Structural Family Therapy
Christine Miller
Brandman University
Structural Family Therapy
The foundation of structural family therapy rests upon the belief that the solution to a family’s presenting problem can be found by identifying and changing ineffective patterns in the structure or organization. A family is organized into different subsystems, including couple, parental, parent-child, or sibling subsystems. When a family enters therapy, the therapist actively seeks out understanding about how the family is organized and identifies ineffective patterns of interaction within and between the subsystems. In a functional family, effective interactions are supported by clear and consistent, but flexible, boundaries, …show more content…
Structural family therapy posits that this stress becomes overwhelming when the family structure and relational patterns do not adapt to changes of situation. The task of the therapist in the first sessions is to identify the family structure, the subsystems, and types of boundaries. Rigid boundaries lead to disengaged families, for whom seeking help will often only come after a great deal of stress. However, once a family comes in, they are likely to be ready to make necessary changes. Diffuse boundaries will lead to power struggles and rebellion. Success also depends upon the therapist’s ability to “join” the family in the first few sessions. He or she does this by demonstrating acceptance of the family as a unit and of the individuals themselves. After joining, then the therapist can work with the family to restructure their relationships (Nichols, 2013). In structural therapy, change does not come from fixing “them” or “the problem,” but from the family recognizing problems in the ways they interact and learning that they can fix problems on their own by fixing their interactions (Nichols & Tafuri, …show more content…
In Adam’s family, subsystems included the parental subsystem, parent-child subsystems, and sibling subsystem. After the first session, it was obvious that the relationship between the parents was strained; they could not discuss anything effectively, much less co-parent. Boundaries between Father and Adam were rigid. Adam was incapable of adhering to his father’s standards, and their relationship was disengaged. In fact, they had hardly spoken since Adam’s last arrest. Boundaries between Mother and Adam were diffuse; she answered for him, corrected him, and excused his behavior. She was also a relentless “stalker” of him, his email, and social media. The relationship between the siblings was suffering as well, as Adam’s sisters were alternately worried about him and angry about his behavior. Peaceful moments in the household were rare to
Christine Miller
Brandman University
Structural Family Therapy
The foundation of structural family therapy rests upon the belief that the solution to a family’s presenting problem can be found by identifying and changing ineffective patterns in the structure or organization. A family is organized into different subsystems, including couple, parental, parent-child, or sibling subsystems. When a family enters therapy, the therapist actively seeks out understanding about how the family is organized and identifies ineffective patterns of interaction within and between the subsystems. In a functional family, effective interactions are supported by clear and consistent, but flexible, boundaries, …show more content…
Structural family therapy posits that this stress becomes overwhelming when the family structure and relational patterns do not adapt to changes of situation. The task of the therapist in the first sessions is to identify the family structure, the subsystems, and types of boundaries. Rigid boundaries lead to disengaged families, for whom seeking help will often only come after a great deal of stress. However, once a family comes in, they are likely to be ready to make necessary changes. Diffuse boundaries will lead to power struggles and rebellion. Success also depends upon the therapist’s ability to “join” the family in the first few sessions. He or she does this by demonstrating acceptance of the family as a unit and of the individuals themselves. After joining, then the therapist can work with the family to restructure their relationships (Nichols, 2013). In structural therapy, change does not come from fixing “them” or “the problem,” but from the family recognizing problems in the ways they interact and learning that they can fix problems on their own by fixing their interactions (Nichols & Tafuri, …show more content…
In Adam’s family, subsystems included the parental subsystem, parent-child subsystems, and sibling subsystem. After the first session, it was obvious that the relationship between the parents was strained; they could not discuss anything effectively, much less co-parent. Boundaries between Father and Adam were rigid. Adam was incapable of adhering to his father’s standards, and their relationship was disengaged. In fact, they had hardly spoken since Adam’s last arrest. Boundaries between Mother and Adam were diffuse; she answered for him, corrected him, and excused his behavior. She was also a relentless “stalker” of him, his email, and social media. The relationship between the siblings was suffering as well, as Adam’s sisters were alternately worried about him and angry about his behavior. Peaceful moments in the household were rare to