Strategic Family Therapy

How to Remember all of This...

On a piece of paper, create a drawing or one sentence as a way to summarize this therapy.

Once everyone is done we will go around and share your idea and a brief explanation.

Strategic Family Therapy

Case Evaluation

Evaluation & Results

WE CARE ABOUT THE INTERACTIONS AND DON'T GIVE A DARN ABOUT THE UNDERLYING WHY...Nobody cares about Josh not doing the dishes.

• Family command patterns exhibits the rules (likely unknown to members) which serve to maintain stability or family homeostasis. In the case of an event that takes a family out of homeostasis or balance, negative feedback is the loop that returns the family to homeostasis.

• Strategic Therapy ASSUMES CIRCULAR CAUSALITY

• Analysis is done by evaluating the feedback loops with focus on positive feedback loops (exacerbation).

Theoretical Formulations

More recently primarily used for Adolescent Substance abuse and risky behaviors often which incorporate opposition. The retention rate was shown to be good.

3 Main modern groups and Brief Strategic Family Therapy, integration of new ideas

1. People are always communicating

2. All messages have report (content) and command functions (what it says about the relationship)

Mechanisms of Change

First-order change:

Man gets second {Part-time} job because kids get more expensive as they get older

Second-order change

Wife gets full-time job and man helps more at home so he can quit second job

*One technique for this=reframing*

Activity

Originally was popular, but outwitting families for change was viewed as manipulation which wasn't popular.

In the clip...

What is being communicated?

How?

What is it saying about the relationship?

Assessment

MRI approach (Original)

1. Identify feedback loops that maintain the problem

2. determine the rules that support those interactions

3. find a way to change the rules in order to interrupt problem-maintaining behaviors

Sketches of Leading Figures

Haley added:

Hierarchical structure:

Functioning based on clear generational boundaries, where the parents maintain control and authority

and...

Ordeals:

Client is directed to do something that is more of a hardship than the symptom. aka have an insomniac set an alarm

Haley

Therapeutic Techniques

Milan

Originally highly scripted:

Presession

Session

Intersession

Intervention

Postsession discussion

Techniques: Positive Connotation, Rituals, Circular Questioning, Strong Sense of Neutrality

Unique for each case

Use of directives

4 main stages:

Social stage

Problem stage

Interaction stage

Goal setting stage

Examination of interpersonal payoff

Deeper meaning behind people’s problems

MRI approach –

Initial introduction

Inquiry and definition of the problem

Estimation of the behavior maintaining the problem

setting goals for treatment

Selecting and making behavioral interventions

Termination

Techniques: Reframing, paradoxical interventions, list making

Family Dynamics

Strategic Family Therapy

by

Kayla, Griselda, Jon

Communication theory-symptoms contribute to maintain homeostasis...so families need their problems....

weird that this became sort of controversial

How Problems Develop...According to SFT