Family Therapy Essays (Examples)

Family Therapy

Family Therapy Thoughts and Feelings

Prior to my working on this particular assignment, I actually knew very little about family therapy. Although the name of this branch of psychotherapy certainly describes itself, I have always adhered to a belief in individuality and that the interrelationships between people do not matter so much as the individuals themselves do. However, after learning about family therapy, I believe that my former belief was incorrect. Familial relations play an important role in the health and well being of the individual. In fact, they may actually account for a fair amount of problems even if there is physical and emotional distance between family members. Thus, the insight that I gained through family therapy has helped to revise my personal worldview and to inform it a great deal.

Whereas I previously believed that the individual was the basic unit of human relations, I now tend to…… [Read More]

Family Therapy

Family Therapy

The objective of this case study was to conceptualize the couple's difficulties from two theoretical perspectives and then describe what the best approach to treating them would be based on the perspective for each theory as it pertains to the causes of the family's difficulties, the type of intervention to be used, how to assess the efficacy of intervention and outcomes (effectiveness and projection testing). The case should also gather all additional types of information needed based on the theory chosen.

Because theoretical perspectives are options into viewing and categorizing reality, they make excellent tools of analysis that provide insights that help an observer to organize, and then interpret what is seen. The theoretical perspective also provides a researcher an opportunity to focus in on the parts of the family issues that are of interest to them. But more importantly, they provide explanations of why certain patterns are…… [Read More]

Family Therapy Family Establishment and

The roles of various members of the society are a dictate of the culture between the people involved. For instance, culture has always been behind the dictates that have led to the creation of separation among family members. Culture states that it is the responsibility of the family man to provide for the family. Failure to do that will result in conflicts within the family. In essence, many families have been broken because of failure of the family members to respond to what they culture has placed in the shoulders. The differences in these responsibilities are another facet that is considered to be explored as a rudimentary issue that influence the existence and stability of the families globally (Blume, 2006).

Cultural influences differ from one society to another. The society teaches different facets and norms of living. These norms are part of the essential facilities that dictate the dos and…… [Read More]

Family Therapy Family Therapist Dr

Hence, Barker claims the trainees need some basic understanding of what causes dysfunction within families, and how to distinguish those families that are undergoing a temporarily destabilizing but time-limited crisis, from which they will reorganize and recover independently, from those families who are seriously dysfunctional and require therapeutic intervention.

More so, the training of therapists' trainees adopt some scientific model which help shape the boundaries of a discipline and set the agenda regarding the subject matter and methodology to be followed in seeking answers. If the individual is the unit analysis, clinical theories regarding human behavior are likely to emphasize internal events, psychic organization, intrapsychic conflict. Methodology in such a situation tends to be retrospective; explanations; tend to have a historical basis and seek our root causes from the past. Typically, they attempt to answer the question of why something occurred.

The family therapy trainees claim that Dr. Imber-Black (1988)…… [Read More]

Family Therapy an Early Designation of Psychotherapies

Family Therapy

An early designation of psychotherapies divided all types of psychotherapy into two major categories: insight-oriented therapy and action-oriented therapy (Woolley, Wampler, & Davis, 2012). This designation was made on the basis of the therapist's main focus in achieving positive change. An insight-oriented therapy focuses on assisting the client develop knowledge or awareness about themselves as a major focus of change. The insight itself leads to positive change in the client. Action-oriented therapies directly focus on changing some behavior as opposed to relying on self -- knowledge or awareness to facilitate the change. The designation is not mutually exclusive; in all action-oriented therapies some insight is gained and in all insight-oriented therapies there is some direct change of behavior. However, the designation is valid when determining the focus of the therapist regarding the main target of the therapeutic intervention.

For example, Experiential Family Therapy attempts to facilitate change by…… [Read More]

Family Communications Family Therapy and

Then, the therapist challenges these structures and begins restructuring the family by offering alternative, more functional ways of behaving and communicating ("Find out more about family therapy," 2008, DMRTK). Regardless of the efficacy of this therapy in some contexts, this approach may be too intimate for anything other than a therapist's office, with a therapist who is familiar about how to assume a critical role in the family structure in a professional and temporary fashion.

Brief Therapy: MRI

Brief therapy refers partially to the duration of the therapy but also to the intense, focused quality of the therapy. It involves goal-setting for behavioral improvements to solve a specific problem, rather than focusing on the past. It is future-oriented, and can be extremely beneficial to treat individuals where specific, swift solutions are necessary to address immediate behavioral concerns ("Find out more about family therapy," 2008, DMRTK).

Family Psychoeducational Therapy

This therapeutic…… [Read More]

Family Therapy and Anorexia Nervosa

Family Therapy and Anorexia Nervosa

Family Therapy & Anorexia Nervosa

This paper is a literature review and discussion of how family therapy approaches anorexia nervosa. The premise for most of the research conducted using family based therapy is a theory by Salvador Minuchin and Mara Selvini from the 1970s that states in order for a sufferer of anorexia nervosa to recover the "family's structure or style of management [of problems] needs to be corrected." (Lock, & Grange, 2001) A compilation of peer reviewed journal studies as well as other reviews of anorexia nervosa family therapy treatment will be used to illustrate the effectiveness of family therapy for persons under the age of 19 suffering from anorexia nervosa. The literature will also show that more experimental studies are needed in this area of eating disorders, due to the lack of substantial research for eating disorders and their treatment methods. However, since…… [Read More]

Family Therapy and Chronic Depression

Involvement techniques also needed addressing, so that support would be clear without being intrusive, but there were no major behavioral issues reported by the family that caused problems.

Other problems existed in the family's transactional problem, which involved the father becoming too intrusive and aggressive in his attempts to help and reach out to his daughter while the mother withdrew and the daughter felt increasingly more helpless. The mother, too, would end up feeling powerless, and the entire family became sadder as the situation remained unchanged, the therapist shared his assessment with the family, beginning with their strengths, and the identified issues were quickly agreed upon by the family members.

The contracting stage began in the second session, and though the parents initially insisted that they were only their to help their daughter through her depression, which they believed would solve many of the emotional stress issues in the family,…… [Read More]

Family Therapy Models Diagnosis and Principles Are

family therapy models, diagnosis and principles are compared based upon Bowen's Transgenerationaland/Family Systems model with Minuchin's Family therapy. Later on, we will see the link between the two and the relationship of each model to divorce. In the case study, we will attempt to apply the lessons of the Bowen/Ackerman and Minuchin style approaches to get to the underlying causes of a patient's depressive disorder.

The goal of the counseling session from the family therapist would be to aid the psychiatric team. Depression is simply a condition that reflects underlying issues. In this case, the patient's past home life and separation of her parents have caused abuse and bereavement issues to be dealt with more effectively and to break the triggers that bring about the onset of depression. This is especially necessary, since the abuse issues and bereavement caused by the loss (or lack) of a caring father figure in…… [Read More]

Family Therapy Is Based on

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…… [Read More]

Integrative Family Therapy Case Presentation

Family Systems Theory: Integrative esearch Case Presentation

The family system in the west seems well entrenched and a closely knit unit. Yet, they are not without stigma. Their norms do not align with normative, ethical demeanor and there have been interventions to correct on various occasions. Irresponsible, Feckless and welfare scroungers are some of the adjectives they have often earned for their behavior. The interventionists have also tried to suggest families in the west through subtle messaging via various media forums like advertisements and articles in the magazines, films, TV; and also through measures like the decor at home reminding them about the expectations of a social life. (Dallos & Draper, 2013).

Such interventionists have also tried to spread their messages through professional networks too, making the expectations of the society known through various platforms. Family workers work in different ways to help the western families understand the importance of…… [Read More]

Reaction to Family Therapy

Family therapy is described as a theory and treatment technique that provides a means for examining clinical problems based on the context of the transactional patterns in a family. Therefore, this theory and treatment measure represents an intervention through which family members receive help in detecting and transforming difficult, maladaptive, and ongoing patterns of relationship as well as self-restricting and self-defeating belief systems (Goldenberg, Goldenberg & Pelavin, 2014, p.373). There are several family therapeutic approaches that have been used to help in examining clinical problems in the context of transactional patterns in a family. One of these approaches is behavior therapy which is based on the premise that cognitive factors like attitudes, expectations, thoughts, and beliefs impact behavior. This approach has contributed to the emergence of cognitive-behavior therapy as part of ordinary psychotherapy processes.

Behavior therapy is based on the belief that normal and abnormal behavior is learned based on…… [Read More]

Strategic Family Therapy Roffman A 2007 Function

Strategic Family Therapy

offman, A. (2007). Function at the Junction: evisiting the Idea of Functionality in Family Therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. 31 (2): 259-68.

Strategic Therapy -- "The ideas of strategic therapy are deceptively simply. Carrying out these ideas in action is not so simple" (Haley, 2003). Traditional views of therapy hold that the focus should be upon abuse, trauma, and even guilty pleasures or pastimes if they are detrimental to mental health. It directs tasks that follow and uses the past and the future as templates for recovery. Instead, strategic therapy asks: what is happening in one's life now -- in one's environment, and takes the approach that it is the social grouping of the environment that either allows for a predilection to continue the unwanted behavior, or to reinforce the triggers that make that behavior habitual in the first place.

Strategic family therapy then is…… [Read More]

Structural Family Therapy Sft Was Developed by

Structural Family Therapy (SFT) was developed by Salvador Minuchin in the latter half of the 20th century and is still considered a viable and effective therapy approach today (Connell, 2010, p.1). It involves encouraging healthy proactive change within the family, with the therapist acting as the agent of change and taking into consideration the multicultural perspectives within a family (Connell, 2010, p.1). Structural family therapists believe that problems within the family are the result of a dysfunctional family structure, therefore, correcting the structure should alleviate the problems (Hecker & Wetchler, 2003, p.78).

Advantages and Disadvantages

Because of its focus on family structure and the roles of individuals within that structure, SFT has proven a promising means of treatment for many childhood and adolescent problems, especially when used to treat young adults who still maintain close contact with their families (Hecker & Wetchler, 2003, p.87). The therapy appears to be effective…… [Read More]

Structural Family Therapy

Structural Family Therapy

Individuals who plan to spend the rest of their lives together are charged with the task of crafting a life together. Where do they get the blueprints for building this life together? How do two people know how to join together to form a relationship known as a "couple"? The environment in which we are raised contributes a great deal to who we are and to how we interact with one another. It is only natural that we use the paradigms we grew up with as a basis for our future relationships.

However, what if the relationships one uses as a model are so deeply flawed that they ended in divorce? Structural family therapy offers a way to help address this issue by allowing individuals to develop tools that will help them navigate successfully through the confusing and conflicting stages that they will go through as they…… [Read More]

Joining in Structure Family Therapy

Psycho-Analytical Family Therapy

This report will offer a brief treatise on psycho-analytical family therapy. However, there will first be a bit of a zooming out to the broader subject and fomulations of psycho-analytical therapy in general. The definition of what the therapy is, what it entails, what it involves and how it all works will all be explained. The ostensible forefathers of the technique will be discussed as well as what happens in the related sessions. While psychoanalytical therapy is not for everyone and/or for all situations, there are times where it can do a lot of good.

In general terms, psychoanalytic therapy is "one of the most well-known treatment modalities." However, it is also one of the most misunderstood and misperceived by those people that analyze and kvetch about it. The overall modality of psychoanalytic therapy was crafted by the notorious work of Sigmund Freud. He was the one…… [Read More]

Marriage and Family Therapy

Marriage and Family Therapy

Issues and Ethics in Family Therapy:

Psychologist Abraham Maslow once wrote that, 'We may define therapy as a search for value." In providing counseling for our patients not only are we providing a system of healing and value for them but also generating a reflection of our own values, ethical as well as legal, as family therapists. In the case scenario provided a large binuclear family, comprising a divorced couple and both their new step-families, attended six sessions of therapy focusing on multiple custody disputes. One year later, one parent reopened the custody settlement and sought the therapist's records. The therapist dutifully obtained written consent to share the records from both sets of parents, and then submitted the records as requested. This situation, commonplace as it sounds, has significant and challenging moral and legal implications that force the therapist to come up with a plan of…… [Read More]

Structural Family Therapy

Structural Family Therapy

Since the mid-20th century, family therapy has assumed systems thinking as a new model of understanding how to help families to understand their problems and resolve them (Sawyer, 2003). Rather than directing the energies of therapy on the individual with the problem, the symptom bearer, family therapists examine the family as a whole, or as a social unit, with complex interactions and patterns of communication. Rather than focusing on the problems in a family system, family therapists assumed that families have within them a basic goal toward health. They are created and sustained for the purpose of helping individual family members do well.

In this paper, structural family therapy concepts and practices will be discussed, as well as the complex interactions and patterns of communication involved in structural family therapy.

Introduction

The model of structural family therapy is "a therapy of action." When first developed by psychologist…… [Read More]

Marriage Family Therapy Intern Marriage and Family

Marriage Family Therapy Intern

Marriage and Family Therapy

MAIAGE AND FAMILY THEAPY INTEN

Brucker et al. (2005) present an analysis of seven training sites that offer MFT internship opportunities to students. In their analysis, Brucker et al. (2005) discuss the quality of supervision, the environment and context of the training site, the opportunities available to MFT interns for interacting with professionals, supervisors and clients so that they may obtain maximum guidance and practical exposure, as well as the opportunity to pursue education, teaching and research along with their internship. Their study reveals that a number of quality institutions do offer MFT internship opportunities to students by offering direct involvement in the practical environment and sound coaching from the supervisors. Interns are expected to shadow the supervisors and learn from personal application of theory. They should also learn to be self-reliant and schedule their own appointments and other research and teaching…… [Read More]

Experimental Family Therapy Experiential Family

Focusing-oriented experiential therapy, historically grounded in humanistic and experiential psychology traditions, were cultivated from E. Gendlin's collaboration with Carl ogers, the founder of client-centered psychotherapy (Bohart, 2003; ogers, 1957, 1961, as cited in Wagner, 2006). During the 1950s, ogers presented the concept of "unconditional positive regard, empathy, and congruence as therapeutic attitudes central to the process of change" (Wagner, 2006, Background and Development section, ¶ 1). Gendlin expanded the ogerian approach of person-centered therapy by further exploring and analyzing client involvement qualities, which indicative movement and change evolving from therapy. (Wagner) the following Experiencing Scale depicts a number of states, Wagner notes, in Focusing that positively contribute to counseling and holistic health.

Stage 1: The content is not about the speaker. The speaker tells a story, describes other people or events in which he or she is not involved or presents a generalized or detached account of ideas.

Stage 2:…… [Read More]

Narrative Family Therapy a Critique

He gives a brief history of the birth of family centered therapy in the 1950's and again compliment Minuchin and his team and credits them for being a major part of this new dawn in psychotherapy. He also agrees with Minuchin that many of the newer "technologies and ad hoc practices," (1998, p. 416) have de-centered the family from center stage in many ways. However he disagrees that post modernism and social constructiveism are to blame. In fact Sluzki believes that many of the techniques of these genres, "include the family as a central contributor in the never ending process of reality construction." (1998, p. 417) He does agree with Minuchin that the shift towards more individual viewpoints may certainly be counterproductive to family therapy on many levels and feels likewise that political centered therapy is not constructive as a whole.

In " A Question of Perspective," author Karl Tomm…… [Read More]

Basic Concepts of Bowen Family Therapy

Psychology -- Counseling -- Bowen Family Therapy

Bowen Family Therapy is a system-based treatment. Rather than treating the individual as a completely separate person, Bowen places the person in the context of his/her family. By examining at least three generations of an index person's family, the therapist can develop a strong understanding of the factors that formed and still influence the patient/client. In addition, the system-based intervention for treating an issue helps the individual grasp the underlying issues affecting his/her life and change his/her individual approach or the entire group dynamic to deal with the issue.

Family Genogram

Created with (de Boer, 2014).

Overview of Major Experiences, Patterns of Interaction for Family and Effects of Diversity Issues

My family is boring as genograms go. My father's biological parents were Caucasian, Italian, Roman Catholic, working class, lived in New York State and had one child, my father. My paternal grandfather was…… [Read More]

Couples and Family Therapy

1. Legal and ethical considerations regarding the family circumstances
The man, hit the woman a couple of times because a man called her. He is on probation and was referred by his probation officer. He needs to handle his temper because if he does not and is arrested again or gets in trouble with the law in any way, he could go to jail. Being on probation keeps people in a position where anything could lead to bigger trouble with the law.

2. Multicultural considerations
The client is an African American male. African American males in the United States have experienced unfair treatment by law enforcement in the form of racial profiling and institutionalized racism. Because of this, this population may experience more stress and lower self-esteem that can lead to anger control issues (Chao, Longo, Wang, Dasgupta, & Fear, 2014) He is 21 years-old and stated he is ‘always…… [Read More]

Family Therapies Structural Family Approach Major Contributors

Family Therapies

Structural family approach

Major contributors of Structural family approach

Structural family approach mainly operates by considering problems within the family structure, it emphasizes on dealing with the individual symptom through examination of the whole family interaction pattern. Furthermore, this theory does not insist on the relation between family interactions and pathology but, it associates the symptoms with family's interaction. Structural family theory has three operating areas, these include; the family, the problem itself and the change process. First stage entails, the therapist knowing the kind of family he/she is dealing with, the composition and hierarchy of the family. he/she tries to fit in the family's environment so as to capture the real picture. In the second stage, the therapist identifies is specifically stopping the family from living harmoniously. he/she also finds out the function and position of the problem behavior Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2008()

History of Structural family…… [Read More]

Different Approaches in Family Therapy

Cybernetics in Family Therapy

Family therapy as it is known today has a long and convoluted history. From the days of Freud and Jung, there was a general believe that the individual was solely responsible for whatever has gone wrong in the psyche. Hence, all therapeutic interventions have focused on the individual relationship between therapist and individual. This has been the basis for psychiatric intervention for decades and still forms the basis for many therapies today. In addition to the basic Freudian and Jungian analyses, therapies today include newer philosophies such as seeing the therapy recipient as a "client" rather than a "patient" and regarding the person as a kind of equal with whom to build a therapeutic relationship in order to achieve optimal results. The dynamic of psychotherapy interventions have evolved since the 1920s to include not only an acknowledgement of individual inner conflicts, but also the influence of…… [Read More]

Applied Structural Family Therapy

Psychology -- Counseling -- Structural Family Therapy Model

"Juno" is a refreshingly nonjudgmental look at teenage pregnancy and a family's ultimately positive, supportive response. Addressing the situation from a systematic therapeutic perspective, the counselor can accept Juno, her family and the adoptive family as they are and help them reach their agreed upon goals. The movie's portrayal of a teenager's situation that is normally deemed problematic in a positive human light makes the happy outcome of this film readily achievable and believable.

Juno

"Juno" (Reitman, 2007) is a film about teenage pregnancy, an aspect of life that frequently positively and negatively confronts modern American families. hen 16-year-old Juno irresponsibly becomes unexpectedly pregnant by her teenaged best friend, Bleek, she decides against abortion and chooses to give the baby to an as-yet-unknown infertile couple. hen she tells her father and stepmother, they are initially rattled but quickly become supportive because after…… [Read More]

Use of Strategic Family Therapy

Dana is a young and beautiful woman with family members that seem to constantly put her down whenever they get together. They appear to be self-centered and attention seeking. The mother has set expectations she places on her family and seems angry whenever they do not meet those expectations. For example, the mother suggested Dana get breast enlargement surgery to appease her boyfriend Matt. Her sister, Joanie also commented on Dana's appearance, making sure to let Dana know she appeared overweight or had a large rear end. These comments can and do affect people's self-esteem especially when the source of such comments are from people that person loves or is supposed to trust.

Dana takes everything and says nothing, agreeing with the remarks and feeling like she truly is overweight even if objectively people see her as very attractive. She also cannot say how she feels even around her boyfriend.…… [Read More]

Counseling by Using Family Therapy

Planning Summary

Family

Hritek is a 14-year-old boy who is psychologically impaired by Asperger's. He is the only child of Abdon (father, male), aged 41 and Padma (mother, female), aged 39. Abdon is a college graduate who works for a biotech company. His mother is a high school graduate and does not work. She serves as the primary caregiver for Hritek since she and Abdon divorced.

Reason for Referral

Hritek's mother has presented Hritek because he cries uncontrollably when asked to do something he does not want to do, reads about murder stories on the Internet, fantasizes about killing people, and throws wild hysterics in order to avoid leaving the house.

Relevant history

Hritek's academic performance was so poor that he was going to be held back a year in 6th grade, but his mother decided to home school him so as to avoid that. Since then, his grades have…… [Read More]

Family & Sociology of Marriage the Purpose

Family & Sociology of Marriage

The purpose and social function of marriage has changed. While marriage was once a binding declaration of commitment and love to another person of the opposite gender, avowed and proclaimed in a holy ceremony, today marriage has become a catch all; a legally binding contract between two people who, for any reason, can choose to end the marriage without stigma or difficulty. Today, half of marriages end in divorce (CDC, 2010). And yet, millions of people remain happily married in America. Why? How? What is it that enables some couples to remain not just married, but happily so? Sociologists have analyzed the social, cognitive, and emotional consequences and detriments to failed marriages on the family. esults seem to indicate that successful marriages are not successful by chance, but rather, the product of hard work, compromise and mutual respect. While these criteria do not guarantee a…… [Read More]

Family Theory Application the Purpose

Specific recommendations for family therapists who employ parent training techniques are offered.

Summary and Conclusion

While Rogers does not completely define precisely the 'human' it is easily understood to be that of all aspects of the individual therefore, the environmental/ecological interaction theory, while not perfect is a good basis for the provision of healthcare to families by the nursing professional. Every aspect of the lives of a family illustrated through the interactions between the individuals and the community, neighborhood, place of employment, daycare institutions or school, laws, safety precautions, travel, mode of travel, mode of living, housing environment and indeed all elements expressed by the Macro, Micro, Meso, and Exo Levels effect the individuals. The individuals affect the environment and the elements contained therein as well through either actions or even inactions. These two facts clearly demonstrate the validity of the theory and the theoretical framework base described in this…… [Read More]

Family Deliquency and Crime Profile

In terms of the theories that are put forward in the book by Simon et al. (2004), Gary's profile conforms to a number of theoretical perspectives. In general however this profile tends to concur with the point made by the authors that the criminal behavior is largely a result of lax or ineffective parenting. (Simon et al., 2004, p.15) as this book states, there are numerous studies that refer to the importance of family and home environment as well as problematic parenting in the development of developmental antisocial tendencies. This also refers to larger problems when these become permanent behavior patterns and extend into later life. (Simon et al., 2004, p.15)

Furthermore, parents are seen as "primary argents of socializations" of children and therefore they play a major role in the creation of negative and "abnormal "tendencies in developing children. (Simon et al., 2004, p.16)

Theorists like Gleuck and others…… [Read More]

Therapies Alternative Theoretical Approaches to

The benefits of including family in therapy sessions extend far beyond addressing the parents' concerns in this situation, however, and can help to identify underlying problems that led to osa's drug abuse and potentially provide more highly effective long-term solutions to these issues.

Adolescent females were the subject of one study that specifically examined the efficacy of family systems therapy interventions in cases of anorexia nervosa, and the efficacy of this approach compared quite favorable to other therapy techniques (Eisler et al. 2005). Especially noticeable in this study was an increased expression of emotion by all family members, leading to greater openness and a greater ability and willingness to share problems and support each other (Eisler et al. 2005). This effect would likely be highly beneficial to osa and her family as well, as there is almost certainly an underlying stressor that led to osa's drug abuse and overall decline…… [Read More]

Family Systems Theory A Case Study

Family Systems Theory: Vignette II

Discussion of what's going on in this family

Claudia and Margaret had suffered violence at a young age and therefore, are prone to commit acts of aggression, with the chances of developing more symptomatology like anxiety, aggression, depression and low levels of self-esteem, as compared to those who led a violence-free childhood. Being victims of, and exposed to, family violence during childhood years can make Claudia and Margaret victims or offenders. Margaret was a victim of violence when she was young and resorted to aggression as the means to resolving conflicts in her relationships; her personality structure incorporates shame, anger and guilt. Claudia, also being victimized in childhood, cannot regulate her emotions, particularly anger, and exhibits more tolerance to adult intimate abuse. As they were both victimized or exposed to abuse, they not only display aggressive behaviors, but also possess ineffective ways of coping and…… [Read More]

Family Systems Theory Applied to Stepparents

Family Interactions

The Harrison family in the 1998 film "Stepmom" consists of the father (Luke Harrison, played by Ed Harris), the ex-wife and mother (Jackie Harrison, played by Susan Sarandon), the daughter (Anna Harrison, played by Jena Malone), the son (Ben Harrison, played by Liam Aiken), and the soon-to-be stepmom (Isabel Kelly, played by Julia oberts). The children's natural mother and ex-wife becomes of aware that she has cancer, a number of therapies are tried, but finally everyone must face the fact that disease will end her life before long.

The parents of Anna and Ben have divorced, and their father's girlfriend, Isabel -- a single, successful professional photographer -- is living with them. Isabel's efforts to provide good mothering to the children is met at every turn by their resistance -- understandably, the children want their parents back together. Ganong, et al. (2011) identified six patterns of step-relationship development,…… [Read More]

Family Systems and Marriage Psychology

Psychology of Marriage and Family Systems

The literal meaning of the word "psychopathology" is a mind disorder or disease. Psychological diagnosticians, while assuming that the illness is located inside a person, always use the medical model in treating or studying patients with 'mental illnesses'. In comparison with the approach they take, I present two converging and related psychopathology perspectives. The two perspectives give an analysis based on context from the family's viewpoint. The first approach, the "family systems" approach, is a conception that came up in the 1950s as a substitute to the traditional focus of psychopathology on individuals (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 1996).

The second approach, "family risk factors" has been in existence in psychopathology but not in the foreground. It tries to identify a couple family aspects of the functioning of the family that are significant in the treatment as well as etiology of patients that have tested positive…… [Read More]

Family Systems and Marriage Psychology

Psychology of Marriage and Family Systems

Vignette One

Considering the reading assignments in both texts, what do you see going on with Pete and his family?

Family dynamics is affecting Pete and his family. The point of focus is the pattern of dynamics apparent in Tim's family, including the impact that the youngsters behavior has on the family members. The following points affect family dynamics:

Intra-parental relationship number of youngsters in the family persona of each of the family member an absence of a parent the assortment of individuals who are living under the same roof level and type of influence from extended family or others a chronically sick individual within the family a veritable assortment of societal and emotional trauma faced in the past by elders, such as an divorce, affair, unemployment, death, homelessness familial attachments, or lack thereof (i.e. insecure, secure)

inherited features of family members through generations…… [Read More]

Family Theory According to Bowen Theory and Its Eight Concepts

Murray Bowen developed a theory of family functioning and individual functioning within the family system. The Bowen theory most importantly takes into account the need to balance individuality with togetherness in tight social systems like families ("Bowenian Family Therapy," n.d.). There are eight basic concepts to the Bowen theory. The first is the differentiation of self, which is important for psychological health and well-being. An example of differentiation of self is when the person is able to hold a different opinion on a political or social issue than a parent without that difference causing a problem in the relationship. When the self is not differentiated, the person might have internalized the beliefs of mother, father, sister, or brother and cannot tell what is really "me" versus what is a result of programming, the desire for approval or absorbing others' beliefs.

The second concept to Bowen's theory is triangulation. Bowen believes…… [Read More]

Family and Systemic Therapies Shift From First-Order to Second Order

Shift From First-order to Second-Order Cybernetics in the Family and Systemic Therapies

The strategic family therapy model came up in the 1950s and was inspired by two primary works: the works of Milton Erickson who came up with revolutionary paradoxical interventions which took advantage of people's resistance to change to help alter psychiatric symptoms first; and the works of Gregory Bateson and the Palo Alto Group that made use of cybernetics in communication patterns of the family. The style of a therapist changes as he or she gets better as a person and as they develop professionally, and also as per what is in fashion at the time. An older person has the chance to look at what happened in their past and see what worked and what failed. This gives them a better perspective of what works and what might not work for a given situation. The path is…… [Read More]

Origin of Family

Family of Origin

The origin of the family describes the family in which one is grown up, inter-family interactions and relations between one's parents', siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. The current study examines the origin of a family and determines the systematic research based on the behavior and relation of members and provides evidence-based practices in order to address the relational gap found among the family members.

Systematic Analysis

Family Hierarchy

Family Subsystem

Attachment Styles in Family

Family Boundaries

Family Adaptability

Thematic esearch

Early Marriage and Divorce

Evidence-Based esearch and Intervention

Genogram

The family in which one is grown up with the collaboration of adult's economic contribution and influence from parents, siblings and grandparents collectively describes one's family of origin. The origin of one's family tends to effect the systems that are being followed in the family and describes the degree to which they can be adaptive in nature.…… [Read More]

How Chaotic Families Can Be Restructured

Family Systems Theory; Application of Family Therapy Theories

The concept of family therapy has over the years has been developed into different approaches that have definite characteristics. These theories have been used to bring forth solutions to different family issues that are experienced on regular basis. It is not easy to understand the structure of a family since there are no universal structures that the family problems or challenges take, this means that even in the application of the family systems theories in bringing solutions to families, the application purely depend on individual unique family challenges and not on a universal template. These unique characteristics that each family challenge takes makes it hard to apply one system theory and have full confidence that it will work, hence the frequent overlapping of the theories, and in this case the strategic family therapy and the structural family therapy will be applied to…… [Read More]

Methods for Couples and Family Therapy

family counseling requires a broad and diverse set of tools and techniques. Those tools and techniques should be adaptable to suit the needs of each family, individuals within that family, and also the contextual or environmental variables that impact families. Using a wide range of exercises and interventions, therapists can provide effective and evidence-based practice, as well as offer ongoing assessments and maintenance.

Techniques and exercises that may be particularly useful for families and couples include the oyal Flush exercise for families with young children, the family-based school interventions for children with behavioral or academic performance problems, and the "altering the abyss" exercise for couples. Each of these exercises is rooted in fundamental family practice theory, and each can also yield measurable outcomes that improve the efficacy of the treatment.

oyal Flush

The "royal flush" technique is named as such because it uses picture cards, similar to those used in…… [Read More]

Analyzing Family Relation and Substance Use Disorders

Family elation and Substance Use Disorders

Families have multiple reasons to exist. The key reason, however, is nurturing, and fulfilling the present as well as long-term wants and needs of all members. A secondary motive is contributing, as a participant and consumer, to the wider society (Peter 2015). This paper will explore important familial roles, cultural differences in family systems, and how family members can facilitate treatment of a teenage member diagnosed with substance/drug use disorder. Family interventions such as Functional Family Therapy, Brief Strategic Family Therapy, In Family Behavior Therapy, Multi-systemic Therapy and Multidimensional Family Therapy will also be discussed.

In What Way Is The Family A System Of oles?

Families have multiple reasons to exist. The key reason, however, is nurturing, and fulfilling the present as well as long-term wants and needs of all members. A secondary motive is contributing, as a participant and consumer, to the wider…… [Read More]

Treating Mental Illness With a Family Oriented Approach

Family Therapy Treatment of Mental Illness

There has been a growing movement towards the use of family therapy methods for the treatment of mental illness in recent years. To determine the facts about this trend, this paper provides a review of the relevant literature concerning family therapy treatment of mental illness in three sections. In Section 1, a discussion concerning the views of O'Hanlon and owan's (2003) and Zeig and Munion (1999) for working with clients with chronic or severe mental illness is followed by an analysis of the extent to which they succeed in making a strong case for "brief therapy" with intensive clients. An assessment concerning the contribution of Milton Erickson to the assessment and treatment of different mental health diagnoses is followed by an analysis of their respective approaches and the corresponding benefits and limitations of each of these models. Section II provides a discussion concerning the…… [Read More]

Final Project Family

Family Project

The Jacques family seems to have functioned very well until the husband began abusing drugs and alcohol. This was a problem before, but things have stabilized when the appropriate help was obtained. The relapse occurred directly after the wife and children left for a visit to the wife's family. Hence, it might reasonably be assumed that the presence of the family has a positive effect upon the maintenance of the treatment regime. Because Jean (the husband) functioned at a very high level before his relapse into the cycle of abuse and the abandonment of the treatment regime, it might be assumed that he will once again respond to intervention. Because there is as yet no physical danger to the family, the treatment and intervention program will be administered under strict official supervision, with regular monitoring sessions. However, while the aim is to keep the family together, a contingency…… [Read More]

Family Systems Therapy Strengths and

Bowen therapists would respond that all members of the family unit share the same emotional 'skin' in a unique fashion. ithin today's cultural context, because the nuclear family is given such importance, it often must be subject to particular examination. But "each concept in Bowen theory applies to nonfamily groups, such as work and social organizations. The concept of societal emotional process describes how the emotional system governs behavior on a societal level, promoting both progressive and regressive periods in a society" (Societal emotional process, 2009, the Bowen Center). Bowen theory ultimately does take a macro view, and sees the family system as interlocked in a series of family systems that make up a society.

Thus family systems therapy does allow for an analysis of an extended family, when these relationships are sufficiently impactful upon the individuals. The therapy analyzes multigenerational influences upon the family's collective psyche. It examines how…… [Read More]

Families Delinquency and Crime This

He has been expelled from three school since he began his education and is currently attending junior high school after last attending a small charter school in his community. The shoplifting incident also caused his mother to ask his father to take him back into his home, he has lived with mostly his mother with infrequent visitation from his father, except for a year period where he lived with his father and stepmother and their other children, which ended at age 12 when he tried to vocalize feelings of concern about puberty to his stepmother and she perceived the conversation as deviant and asked that he be returned to his mother.

Justin's anti-social behavior began at birth but has had periods of extremes, beginning with near constant conflict with his mother over mundane requests as well as other general rejections of authority, including an incident of extreme foul language focused…… [Read More]

Family Care Plan Nursing Family

Family Interventions

-Mother can attend cancer support groups and receive advice and education through other channels regarding proper methods of providing care and improving quality of life for her husband

-Son can explore employment options as well as discuss various needs and responsibilities with his parents in order to determine his most effective utilization within the changed family dynamic

-Father can provide the levels of self-care that come easily, but should educate himself regarding his condition and ease care by allowing others to help when necessary

Nursing Interventions

-Provide educational materials/answer questions for both mother and father

-Assist son with psychological transition of increased responsibility/familial dependence

-Instruction of proper care techniques for mother and father regarding father's condition

Evaluation

Levels of comfort and competence in new family roles should be easily assessed in regular visits through brief questioning. Monitoring father's health through standard vital sign and other appropriate tests will…… [Read More]

Families Delinquency and Crime According

Reclaiming Children and Youth.. Retrieved October 02, 2009 from HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-206794465.html Wester, K, MacDonald, C & Lewis, T. (2008). A glimpse into the lives of nine youths in a correctional facility: Insight into theories of delinquency.(Report). Journal of Addictions & Offender Counseling. American Counseling Association. 2008. Retrieved October 02,

2009 from HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-178713105.html

Gibbs, J., Potter, G.B., DiBiase, a.M. & Devlin, R. (2008). The EQUIP program: Helping youth to see -- really see -- the other person: Youth who present anti-social behavior need powerful interventions that strengthen empathy, counter negative peer influence, and challenge thinking errors. Reclaiming Children and Youth. Retrieved October 02, 2009

from HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-183982220.html

Harkwick, K. & Brannigan, a. (2008). Self-control, child effects, and informal social control: A

direct test of the primacy of sociogenic factors. Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Canadian Criminal Justice Association. Retrieved October 02, 2009

from HighBeam Research:…… [Read More]

Family and Community Support and

...in the end 'the addict has to want to change' and if the addict does not want to change it does not matter what program..." that the addict is in. (National Institute of Justice, 2005) the National Institute of Justice reports that a woman "often retains legal custody of a child while in prison, and once out, may not have the child immediately returned to her by the family member caring for the child." (2005)

Sarah Samson reports in the work entitled: "Groundbreaking Study Identifies Crucial Factors for Successful Community Reintegration of Ex-Prisoners in altimore" published in 2004, that Programs that help prisoners stay connected with their families, get drug treatment, and work while in prison can increase the chances that they will successfully reintegrate back into society, according to a new study released today by the nonpartisan Urban Institute. The study breaks new ground by recording prisoners' perspectives on…… [Read More]

Multiple Therapeutic Models of a Family the

Multiple Therapeutic Models of a Family

The main components of structural therapy

Structural therapy is a family treatment model founded on the frameworks of systems theory. The distinctive component of this model is the emphasis it has placed on structural adjustments as the primary objective of the therapy session. This emphasis is prominent over details of adjustments in individual behaviors. This model is distinctive because the therapist is the most active agent and receives much attention in the course of family restructuring (Lock & Strong, 2012).

The main purpose of structural family therapy is prevention of sequences from repetition by coveting the hierarchical structures of families. This encompasses shifts in power distribution among family members by adjusting interaction styles. Nevertheless, structural family therapy operates by making alterations on the dysfunctional family structure through encouragement and promotion of growth among family members with the primary intention of re-building the family (Petridis,…… [Read More]

Brice Family Systems Napier and Whitaker Exemplify

Brice Family

SYSTEMS

Napier and Whitaker exemplify systems therapy with their presentation of the Brice family case. It is necessary to identify the origins of the systems approach in order to fully appreciate its value in the context of family therapy. It approaches the family unit as a system and therefore borrows heavily from systems theory. Systems theory is a general theory applies across many disciplines and looks at systems that have the ability to self-regulate. The theory applies to biological systems, climate, environment, and the family unit.

Systems approach recognizes the interdependencies that exist in the family as a system. The family unit consists of individuals related to one another forming a complex web that should act in congruence. Therefore, although a part of a system is essential, it is the relationship of the part to the whole that is paramount. The family as a system is dynamic since…… [Read More]

Dr Murray Bowen Family Systems Therapy Contribution

Dr. Murray Bowen family systems therapy contribution family therapy. Explain the Bowenian

Dr. Murray Bowen's place in family systems therapy is secure and is one of the most prominent of theorists within this field. He has helped to pioneer a number of important concepts within this discipline, which have actually served to revolutionize the field itself and its very conception of not only human nature, but of human interactivity at the family level. In fact, Bowen's work in family systems therapy has transcended this field alone, and has been applied to others aspects of erudition such as crisis situations and how people respond to them -- as denoted by his work with the Environmental Protection Agency (Baege, 2005). In contemporary times, Bowen's theory (alternately referred to as the Bowenian model) serves as the basis for family systems therapy.

Throughout the course of his Bowen's professional career he uncovered numerous theoretical…… [Read More]

Marriage & Family Marriage and

In J. Smith (Ed.), Understanding families into the new millennium: A decade in review (p. 357-381). Minneapolis, MN: National Council on Family Relations.

Ferree, M. (1984). The view from below: Women's employment and gender equality in working-class families. In .. Hess, & M.. Sussman (Eds), Women and the family: Two decades of change (p. 57-75). New York: Haworth Press.

Fung, J. (2010). Factors associated with parent-child (dis)agreement on child behavior and parenting problems in Chinese immigrant families. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 3993), 314-327.

Hewlett, S., & West, C. (1998). The war against parents: What we can do for America's beleaguered moms and dads. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

Hwang, K., Chang, S., Chen, S., Chen, C., & Yang, K. (2001). Chinese relationism and depression. Unpublished manuscript.

Lai, E., & Fang, S. (2001). Sex role attitude and housework participation among men and women in Taiwan. Paper presented at the…… [Read More]

Efft and Stepfamilies Blended Families or Step

EFFT and Stepfamilies

Blended families or "step families" have one parent who is not the biological parent of the children in the family. These families will often face unique challenges due to their makeup. Furrow and Palmer (2007) discuss Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) for stepfamilies. Furrow and Palmer identify four basic challenges that stepfamilies face:

(1).The past experiences of the different families join compete with the new family's ability to consolidate newer relational commitments.

Typical family boundaries are clouded in stepfamilies (e.g., who disciplines which child, who is the real parent of whom, etc.).

There is an "inheritance of loss" that occurs through remarriage that can affect the parents and the children of both original families. This can interfere with the development of the new stepfamily.

(4). There are different developmental needs in stepfamilies compared to other families.

These four specific challenges can make working with stepfamilies particularly difficult.…… [Read More]

Marriage & Family -- Research

esearch Method

esearch Design. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were employed in this study. Instruments include self-report measures and personal narratives of 91 native Hindu married couples (182 participants) from three types of living arrangements that I have mentioned earlier. The qualitative part on the other hand was utilized via personal narratives of the participants (ibid, p.82).

esearch Instruments. For the quantitative part, marital happiness was assessed using the Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test. The questionnaire also includes a demographic survey portion which was based on the National Health and Social Life Survey. Quantitative questions on intimacy and conflict can also be found in the questionnaire. For the qualitative part, the instrument devised explored 12 dimensions of the participant's lives: their expectations about their partner, career, self, well-being, intimacy, marital relationship, family living arrangements, in-laws, parents, their conflict history, good times they had shared, and the cultural norms guiding marriage…… [Read More]

Solution Focused Brief Therapy

Solution-Focused Therapy

The author of this paper is about to offer a brief literature review of what has come to be known as solution-focused therapy. Included in that literature review will be several specific topics or examples that are within the solution-focused therapy paradigm. These include the history of the theory, the use of language to help create a solution-focused therapeutic environment, the role of family history when it comes to solution-focused therapy, the shift from a problems focus to a solutions focus in a way that benefits the client, the development of a short vignette that is based on a family situation, global goals of the treatment method using the language of theory, interventions that should be used at each stage of treatment (those being beginning, middle and end) and a succinct summary of all of the above. There are certainly other methodologies that can be used when treating…… [Read More]

Ordinary People Intervention Family Dynamics

They have grandparents who visit them during the holidays. However, for the most part family members deal with their problems as individuals, not as a family unit.

Information provided by the family is an important source of information about the family. However, one cannot ignore outside sources of information as well. For instance, the worker may contact the school, neighbors, or others who are involved with the family to examine factors that may influence the current situation. The assessment plan will involve contacting the school to find out about Conrad's performance in terms of grades, attendance and overall performance.

Systemic Goals

The case of the Jarretts is complex, with many individual goals that must be completed on the way to resolution of the systemic problems. In this case, the identified patient is Conrad, as he was the one who tried to commit suicide. The goal of family therapy is the…… [Read More]

Career of a Marriage and Family Therapist

Career

According to the O-Net Online Summary Report, marriage and family therapists "diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders, whether cognitive, affective, or behavioral, within the context of marriage and family systems." A systems approach is integral to the work that marriage and family therapists do, because they view individual psychological issues as inseparable from the greater family and social system. This enables a holistic approach to treatment interventions, and can be a culturally sensitive, culturally competent facet of psychological counseling.

The primary tasks of a marriage and family counselor include the following. First, communications skills are of the utmost importance because one of the central roles of the counselor is to listen and ask appropriate questions at the right time. A marriage and family counselor meets with more than one member of each family, too, making good communications skills a prerequisite of the profession.

Second, diagnoses should be based…… [Read More]

Personal Statement as My Family

My work as a research assistant in a cognitive psychology lab added to my theoretical knowledge by giving me practical experience in encoding and analyzing data. This experience provided me with the opportunity to use analytical tests and interpret statistical data. Bookkeeping of participants' demographic information also further developed my organizational skills. Having been a research assistant, I have gained a reasonable understanding of research design and the statistics needed to conduct research. For my senior major project, I wrote a research paper on an empirical study that investigated the role of change detection in studies of visual attention in the field of cognitive psychology. This paper was awarded the Sharon Borine award for the best major project in Psychology because of its successful presentation of research and adherence to American Psychology Association guidelines. I strongly believe my research experience will help me attain success in conducting graduate research as…… [Read More]

Postmodern and Family System Theory Approach

Counselling Theories

Postmodern and Family System Theory Approach

There have been significant interest in research on the problems of addiction; hence, the many scientific studies on the issue. Many of the studies in this area end up with the same conclusions; the concept of addiction is complicated. The complexity partly arises from the effect it has on the drug abuser from different perspectives such as psychological, social, biological, and the impacts of addiction on social law, economics and politics. On the other hand, psychologists perceive drug addiction as a disease. From a religious worldview, addiction is a sin. Therefore, it is possible to view addiction from a medical, behavioral, and spiritual angle. As stated, the concept of addiction is complex, and there are many definitions of addiction reflecting the complexity of the phenomenon (Sremac, 2010).

Notably, all the definitions of addiction portray a negative judgment on addiction, but owing to…… [Read More]