Critique of family systems therapy approaches

¶ … family therapy is based on the family systems theory, a perspective which regards "the family, as a whole, as the unit of treatment, and emphasizes such factors as relationships and communication patterns rather than traits or symptoms in individual members." Ever since it was first applied, the purpose of this type of therapy was to identify family traits in different affections, to follow the belief that the society impacted in a way on the family and that the individual reflects in his behavior and reactions the atmosphere in the family.

One of the main advantages of this type of therapy is, in my opinion, the fact that the therapy aims to find solutions to the problems expressed by an individual rather than discover the actual causes that have led to that particular problem, as is the case with different other therapies. For example, if we describe the case of an individual with an adaptation problem in society, family therapy could perhaps identify the ways by which it can make the individual confident on his own strengths, discover the ways in which he or she can act and be noticed in society, define the interactions between the individual and the other members of society etc. rather than simply identify what led to this adaptation problem. Identifying the cause is not necessarily always a mean to arrive at a positive solution for a certain problem. Focusing directly on means to improve the problem and find ways in which one can get straight to it can shorten the time spent on solving an issue.

Returning to the same given example, family therapy can emphasize the role of the family as a whole and an environment where the individual feels at ease and where he is able to build on the coordinates of his personality.

Additionally, family systems therapy quite often relies on the role that each individual occupies at the family level. This is a positive aspect because, in general, this tends to be a more stable mark: the roles in a family almost never change over time, with the parents, children and other relations building a certain relationship over time where each individual knows his role. Additionally, the communication between these individuals is also generally relying on the same coordinates, these are individuals who communicate the same way for a long period of time. Corroborated, this means that it is easier to analyze such a structure with constant coordinates and to decide on the measures to take.

On the other hand, family systems therapy is based on the assumption that the "the family as a whole is larger than the sum of its parts." While this as a simple sentence is a correct assumption, it may often be the case that the family is almost exclusively regarded as the one and only mean to solve the identified problem. The conditions and variables provided by this particular environment (the family) are not always reflected in the entire society, where rules change and sometimes have a different applicability than in a restrained environment as a family. The rules applicable to the part (family) may apply to the smaller part (individual member of a family), but not always in the larger whole (the entire societal environment).