What is the difference between structural family therapy and strategic family therapy?
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Family Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that seeks to reduce distress and conflict by improving how everyone interacts within the unit. It is a strength-based treatment designed to help families collaborate to address problems within the unit associated with stress, misunderstanding,
anger, disconnection, and any unfulfilled needs. Show Every family will struggle to resolve issues at one point or another. By coming together to identify differences, improve communication, and define expectations, a family can improve how they give and receive love and improve their outlook on life. This form of therapy can help families cope with a myriad of stressors. Whether they are mild or severe, when one or more members of the family have concerns about or are struggling with mental health, substance abuse, chronic illness, grief, financial problems, academic concerns, or behavioral issues, Family Therapy is an effective tool to facilitate resolutions. It is also helpful for families who are experiencing a drastic life change, such as adjusting to a separation or divorce or having recently survived a trauma, like physical or sexual abuse, an unexpected loss, or a natural disaster. Family Therapy is based on a framework that allows each member of the family to view problems as patterns or systems that need adjusting, as opposed to viewing problems as residing in one individual. This is what distinguishes Family Therapy from individual counseling. Family Therapy can be very useful in reducing conflict, developing and maintaining healthy boundaries, fostering cohesion and communication, building empathy and understanding, and helping families solve problems by identifying their patterns and overall dynamics. The most common methods used in Family Therapy are known as Bowenian, Structural, Systematic, and Strategic. BowenianBowenian is known to work best for those who cannot or do not want to bring family members into the therapy room. A licensed mental health professional abides by two core concepts, triangulation and differentiation. Triangulation involves the natural tendency to divert anxiety or conflict by involving a third party, while differentiation has to do with learning to become less emotionally reactive in one’s relationships with family members. StructuralStructural methods focus on reordering the family system according to how the roles and power are distributed amongst family members, by making sure the parents or adult caretakers in the home are in control and work as a team in setting appropriate boundaries for children to respect. This method is also helpful in facilitating adult and sibling relationships and improving interaction. SystematicIn Systematic Family Therapy, each session will focus on the meaning behind family members’ behaviors, and proposes that family communications are happening on an unconscious level. The therapist takes a neutral and distant approach, yet confronts the family with rituals and behaviors that allow members to attribute different insights and understanding as to why a problem is occurring. StrategicStrategic Family Therapy is a direct and brief approach to solving problems within the unit, such as hierarchies, coalitions, and communication systems. It is best suited for those who want results in a short period of time. In this direct approach, the family therapist prescribes homework meant to change the way family members interact with the person identified as having the “problem” or “symptom.”
By: Kimberly Swanson, PsyM, LPC There are some similarities and differences between the following family theories: Bowenian, structural, and strategic family systems. The Bowenian theory was developed by Murry Bowen. Bowenain theory is used to see the patterns of inter-generational behaviors among families (Grand Canyon University, 2014). Based on this theory, certain mental issues are passed down as a generational cycle. The structural family system was developed by Salvador Minuchin. Instead of the structural family system seeing patterns like the Bowenian theory, it suggests that these mental or emotional behaviors are more like symptoms instead of patterns that are passed from generation to generation (Grand Canyon University, 2014). This therapy is aimed to reduce dysfunction. Even though structural and strategic family counseling is very similar, there are still have some differences; strategic therapy was developed by Jay Haley during the 1960s around the same time that structural family therapy was created. The difference between the two therapies is that structural views the client and their family issues as symptoms whereas, strategic therapy sees the issue not as a symptom but as a real problem that mirrors the family’s functionality (Grand Canyon University, 2014). Reference Grand Canyon University (2014). Classical psychotherapies (lecture notes). Retrieved from https://lc-grad2.gcu.edu. Updated 3/16/22 Copyrighted 2016, 2022 by Purpoz Counseling & Wellness Center, LLC What are some important assumptions of Strategic Family Therapy?Core Concepts of Strategic Family Therapy
There are three principles that guide SFT: all family members are connected, a family's habits impact the behavior of its members, and intervention needs to be targeted to the problem and meet the needs of the family.
What is positioning in strategic family therapy?Positioning is the process where a therapist attempts to shift a problematic position held by the client by accepting or exaggerating the posi- tion (Stanton 1981). The problematic position is usually enacted and maintained by a client who receives an opposing or complementary response from others.
What are the disadvantages of Strategic Family Therapy?What Are the Disadvantages of Family Therapy? Family therapy can cause issues if one or more members refuse to participate. Think of it this way- families seek homeostasis (balance), even if it's unhealthy. This means that every person within the family has a role to play to maintain the structure of the family.
What is pretend techniques in strategic family therapy?Therapists use the pretend technique to help indi- viduals and families separate themselves from problematic symptoms. In the pretend technique, the symptoms are enacted outside of the context in which they are embedded. The approach encourages a shift in control over the symptom.
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