Structural Family Therapy in The Fences Play

Social Work Practice with Families

August Wilson’s: Fences

Part 1

How would you explain Psychoeducational Family counseling to your fictional family?

Psychoeducational family counseling means providing family members with information and education related to mental health services when seeking or receiving the services (Poyamoghadam et al., 2021). The goal of psychoeducation is to assist the family in better understand mental health conditions. When family members understand their challenges due to their mental health problems, they will have better-coping abilities.

Psychoeducational family counseling will assist the individual suffering from mental illness to remain courageous when faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges. For the fictitious family in Fences, Troy has mental challenges, and the family is not aware of how they can assist him. Therefore, if they receive psychoeducation, they will understand him and support him and encourage him to face his challenges. With family support, he can begin to receive mental health treatment through counseling. The family could be encouraged to participate in the counseling sessions to offer support. Families tend to get relief when they know families are facing the same challenges they are facing.

Psychoeducation will assist the individual with a mental condition know more about the condition they have been diagnosed with and what they should expect from therapy (Poyamoghadam et al., 2021). Many people do not understand mental health conditions, making it challenging to seek counseling services. However, when they are provided with adequate information and knowledge, they are better off and can begin their treatment. Psychoeducation is not an approach to treatment. It represents a vital step in treatment since it offers the individuals involved in a patient’s care information on how to support the person and maintain their emotional health. The family members understand the mental health concern affecting their loved one and information on how they can support their loved one.

Describe how you could utilize Psychoeducational Family Counseling with them?

The Maxson family is unaware of mental health issues they might be facing, which means the first step would be to educate the whole family about mental health issues and how they manifest. Once a diagnosis has been made of a particular mental health concern, the therapist will invite all the family members and provide adequate information regarding what is ailing their loved one. The family members will be provided with information on how the condition will impact their functioning and what they should expect during treatment. There will be medications prescribed to their loved ones, and most of these medications will have side effects. Therefore, being aware of these side effects will be communicated to both the client and the family members. They will efficiently manage the side effects when they are all aware of the signs of drug side effects. The psychiatrist will inform the family how each medication will counteract symptoms of the mental health condition. Counteractivity of the drugs offers more information on each drug and how it will assist the client. When they are educated on the impact of a drug, there is improved adherence to the drugs, improving the client’s condition.

The family psychoeducation session will incorporate techniques the family can use to foster recovery and hope. Psychoeducation will alert the family on how their loved one’s illness will impact them all. Strategies for reducing stress, strengthening relationships, and improving communication will be taught to the family members. These strategies will increase the awareness of the family and make them resilient when handling and dealing with their loved ones. The most vital thing is ensuring the family does not view the illness with a sense of loss. They should see how capable the person is and how they can overcome the illness.

Part 2

Explain three main concepts from Structural Family Therapy

The three main concepts of structural family therapy are structure, subsystems, and boundaries. Structure refers to the organization of the family. Families have a hierarchical structure where parents have greater authority. Structure in the family indicates boundaries between the system and subsystems (Minuchin, 2018). Therefore, to change a dysfunctional structure, therapy will focus on altering the current family structure and creating a more functional structure. Therapy will focus on increasing the flexibility of the family structure. Without a clear structure, it is not clear who is in charge of what in the family. Structure mandates each family member to follow the rules. The rules will determine the role played by each family member and eliminates confusion within the family structure.

Subsystems are smaller units of the system. A subsystem is based on age, gender, and interest within the family (Minuchin, 2018). Through the subsystems created, families can negotiate the functions carried out by the family members. A typical subsystem in a family is the spousal subsystem, parental subsystem, parent-child subsystem, and sibling subsystem. However, this does not mean these are the only categories of subsystems found in a family. A family could organize its sibling subsystem based on gender instead of age. Any family begins with a spousal subsystem where two people join to form a family. The family structure will develop from the spousal subsystem, and when there is dysfunction in the spousal subsystem, it will be shown in the family system.

According to Minuchin (2018) boundaries refer to the invisible barriers that regulate contact between family members. Boundaries are necessary for a healthy family structure. With boundaries, subsystems can perform their functions without interference from the other subsystems. The family subsystems will have invisible and visible barriers. For example, a door can be a boundary between the parent’s bedroom and the other rooms. Therefore, allowing the parents to perform their function without interference from the other subsystem (children). The rigidity of the boundaries depends on the family, and the rules imposed by one family may not be the same for another family (Minuchin, 2018). Boundaries need to undergo developmentally appropriate changes as the family grows and matures. A father can separate two fighting children. However, he would expect the children to settle their differences themselves when they are adults.

Describe how the three main concepts of Structural Family Therapy could be applied to/utilized with your Maxson family

The family structure is relatively straightforward with the Maxson family, and everyone seems to understand their role in the family. However, the lines are a bit blurry. Troy is responsible for providing for the family, and he performs his role diligently. However, he does fail when it comes to completing his roles resulting in Cory neglecting his roles. The structure should be reinforced, and each family member should be encouraged to stick to the structure and perform their duties as specified and expected. With a concrete structure, the family will be pulling in the same direction, and there will be reduced conflict between family members.