Structural family therapy utilizes many concepts to organize and understand the family. Of particular importance are
structure, subsystems, boundaries, enmeshment, disengagement, power, alignment and coalition
.
What are the key concepts of family therapy?
- the importance of spirituality and religion in family therapy.
- generational boundaries, closeness, and role behaviors.
- managing a family’s emotions.
- defining problems and generating and evaluating possible solutions.
What is the focus of structural family therapy?
Structural therapy focuses
on adjusting and strengthening the family system to ensure that the parents are in control
and that both children and adults set appropriate boundaries.
What is structural family approach?
a type of family therapy that
assesses the subsystems, boundaries, hierarchies, and coalitions within a family
(its structure) and focuses on direct interactions between the family members (enactment) as the primary method of inducing positive change.
What is an example of structural family therapy?
For example, if after observing the family’s interactions, a structural family therapist
will develop a hypothesis that the mother and her teenage son are enmeshed and the father is disengaged
, the interventions will be aimed at modifying the family structure by helping the couple get emotionally closer to each other; …
How long is structural family therapy?
Treatment can take
as little as two months but could be six months or longer
, depending on the amount of treatment needed, and the degree to which families are cooperating.
What techniques are used in family therapy?
- Structural Therapy. Structural family therapy is a theory developed by Salvador Minuchin. …
- Strategic Therapy. …
- Systemic Therapy. …
- Narrative Therapy. …
- Transgenerational Therapy. …
- Communication Therapy. …
- Psychoeducation. …
- Relationship Counseling.
What are the 3 goals of family therapy?
Usual goals of family therapy are
improving the communication, solving family problems, understanding and handling special family situations, and creating a better functioning home environment
.
What are the four key elements of a family system?
The Family Systems Approach focuses on the entire family and is composed of four components:
Family Characteristics, Family Interactions, Family Functions and Family Life-cycle
.
What are the different types of family systems?
- Nuclear Family (mother, father, children)
- Single Parent Family.
- Extended Family (two or more people related by blood or marriage who live together)
- Family Without Children.
- Step Family.
- Grandparent Family (grandparents raise grandchildren)
Who uses structural family therapy?
When one family member is affected by a
mental health condition
such as depression, anxiety, substance use, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Families affected by chronic illness or disability. Significant life changes such as changing careers, coming out, or moving.
What is the purpose of structural family therapy?
The goal of SFT is
to improve communications and interactions among family members and to highlight appropriate boundaries to create a healthier family structure
.
What are the pros and cons of structural family therapy?
- Therapist is very direct and will even shift the power dynamic by temporarily siding with someone to make a point.
- Works well for families with children who are exhibiting unhealthy behaviors.
- Challenges negative family patterns as a means to help everyone.
What are the strengths of structural family therapy?
Structural Family Therapy is a
strength-based, outcome oriented-treatment modality based on ecosystemic principles
. The rationale behind this kind of therapy is that the treatment of an individual in some cases is successful only if their dysfunctional families are treated to solve the problem completely.
What is family dysfunction for structural family therapy?
Structural Family Therapy deems
a family functional when it manages to maintain cohesiveness among its members while allowing for their individual differentiation
, and dysfunctional when either cohesiveness or differentiation is sacrificed for the sake of the other.
What does enmeshment look like?
What Is Enmeshment? Families who are enmeshed usually have
personal boundaries that are unclear and permeable
. When boundaries are blurred or not clearly defined, it becomes difficult for each family member to develop a healthy level of independence and autonomy.
