families cope; these “teaching stories” tell each family how to function outside of the family (385).
This theory emphasizes understanding family relationships and dynamics. A professional with this viewpoint would see the family as a network of interconnected individuals, with each member influencing the others. For example, the father's successful business can have a significant impact on the family, as it can provide financial stability and security, allowing the family to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle. Furthermore, the father's job may require him to work long hours away from home, which can have an impact on family dynamics and relationships. The family's routines and schedules may have to be adjusted to accommodate the father's work commitments, which can cause stress and tension.
Working with families or individual persons can be very tricky if there are multiple problems involved. It is not only defining what the problems are but also what interventions can be put in place to help them. By offering interventions to the client we are trying to give them the opportunity to use the best resources that are available to them in the community. This can include anything from Alcoholics Anonymous to pregnancy support; there are many different types of support networks in communities it is just finding the right one that fits with the problem at hand.
Week 3 Question: Student will discuss family problems that may warrant external intervention. The modern day family has different principles, background, and values; with these components come with the dealing of different attitudes and personalities. Family issues can manifest in the healthiest of families, resulting in frustration and painful interactions among family members. Family issues may warrant external intervention may result from parental conflict and signs of neglect and any form of abuse.
Different schools TFS (Systemic Family Therapy), rely on a rich epistemology, though not always like because some of its basic concepts come from relatively independent areas. This epistemology is initially fed from three sources; General Systems Theory (Bertalanffy, 1969), cybernetics (Wiener, 1948) and the Theory of Communication (Watzlawick, Beavin, and Jackson, 1967). In addition, the concepts from evolutionary approaches (e.g., Haley, 1981) and structural (e.g., Minuchin, 1974) are key to the systemic conception of the family, so we have put together with the above sources. The result of these theoretical contributions applied to family psychotherapy is the common denominator of the TFS.
There is a growing complexity and diversity in families. Family systems theory provides a foundation for analysis of such complex and diversified families, making it easy to understand for effective therapy (Zastrow &
A brief comparison between narrative therapy and family therapy will also be given. Overview of the two theories Narrative Therapy Narrative therapy is best known for being used by Michael White and David Epston. Narrative therapy commonly involves a shift in focus from more theories that can be seen as traditional. A collaborative approach is often encouraged and the therapist is also encouraged to show special interest and listen respectfully to the client’s stories. The therapist should also avoid diagnosing and labelling clients but rather enable the client to often separate themselves from the most dominant story of their life to provide a space where alternative life stories can be created (Corey, 2014).
Narrative family therapists are interested in how we story our experience and use a deliberate and dynamic dialogue in which new meaning can be created. The basic theory of narrative therapy is that human beings tend to story their experience in order to make sense of their lives (Phipps and Vorster, 2015). People begin to ascribe meaning to their stories and overtime, it becomes easier to gather more events that are consistent with their story line. Thus, this becomes the dominant story for the individual and/or family and they are unable to comprehend events objectively (Phips & Vorster, 2015). Precious and Mary believe that the problems in their life resides within themselves and/or family members, and this perspective is hindering their ability to solve their problems.
If the family members cannot think through their responses to relationship dilemmas, a state of chronic anxiety may be set in place. According to Brown (1999.), the primary goal of family systems therapy is to reduce constant tension by enabling knowledge and awareness of how the emotional system functions; and by improving levels of differentiation, where the aim is to make changes for the self rather than on trying to change others. As per Richardson, Gilleard, Lieberman, and Peeler (1994), The short-term goal is to foster better relationships between family members of the different generations by understanding the family system with its rules and balances of power and to mobilize the system by reconstruing these rules and having the family observe its own
The assessment therapy helps Hoober gain more insight into the young adult’s mental state, behaviors, emotions, and history. Furthermore, attachment therapy is a therapy that Hoober values the most and is put into play when a counselor wants to understand the adult’s relationship with others (p. 439). On the other hand, Hoober uses person-centered therapy to facilitate the client’s personal growth. Person-centered therapy is when the counselor attempts to bring the client to reality about their experiences. When conducting structural family therapy, Hoober discloses how he barely works with children, although, when he does work with children, he is mostly conversing with the parents.
The insight gained is how family need to use continuous communication in Structural Family Therapy in order for the family to benefit from this therapy (Nichols, 2000). In this article, enactments are used to help the clients interact with one another in order to observe their problematic behavior (Nichols, 2000). These enactments are used to promote a positive change in the family members, to try to change the problematic behavior (Nichols, 2000). It seems that enactments were encouraged to have the family members talk about their problematic behaviors to encourage change within the family (Nichols,
Emotional cut off is an extreme measure when a family member no longer interacts with the others emotionally, becoming isolated in their function and in their exchange with the rest of the family members. This concept is important to the functioning of a three generational genogram. When a family member displays emotional cut off, the anxiety of the family is spread across lesser members, with this particular member’s isolation creating even more anxiety and pressure upon the family. In extension, this cut off not only impacts the immediate family, but it disseminates itself across the generational boundaries (Dr Murray Bowen, 2014). In turn family members may try to replace this relationship with another one, creating a potential for vulnerability and let downs.
Family systems therapy is basically evaluating the family system functioning as a unit and there are a few types of family therapy that uses this approach such as “structural family therapy, intergenerational family therapy and strategic family therapy” (Family Solutions Institute MFT Study Guide). The approach I think most useful would be structural family therapy which examines the family relationships, styles and common attitude during a therapy session. This allows the therapist to get a better understanding of what is going on in the family and the best way to solve