Final: FAMILY THERAPY

Question 1

FAMILY THERAPY: Therapeutic alliance

Answer 1

○ Equal alliance
○ Not a referee, judge, mediator, group counselor
○ More active
○ Simply reflecting feelings is not going to cut it
○ More challenging to hold onto yourself in the process
○ Therapists who work with couples and families take on many different roles: coach,
consultant, model, teacher, or collaborator who works with the family to facilitate change.

Question 2

FAMILY THERAPY: General function/form

Answer 2

○ In family systems perspective, the family is in the limelight and the individuals are seen as subunits, or parts of the whole
○ Brief and solution focused
○ Action oriented
○ Focused on the here and now interactions among family members
○ Focused on how the family creates, contributes to , and continues the problem

Question 3

FAMILY THERAPY: Key concepts

Answer 3

○ Systems Theory
○ Directive approach
○ Circular causality ​p. 392
○ Focus shifts away from a study of the mind of the individual to a focus of the behavioral
consequences of interpersonal relationships.
○ Attention is paid to dysfunctions within the family unit rather than one individual’s behavior

○ Presenting concerns:
■ Child behavioral problems
■ Parenting style issues
■ communication/conflict
■ Child abuse
■ Domestic violence
■ Substance abuse
■ Infidelity
■ Divorce
■ Premarital counseling 
■ Transitions
■ grief

Question 4

FAMILY THERAPY: Family rules

Answer 4

○ Overt and covert
■ Overt ex: Put the dishes in the sink after you are done eating because mom has told
us to

■ Covert ex: Don’t talk politics at the table because one time grandpa tried to do that
and everyone became upset

Question 5

FAMILY THERAPY: Basic tenets

Answer 5

○ A system is made up of ​subsystems​ and is ​more than just the sum of its parts
○ Every system is comprised of subsystems and every system is a subsystem within larger
subsystems
○ Changing one part of a system affects the rest of the system
○ Systems are governed by overt and covert rules, which are enforced by information, organization, structure, and feedback
○ Systems strive for ​homeostasis
○ Process is more important than content
○ Communication is constant within systems
○ Development occurs within systems
○ Causality is circular, not linear
○ Behaviors are not “good” or “bad”, they play a function
○ Blame is irrelevant
○ Individuals are not pathological – their circumstances make sense when considered within
the context of their systemic influences.
○ Anxiety within a system can contribute to symptoms in individuals.
○ Reality is constructed by perception.
○ Change can occur on 2 levels: ​First-order change​ and ​Second-order change​.
■ 1st order change: change occurs within the current organization of the system
● One person changing their behavior
● Ex: Change certain things about existing government
■ 2nd order: change in the ​fundamental process​ or organization of a system
■ Change that produces​ lasting difference​ in the family, as well as fundamental diffs. in
the family’s structure and organization
● Ex: overthrow the structure of the government and start fresh
● Changes entire system

Question 6

FAMILY THERAPY: Key

Answer 6

Remember, a family is a system​- so that is a keyword in this theory