Structural Family Therapy Case Study

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Structural Point of View
Structural family therapy focuses on the overall interactions of the family. The therapy tends to be long-term and the person with the power is the family member who has the most influence. From a structural point of view, the therapist would begin to establish a therapeutic relationship by greeting and making contact with Kay, Brenda and Renee. The therapist would introduce his/her-self stating her title and any other important information about the his/her-self and family counseling. The therapist would join with the family by utilizing a series of techniques. One useful technique is mimesis. In this case, the therapist can adopt terms and phrases that the family uses to build rapport and demonstrate an understanding
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The goal of structural family therapy is to structurally change the family. In other words, the family is “reconstructed” so that those deserving of power, such as parents, have power and those who should not have much power, such as children, do not. There are some boundaries within the family that needs to be addresses, such as Kay’s disengaged relationship with Renee. The therapist would begin to realign the family’s boundaries and roles. The therapist may arrange the family seating to represent the appropriate hierarchy of power and boundaries; the sitting arrangement would be, Brenda on one end beside Kay, Kay between Brenda and Renee, and Renee on the other end beside her mother. In the event that a member talks to the therapist instead of each other, the therapist may direct their attention to each other. For instance, Brenda may talk about her feelings towards Kay to the therapist, and the therapist should encourage Brenda to look at Kay and tell …show more content…
The plan would focus on creating an approach that would assist the family in achieving the goals discussed in previous conversations/sessions. For Kay’s substance use, a plan would consist of the family working together to support Kay’s early recovery. This could be done by encouragement, acknowledgement, and involvement. Brenda and Kay can attend support groups such as NA, AA, and Al-Anon. Kay’s plan for recovery would be to seek further substance abuse treatment. A plan for establishing healthy mother-to-child relationships would involve bonding and setting new rules and boundaries. The therapist may utilize technique such as assigning a task to each family member that would cause a change in their interactions. For instance, Kay may be assigned to have a “girls day” with Renee while Brenda enjoys engaging in a hobby. If the family follow through, this task could reduce Kay’s chances of relapse, enhance both mother-to-child relationships, and allow Kay to reestablish a parental role. The therapist has an option to assign this task by explaining it first n or using the devil’s pact as a technique by asking family to commit to a task before explaining what the task is. Plan development, stage five, is vial in that it helps the family solve issues related to the PP. The most important key in strategic family therapy is getting the family involved in the

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