Strategic and Structural Family Therapy Flashcards

Flashcards on Strategic and Structural Family Therapy

Strategic Therapy

Therapy where the clinician initiates what happens, identifies solvable problems, sets goals, designs interventions, and examines responses.

Homeostatic Equilibrium (in family systems)

The idea that symptoms function to maintain balance within a family system, according to communication theory.

More-of-the-Same Attempted Solutions

Misguided attempts to solve problems that escalate the issue, leading to a vicious cycle within a family.

Reframing

Changing the conceptual or emotional viewpoint of a situation to alter its meaning and promote compliance with directives.

Paradoxical Interventions

Techniques used to interrupt problem-maintaining sequences by encouraging family members to act counter to common sense.

Symptom Prescription

A paradoxical intervention where a family is told to continue or embellish the behavior they complain about.

Restraining Technique

Discouraging a family from changing too quickly or expressing worry about potential relapse, developed by Weakland.

Declaring Impotence

Therapists state they don't have a solution while still scheduling another appointment, a strategic technique.

Structural Family Therapy

Therapy directed towards changing the organization of the family.

Family Structure

The invisible set of functional demands that organizes how family members interact.

Subsystems (in families)

Different units within a family that may have their own rules and relationships (e.g., partner, parental, sibling).

Enmeshed Boundaries

Diffuse boundaries within a family system where there is a Heightened sense of belonging that requires a major yielding of autonomy

Disengaged Boundaries

Rigid boundaries within a family system where family members have a skewed sense of independence and lack feelings of loyalty and belonging

Triangulation

A dysfunctional pattern where each parent demands that a child sides with him or her.

Detouring

Spouses reinforce any deviant behavior in a child because dealing with them helps detour their problems

Stable Coalition

One of the parents joins with the child in a cross-generational coalition against the other parent

Joining

Assuming leadership of the therapeutic system by demonstrating understanding and acceptance of the family.

Enactments

Encouraging dialogues and interactions to observe how family members relate to one another.