Family Systems Therapy

A therapist who works from a family system perspective takes on the role of teacher, model and consultant (Corey, 2017). The therapist is active in forming a relationship with the family by acknowledging and

One of the main interventions of Functional Family Therapy that resonates with me is that one of the prime goals of this model is to identify the primary focus of intervention (the family) and reflect an understanding that positive and negative behaviors both influence and are influenced by the relationships each family member has with one another. Therefore, making functional therapy a multi systemic program, meaning that it focuses on the multiple domains and systems within which families live and interact with one another. Within this context, FFT works first to develop family members’ inner strengths and sense of being

The counselor will ask questions to clarify and summarize the family’s concerns. I will answer any questions and address any concerns raised by the family about the therapy process. I will also assist in laying down parental authority and a sense of impartiality among the children. This will reinstate equilibrium in the family and motivate all members to participate in the therapy.

The family is made up of five people: Claudia, the IP; Carolyn, mother; Laura, the sister; Don, the brother; and David, the father. The family is coming into therapy because there have been mounting concerns about Claudia and her behavior—acting out, staying out late, some fairly typical teenage stuff. For the purpose of this paper, I will be starting at the beginning where the family is first coming into therapy. I will first school that I will apply is Structural Family Therapy and the second school is Bowen Family Therapy.

The Behavioral Health and Human Services Licensing Board is a compilation of the Indiana Code and Administrative Code for all social workers, marriage and family therapists, mental health counselors, and addiction counselors. This reflection paper examines the Indiana Code and focuses on the specific requirements to become a family and marriage therapist associate, and what requirements need met to become a fully licensed therapist. In addition, to move from an associate to a licensed therapist one must obtain a number of supervised hours that will be further examined in detail.

Over the past two decades family therapy has been a primary innovator in assisting professionals specifically in the way that clients are viewed by counselors and in the methods of intervention used. (Schafter, Briesmeiste, & Fitton, 1984, as cited by Anderson, 1998) Several models are suggested which are the models of:

Suppose I am working for a community mental health agency, and I have assigned cases about 14-16 year- old male adolescents with conduct disorder. I have been asked by my director of clinical training to answer one question: “What family treatment modes have been found to be effective for treating this population?” In order to answer this question, I did some research online and found several appropriate articles. Thus, I will use those researches to illustrate this question in this paper. In addition, I will talk about three effective family treatment modes which including brief strategic family therapy (BSFT), multisystemic therapy (MST), and functional family therapy (FFT).

There are a few experiences that have lead to to become a marriage and family therapist. My own personal experience with therapy and the positive AFFECT it had in my life is a big factor. I was hit by a car as a pedestrian when I was 17 years old. The result was a brain injury and a broken leg. It was also my senior year of high school and found a lot of my happiness in being a runner on the cross country and track team. After the accident I felt like I lost my identity as a runner and being part of a team and I held onto a lot of hurt and resentment from the accident which resulted in anger issues. But therapy, individually and also with my parents, mended a lot of hurt. I have the desire to help other individuals and families who are going through struggles. I believe that God

A “contemporary therapist” is a therapist that is open to the different sexual orientations. This type of therapist would not and does not have a problem work with lesbians, gays, bisexuals, or transsexuals (LGBT). I never really thought of being called a “contemporary therapist” but I guess this is what I would be considered. I defiantly would not mind working with LGBT’s and any sexual orientation.

Using system-based approach can not only help the individual, but also the family. If the client starts to utilize system-based therapy, they will start to gain a more “wrap-around” approach to their treatment, rather than just individualized. When the

Approaches to Family Therapy: Minuchin, Haley, Bowen, & Whitaker Treating families in therapy can be a complex undertaking for a therapist, as they are dealing not only with a group of individuals but also with an overall system. Throughout history several key theorists have attempted to demystify the challenges families face and construct approaches to treatment. However, there have been key similarities and differences among the theoretical orientations along the way. While some have simply broadened or expanded from existing theories, others have stood in stark

Structural family therapy provides the six p’s to use as a tool to identify areas of the family system where attention needs to be placed. In short, it allows the therapist to sort out and organize the family’s dynamics. It provides an atmosphere in which the therapist can observe the problem,

The video Family Therapy: Universal and Unique Approaches to Solving Problems (Microtraining Associates, 2012), suggests that those of the family structure and its members consist of repeated interaction patterns accommodate each other and develop over time. Structural family therapy proposes that a family subsystem is thought to hold tasks and make specific requests of family members along with the growth of subsystems interpersonal skills achieved based upon the subsystem’s choice of other subsystems not interfering as might be seen with a subsystem boundary that is diffused (Vetere, 2001). Interestingly, Brian, Edna, and Jenny (Microtraining Associates, 2012) hold structural subsystem tasks, and there is interference in the family subsystem through diffused boundaries. Therefore, there is a need within the family subsystem of Brian, Edna, and Jenny, that may indicate setting clear boundaries for the subsystem to function properly.

Clinical implications affecting Family therapy centers around independent, dependent and common theoretical conceptualizations. Model-independent or narrow factors encompass components that are specific to that model. Model-dependent or broad factors contain variables that are common throughout all theoretical models. However there are three main model commonalities that counselors should account for during treatment. They are current relevant connections from family of origin influence, current interaction cycles, affective, behavioral and cognitive dysfunction that are perpetuated is a continuous cycle (Davis & Piercy, 2007). Counselors should enter into the therapeutic relationship with the foresight that these influences will be

Family Systems theory does not place much emphasis on thechniques because counselor relationships and interpersonal qualities are more important to the theraputic process. However, multilayered approach that is often used to guide counseling has four intergrated techniques to help assist a counselor. The multilayer approach identifies multiple layers in a family system that consist of roles and patterns. Although each family memeber serves their own pupose within the family, they also serve a purpose within a community. A community is considered ones nuclear family, and every community consist of multiple familes that are integrated through their socail and exteranl world (Corey, 2017). When treating clients a therpist will utlize an integrative