Family Therapy Research Paper

Choose two family systems therapy theories that you are interested in learning more about and applying to the family subsystem you analyzed in the Unit 5 assignment. Write a paper in which you describe the central concepts, goals, and typical interventions of each model, using scholarly sources (journal articles, books, or edited book chapters) to support your writing. Your paper must use a minimum of three scholarly, peer-reviewed sources for each model.

Family is something that plays a tremendous role in our life. Even though the structure of families has changed over the years, it is important to acknowledge that there many families out there whether they are traditional families, nuclear family, stepfamilies or others which tend to have different types of problems in their families. Therefore, many families attempt to go to family therapy in order for them to obtain help in solving the different types of issues they might have at home. As stated in the book Family Therapy by Michael P. Nichols (2013), “The power of family therapy derives from bringing parents and children together to transform their interaction… What keeps people stuck in their inability to see their own participation in the problems that plague them. With eyes fixed firmly on what recalcitrant others are doing, it’s hard for most people to see the patterns that bind them together. The family therapist’s job is to give them a wake-up call” (2013).

According to a study by the Migration Policy Institute, approximately 41.3 million immigrants were living in the United States in 2013, an all-time high for a nation historically built on immigration. Immigrants accounted for 13 percent of the total 316 million U.S. residents and adding the U.S.-born children of immigrants means that approximately 80 million people, or one-quarter of the overall U.S. population, is either of the first or second generation (Zong, Batalova).

Family therapy is a form of psychotherapy employed to assist members of a family in improving communication systems, conflict resolution, and to help the family to deal with certain problems that manifest in the behavior of members. In most cases, deviance in a family member is an indication of underlying family dysfunctions. This paper looks the counselling procedure that can be applied to help the Kline family solve their problems. It answers certain questions including those of the expected challenges during therapy and ways of dealing with the challenges.

3. From a cultural perspective, many families do not want to attend therapy or receive services because of the stigma that something is wrong with their family or the fear of other people finding out about what is going on in the family. Mom also deals with her parents and their opinions on her parenting and marriage. In Hispanic/Latino cultures “what happens in the family, stays in the family”. Because the children are all under the age of eighteen no services can be provided without moms consent. Another obstacle would be the children attending and participating the services. In many homes grandparents live with their children without addressing the children or talking to them. Mrs. Mann has allowed her parents to come in and also watch the children which could cause some confusing amongst the kids about who is ultimately in charge now that their father is gone.

Systemic family therapy is an approach that works with families and those who are in close relationships to foster change. These changes are viewed in terms of the systems of interaction between each person in the family (Jude, 2015).

Family therapists sometimes work in drug centers, medical centers and health practices as well as those that are privately owned. Their job settings consist of a place where families can come meet with the family therapist throughout the day and week. The hours of work are decided by the family therapist, but there are some situations when they can be flexible. Those appointments are set up in advance to make sure that there aren't any double bookings. Therapists also have be able to handle stressfull encounters while in sessions with their clients. Sometimes they will encounter emotional and physical tension while doing a therapy session. So the family therapists will need to be one whom

Solution-focused therapy was developed in 1982 at The Brief Family Therapy Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (). SFBT was inspired by Milton Erickson and MRI models, both Insoo and Steve de Shazer Kim Berg had worked on the MRI models which SFBT is created from (Mo Yee Lee, 2011). Solution-Focused Brief Therapy is theoretically based, evidence-based, empirical researched and has been clinically practice for the past 32 years (). The assumption and basic premises of SFBT emphasized by the creators is that its merely about the techniques and more about its logic/rational (). To effectively execute SFBT it requires the clinician to “deeply” understands and the concepts to influence clients change (). Why does SFBT standout amongst others models, because SFBT practice is rooted in the present and future. The focus is not on exploring

There are interpersonal deficits in the family structure presented in the Structural family therapy video.

Bowen introduced the hypothesis that many mental illnesses are the result of dysfunctional patterns in the family system. He was the first to treat the whole family and their emotional system instead of the single member and their personal emotions or behaviors. The theory goal is to help clients reduce anxiety, help clients find a relief and to increase each member of the family 's differentiation. Bowen recognized that there was no need for family member to confront each other but reestablish contact to help resolves issues of conflict. He felt when using his theory in counseling sessions that it is more cognitively controlled rather than based off of emotion. Family therapists realized how the emotional process in which a person is involved matters to the patient. They focused on the individual 's growth,

The psychoanalytic approach is viewed as a biological phenomenon (Gehart, 2014). The diversity consideration that would apply in these model is building a therapeutic relationship making the necessary adjustment to respect culture, gender, and other styles using expression of emotion that is more consistent with the client’s cultural background (Gehart, 2014). My thought about the fact that these theorists uses similar words but have different meaning can be very confusing especially if it is not place in the proper context in conveying the right concept where the word and it meaning is clearly understood. The experiential family therapy can be considered as a system-based model for example a therapist who has establish a therapeutic relationship conceptualizing and assessment a family system identifying exaggerating rigid patterns and clarify boundaries and increase flexibility to reduce conflict(Gehart,

For my research I have chosen to further examine Structural family therapy. Before dissecting Structural Family Therapy, I've chosen to look into the life of Salvador Minuchin.

The dynamics of the clients in the video series were typical, due to the diverse backgrounds of each client. Solution focused brief therapy is a strengths-based therapeutic approach, emphasizing the resources that people possess and how these can be applied to a positive change process (Bond, 2013). One major concept of SFBT is the fact that clients have within them or their social systems the resources to make the changes they need to make. In clip one, the twenty-two year old African-American male client, seemed disinclined to be there and did not feel that the counseling session would do him any good. However, in the following clip, the twenty-one year old male that lived with his grandmother seemed to the very opposite of the first guy; thus beings very optimistic about his counseling session, particularly since he had decided to attend on his own free will. The dynamics of the married (but separated) couple with the two your children seemed a though the wife was the more willing participant or the initiator and the husband was willing to be there but perhaps may not have been as invested as the wife. In regards to the Caucasian guy that was attending the counseling sessions in order to recover his suspended driver’s license, seemed like he was not being honest with the counselor and did not want to invest himself in the session because

A goal in the initial phase of treatment is to listen and to interpret all patterns that are related to the conflict of the family. The therapist needs to be attentive to the different patterns in how the family portrays. This is to reduce the family from splitting, idealizing, and to reduce the defensive strategies to try to eliminate the conflict within the family members.

My theoretical approach to family therapy is very integrative as I believe families cannot be described nor treated from a single-school approach. I view humans through a humanistic and existential lens but am more technically structural and solution-based. With this integrative approach, I believe I will be the most effective in helping families grow and reach their goals.