Family Systems Therapy

1. Family Systems Therapy Presentation by: Daniel McMillan and Jay Hails

2. Outline: • What is Family Systems therapy? • History of Development - How it came about • Various models/approaches • Multi-layered process (important points and some techniques) • Questions?

3. Family Systems Therapy • Person is best understood by looking at family interactions and relationships • Focus on the family rather than the individual • Symptoms (in individual) result from (and encourage further development of) maladaptive family patterns 3

4. a shift in thinking Fish Metaphor

5. Basic Assumption: • A person’s problematic behaviour grows out of family interaction, and also larger cultural and societal systems • If one person in the family changes, the rest of the unit must change to adapt • (Note: still considers individual factors such as physiology, person cognition, etc.) 5

6. car analogy... • wheels turning... 6

7. Various Approaches to Family Systems Therapy • The following are the various common models of Family Systems Therapy... 14

8. Who are the Key contributors? • Developed by, and contributions from, many practitioners, not one single “father” of this approach • These include...

9. Alfred Adler & Rufus Dreikurs(1927 & 1950) • Adler first psychologist to use family therapy using a systems approach • Dreikurs brought it to the United States • Together they conducted family counselling sessions • Focus on goals, birth order, therapist-client relationship 8

10. Adlerian Family Therapy

11. Murray Bowen(1978) • an original developer of mainstream family therapy • believed in multi-generational (3 or more) perspectives of family patterns • introduced concepts of triangulation and differentiation of self (reviewed later) 9

12. Multigenerational Family Therapy:

13. Virginia Satir(1983) • developed Conjoint Family therapy • emphasized emotional experience and communication • heavy emphasis on therapist-client(s) relationship • believed congruence among family members = change 10

14. Human Validation Process Model

15. Carl Whitaker(1976) • created symbolic-experiential family therapy • “free-wheeling, intuitive” approach • facilitate autonomy in members while retaining connected • therapist tolerate and sometimes even create anxiety in families in order to help them learn to be different 11

16. Experiential Family Therapy:

17. ..speaking of anxious families

18. Salvador Minuchin(early 1960’s) • began Structural Family Therapy • focuses on the structure or organization of the family • then modify these patterns • focus on power, organization, alignments 12

19. Jay Haley & Cloe Madanes(late 1960’s) • Haley blended structural family therapy w/ concepts of hierarchy, power and interventions • Madanes helped devlp. solutions-orientated family approach • Favored strategic interventions of reframing, family directives, paradoxical interventions • Focused on solving problems, not insight • most popular approach of the ’80’s 13

20. Structural-Strategic Family Therapy

21. Recent Innovations/approaches

22. A MultiLayered Approach - some important points or techniques • The following are some important techniques or points in the practical application of Family Systems Therapy...

23. Forming a Relationship • collaboration, respect, empathy, caring, and genuine interest are key in this approach • (called various things: joining, engaging, care & concern..) • Therapist should not over focus on pre-set techniques or content but rather on process (use “how” questions) • Use validation, encouragement, support family resiliency, and elicit cooperation among members

24. forming a relationship cont’d.. • be a “family anthropologist” • see each family as a unique culture that needs to be understood first

25. Conducting an Assesment • At numerous points this can occur • Can use various assessments initially to highlight the family structure and story • Genograms are a common example of this • Good to inquire about family perspectives on various issues and to gain a better understanding of how larger socio-cultural factors influence the family system

26. Hypothesizing and Sharing Meaning • “Therapist cannot be in charge of people, but they need to be in charge of the process” • Sharing a hypothesis depends on the therapist’s belief in: • the family’s ability to generate own healthy ideas • how much influence the therapist is willing to have on the process • Therapist need to be extremely careful of biasing process from their own family perspectives • (some believe the therapist needs to be immersed in the process as a member and others (Narrative therapists) believe in a decentered position of the therapist (keeping the family in the centre of the process)

27. Facilitating Change • ..rather than “making change happen”. This relies more heavily on techniques • -working together with clients. Can still use techniques but family helps co-construct them, rather than being assigned them • -Two most common forms for facilitation of change are • enactments • assignment of tasks

28. Strengths/Critiques • Strengths..... • First to really model approach for the family, rather than tayloring an individual approach around the family • Very useful with diversity and multiculturalism • Short term, present focused • Critiques.... • therapists applying biased (western) understanding of family unit to other cultures if not careful • Use of genograms can be culturally sensitive (in portrayal and research of elders) • Any others you can think of??

29. Questions/Comments..

30. Thanks for listening The End.