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CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 6. SYSTEMS: WHAT ARE THEY, AND HOW DO WE WORK WITH THEM?. General Systems Theory. Explains the Complex Interactions of All Types of Systems, Including: Living Systems Family Systems Community Systems Each System Has a Boundary Each System Has a Homeostasis

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CHAPTER 6

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  1. CHAPTER 6 SYSTEMS: WHAT ARE THEY, AND HOW DO WE WORK WITH THEM?

  2. General Systems Theory • Explains the Complex Interactions of All Types of Systems, Including: • Living Systems • Family Systems • Community Systems • Each System Has a Boundary • Each System Has a Homeostasis • In Families and in Groups, Members Take on Typical Ways of Behaving

  3. General Systems Theory • Boundaries and Information Flow in Systems • All Systems Have Boundaries • Rigid Boundaries and • Boundaries Too Permeable or Loose Signify Dysfunction • Healthy Systems Have Semi-permeable Boundaries • See Box 6.1, p. 162

  4. Family Systems • The Development of the Healthy Family • Have Semipermeable Boundaries • Evaluates Information and Makes Changes as Needed • Has Parents or Guardians Who Are the Main Rule Makers • Have a Clear Sense of Hierarchy

  5. Family Systems (Cont’d) • Two Well-Known Family Therapists: • Virginia Satir: If One Member of Family Feels Pain, the Whole Family Is Affected • Salvadore Minuchin: Families Go Through: • Situational Crises (Box 6.2, p. 164) • Developmental Cycles • Healthy Families Can Deal with the Pain and the Crises Families Go Through

  6. Family Systems (Cont’d) • Dysfunctional Families • Boundaries Are Too Loose or Too Rigid • Poor Communication Patterns • Unclear Hierarchy • Often You Find Individuals Scapegoated • Often You Find an Identified Patient • Box 6.3, p. 165

  7. Family Guidance and Counseling: Role of the Human Service Professional • Training in Family Counseling Is Rigorous • Human Service Professionals do Family Guidance and Refer for Family Counseling

  8. Many Different “Schools” of Family Counseling • Strategic Family Therapy (Haley) • Communication Perspective (Satir) • Structural Family Therapy (Minuchin) • Multigenerational Family Therapy (Bowen) • Experiential Family Therapy (Whitaker) • Psychodynamic Family Therapy Skynner) • Cognitive/Behavioral Family Therapy (Foster & Gurman) • Narrative Family Therapy (White & Epston)

  9. Regardless of Approach, All Adhere to Similar Guidelines • Family systems have properties more than the sum of their parts. • The operation of such systems is governed rules. • Every system has a boundary • Boundaries are semi-permeable; some things can pass through. • Family systems tend to reach a relatively steady state. • There are communication and feedback mechanisms between parts of the system [cybernetics: positive and negative feedback loops]. • Events or behavior of individuals are understood as examples of circular causality, rather than linear causality. • Family systems, like other open systems, appear to be purposeful. • Systems are made up of subsystems and are parts of suprasystems.

  10. Individual CounselingVersus Family Counseling • Must Assess the Situation • Some People Believe All Counseling Should Be Family Counseling • Sometimes, One Member Might Be In Individual Counseling While Also Being In Family Counseling

  11. GROUP SYSTEMS • Can Be Understood by Examining the Dynamic Interaction of its Members, Including: • Communication Pattern • Power Dynamics • Hierarchies • Homeostasis

  12. Groups: A Brief History • Prior to 1900: to Assist Individuals in Functional and Pragmatic Ways • Turn of the Century, Schools Offered Group Vocational and Moral Guidance • 1920s and 1930s: Groups Began to Have a More Introspective Nature • 1940s the Modern Group Movement Emerges • Carl Rogers: Encounter Group Movement • Kurt Lewin: National Training Laboratory (NTL)

  13. Defining Self‑help, Psychoeducational Groups, and Counseling and Therapy Groups • All Groups Have Rules Regarding • Membership Behavio • Leadership Style • Technical Issues • Ground Rules

  14. Self‑help Groups and Personal Growth Groups • Purpose: Educate, Affirm, & Enhance Existing Strengths of the Group Member • Unpaid Volunteer Leader or No Leader at All • Free or Have a Nominal Fee • Not In‑depth Counseling Groups • Box 6.4, p. 168

  15. Psychoeducational Groups • Geared Toward Education to Prevent Future Problems • Have a Designated, Well‑trained Group Leader • Sometimes Free of Charge; However, Some Involve a Fee • Box 6.5, p. 169

  16. Counseling and Therapy Groups • Many Differentiate by Depth of Disclosure & If Personality Reconstruction is Expected • Both Have a Designated Highly Trained Leader • Both Have Between 4 and 12 Group Members • Usually Meet for a Minimum of Eight Sessions • Meet at Least Once a Week for 1-3 Hours • Confidentiality of the Group Is a must • Work on Behavioral Change • Box 6.6, p. 170

  17. Group Membership Behavior • Certain Characteristics or Roles Taken on by Members • Examples: Dominators, Mediators, Manipulators, Caretakers, Nurturers, or Facilitators, Withdrawn, Hostile, or Opinionated • As the Group Process Continues, the Roles That Members Take on May Vary

  18. Group Leadership Styles • All Leaders Need to Be Aware of Basic Group Theory and Process to Facilitate • Group Leader Has: • Knowledge of Systems • Familiarity with Membership Roles • Awareness of Group Stages of Development • Adeptness at Basic and Advanced Counseling Techniques • Awareness of the Composition of Their Group • Strong Without Being Authoritarian • Knowledgeable about Rules, Yet Flexible in How They Are Implemented

  19. Stages of Group Development • Pregroup Stage: Prescreen, Identifying Expectations, Challenge Myths, Offer Basic Understanding of Group • The Initial Stage: Anxiety and Apprehension, “Self Vs. Other” Focus, Issues of Trust • The Transition Stage: at First Hostility, Maybe Scapegoating–later Acceptance of Self and Personal Issues • The Work Stage: Setting of Goals and Working on Behavioral Change • The Closure Stage: Summarizing Accomplishments, Saying Good-byes, Thinking about Future, and Follow-up

  20. Individual Vs. Group Counseling • Research: Group as Effective as Individual Counseling • Refer to Group Counseling When: • It’s a Valid Alternative if Client Cannot Afford Individual • Benefits of Individual Counseling Have Gotten So Meager • Client's Issues Are Related to Interpersonal Functioning • A Client Needs Extra Social Support • Client Will Benefit By Testing out New Behaviors in Safe Place • When Group Members’ Experiences Can Help Client (e.g., Similar Issues)

  21. Community Systems And Social Change • To Affect Change in Clients, HSPs Need to: • Work in Agencies that are Healthy (Have a Healthy System) • Understand the Intricacies of the Community

  22. Working in a Healthy Agency • HSPs Must Have a Clear Understanding of the • Boundaries • Overt and Covert Rules • Hierarchies: Whose In Charge? • Information Flow

  23. Working With The Community To Effect Client Change • Six Steps: • Accurately Define Your Problem • Collaborate With Community Members • Respect Community Members • Collaboratively Develop Change Strategies • Implement Change Strategies • Assess Effectiveness

  24. Ethical, Professional, and Legal Issues • In Groups and Families • Responsibility to Protect the Confidentiality of the Client • Also Have a Responsibility to the Broader System • Be Aware of Agency Regulations and Laws (e.g., Confidentiality) • Make Wise Decisions in Respect to Confidentiality • Groups or Families: Stress Confidentiality, But Cannot Be Guaranteed

  25. Ethical, Professional, and Legal Issues • In Social Service Systems, Client Confidentiality Also Must Be Maintained • Signed Release‑of‑information Form Should Be Obtained from Clients • Don’t Talk about Clients with Others • Records Should Be Secured

  26. Ethical, Professional, and Legal Issues • Rules of Group Behavior (Some Issues to Consider) • What Are the Limits of Confidentiality? • Can Members Socialize Outside the Group? • Can Members Date Outside the Group? • What Attendance Expectations Do You Have? • What Expectations Concerning Self‑disclosure of Members? • What Are Repercussions & Limits of Physical Acting? • Are there Expectations Concerning what Will Be Discussed? • Expectations for Being Punctual & Staying Whole Group? • Expectations for How Members Communicate During Group? • Your Responsibility If Member Might Harm to Self or Others? • Other Agency Rules Determine Specific Group Conduct?

  27. Ethical, Professional, and Legal Issues • Training and Competence • When Working with Families, Groups, or Community Members One Need to Know Limits of Competence • Human Service Professionals Can Lead Psychoeducational & Self‑help Groups, but NOT Counseling & Therapy Groups • Many Human Service Professionals are not Trained to do Family Counseling and Family Therapy but May Offer Family Guidance • Additional Training: Gained Through Workshops or Other Continuing Education

  28. The Developmentally Mature Human Service Professional • Using a Systems Approach in Understanding the Complexity of Interrelationships • Do Not View Clients in Isolation • Understand the Complexity of the Interactions in the Clients' World • Understand That Families, Groups, and Social Systems Have a Large Impact on the Client

  29. Experiential Exercises and Ethical and Professional Vignettes • See Pages 182 - 187

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