Theoretical Models Final

A competent therapist is one who admits that handling diversity issues is a career long struggle and journey that adds depth to the person-of-the-therapist.

A therapist who is competent in working with and acknowledging diversity issues in the counseling relationship.

Positive feedback

News that things are within expected parameters

Enactment (Structural)

A therapist has a couple physically change seats to reflect how often one partner is left out of decision-making.

Parts work (IFS)

Ben frequently criticizes himself. The therapist asks Ben to speak from the perspective of his “inner critic” and explore its purpose.

Reframing through metaphor (Experiential)

Natalie describes feeling “empty and gray.” The therapist says, “That sounds like walking through fog with no path.”

Dream analysis (psychoanalytic)

James describes a dream where he’s locked in a closet. The therapist suggests it might reflect early childhood feelings of being trapped by his father’s control.

Circular questioning (Milan/Strategic)

Emma says her dad never listens. The therapist asks her brother, “How do you think Dad feels when Emma says that?”

Role play (Experiential)

Maya, 12, avoids conversation in therapy. The therapist invites the family to act out a typical breakfast, assigning Maya the role of the “family manager.”

Unbalancing (Structural)

In session, Zara dominates conversation while her father sits silently. The therapist challenges this dynamic by redirecting questions to the father.

Paradoxical intervention (Strategic)

Kevin, a teen, is told by the therapist to yell his complaints in the kitchen every evening at 8 p.m.

Use of self (Experiential)

Grace struggles to express emotions. The therapist shares their own sadness when hearing her story, modeling vulnerability.

Mapping interaction cycles (EFT)

Dan and Julia often misread each other’s reactions. The therapist helps them identify their pursue-withdraw cycle and its emotional impact.

Building somatic awareness (Experiential)

Nina becomes overwhelmed discussing her divorce. The therapist invites her to notice where she feels tension in her body.

Identifying unique outcomes (Narrative)

Liam, a teenager, says, “I mess everything up.” The therapist asks him to recall one time this wasn’t true.

Facilitating emotional expression (Experiential)

Caleb avoids talking about anger. The therapist gently challenges him to express it more directly in session.

Externalization (Narrative)

Isabel blames herself for her parents’ divorce. The therapist externalizes her “self-blame” and discusses it as a separate influence.

Tracking triangles (Bowen)

Owen always mediates his parents’ arguments. The therapist draws a triangle to show his role in their conflict.

Cycle de-escalation (EFT)

Chloe and Marcus escalate quickly when arguing. The therapist asks them to identify early warning signs before escalation.

Cognitive restructuring (CBT)

Jack is stuck in negative thought loops. The therapist asks him to write down a negative thought and two alternative interpretations daily.

Behavioral activation (CBT)

Elena’s therapist assigns her to spend 10 minutes each day practicing gratitude journaling.

Identifying protector parts (IFS)

Trevor has panic attacks when criticized. The therapist identifies this as the “firefighter” part protecting him from shame.

Role rehearsal (Experiential)

Sarah always placates her husband in sessions. The therapist asks her to role-play saying “no” assertively.

Mapping family structure (Structural)

Anna and her mother are enmeshed. The therapist draws a family map highlighting diffuse boundaries.

Working through resistance (Psychoanalytical)

Jasmine freezes when discussing her childhood. The therapist helps her notice the defensive strategy and gently stay with the feelings.

Deconstructing dominant discourse (Narrative)

Lily thinks she must please everyone. The therapist challenges this belief by exploring its roots and impact on her self-esteem.

Unblending (IFS)

Tyler’s anxiety causes him to over-plan every detail. The therapist helps Tyler separate his “manager” part from his core Self.

Softening primary emotions (EFT)

Ethan and Mia struggle with emotional disconnection. The therapist uses softening techniques to encourage Ethan to share vulnerable emotions.

Differentiation of self

The ability to separate thoughts from feelings and maintain one’s identity in relationships.

Boundaries (Structural Therapy)

Rules that define roles and regulate closeness between family members.

Triangulation (Bowen)

Bringing a third person into a dyadic conflict to reduce tension.

Resistance (psychoanalytical)

Client behaviors that block insight or prevent uncomfortable awareness.

Emotional attunement

Client behaviors that block insight or prevent uncomfortable awareness.

Corrective emotional experiences

Interactions that challenge and change previous attachment-based expectations

Protector parts (IFS)

Parts that try to prevent emotional pain or overwhelm.

Catastrophizing (CBT)

Expecting the worst-case scenario without evidence.

Dominant discourse

Social and cultural narratives that shape identity and experience.

Behavioural task (Structural/Strategic)

The therapist assigns the family to eat dinner together without phones and discuss one positive moment from their day.
Q: What type of intervention is this?

Emotional cutoff

Reducing or cutting off contact with family to manage unresolved emotional issues.

Subsystems (Structural Therapy)

Smaller units within the family (e.g., parental, sibling) with distinct roles.

The goal of joining

To build rapport and become part of the family system.

Why does Strategic Therapy avoid exploring family history?

It focuses on present interaction patterns and behavior change.

Symptom prescription

Instructing clients to engage in the problem behavior intentionally to shift its meaning. This is a technique used in strategic therapy.

Use of self (Experiential Therapy)

The therapist uses their genuine emotional responses to guide the session.

Repression (Psychoanalytical Therapy)

Keeping distressing thoughts or feelings out of conscious awareness.

Invisible loyalty

Unconscious commitments to family members that may cause dysfunction.

Ledger (Contextual Therapy)

A mental account of debts and entitlements in relationships

Emotional expression (EFT)

As a tool for healing and deepening attachment.

The role of managers (IFS)

Prevent pain by controlling situations and emotions.

The role of firefighters (IFS)

Act impulsively to distract from emotional pain.

Coping questions

Questions that highlight how clients have managed difficulties.

The therapist’s stance in Solution-Focused Therapy

Collaborative and non-expert.

Transference

The client projects feelings from past relationships onto the therapist. This concept is key in psychoanalytic therapy.

Circular questioning (Strategic/Milan)

A therapist asks a couple to each describe what the other does that shows love.
Q: What type of intervention is this?

Genogram (Bowen or Contextual)

A therapist maps out each family member’s role and how they relate to one another using shapes and lines.
Q: What tool is being used?

Enactment (Structural)

During a family session, the therapist directs a child to speak directly to their parent instead of the therapist.

Q: What is the therapist using?

Internal Family Systems (IFS)

A therapist encourages a client to have a conversation with their “inner critic” and explore its purpose.
Q: Which model is being used?

Externalising the problem (Narrative)

The therapist says, “It sounds like anxiety is bossing you around again today,” during a session with a teen.

Contextual Therapy

A client expresses guilt about setting a boundary, and the therapist links this to unresolved loyalty to a parent.
Q: Which model is this likely from?

Hierarchy and boundary issues (Structural)

A therapist notices the family always speaks for the youngest child and encourages the child to speak first.
Q: What is the therapist targeting?

Coping question (Solution-Focused)

A therapist says, “You’ve managed this for a long time. How have you done that?”
Q: What type of question is this?

Identifying unique outcomes (Narrative)

A client says, “I always ruin relationships,” and the therapist replies, “Can you think of one time that wasn’t true?”
Q: What intervention is being used?

Cognitive restructuring (CBT)

A therapist tells a client who ruminates on worst-case scenarios to write down each fear and a more balanced response.

Sparkling events (Narrative Therapy)

Moments when the problem didn’t dominate

The purpose of reflecting teams in Narrative Therapy

To provide new perspectives and support re-authoring stories.

The purpose of the “one-down” stance

To reduce resistance and empower the client

A double bind intervention

Giving two contradictory instructions where either choice disrupts the problem.

Unbalancing (Structural Therapy)

Temporarily siding with one family member to change hierarchy.

What is the role of the therapist in Structural Therapy?

Active participant who joins and restructures the system.

Satir’s communication stances

Blamer, placater, super-reasonable, irrelevant, congruent.

Projective identification (psychoanalytic therapy)

Attributing unwanted feelings to others and interacting in a way that evokes them

What is the main method of change in Psychoanalytic Family Therapy?

Gaining insight into unconscious conflicts

What technique is used to challenge negative thoughts in CBT?

Cognitive restructuring.

What does Solution-Focused Therapy focus on?

Client strengths and future goals.

Miracle Question

A prompt to help clients visualize a solution-focused future.

Family sculpting

A technique used in Experiential Therapy where family members physically position themselves to represent their relationships and dynamics, allowing them to visualize interactions and emotions

Interlocking pathologies

In the psychoanalytic model, this concept describes unconscious roles transferred in relationships.

Free association

A tool used to explore the unconscious in psychoanalytic therapy.

What is the goal of EFT?

Secure attachment and emotional responsiveness.

Negative interaction cycles.

This maintains distress in relationships according to EFT

Three part types in IFS?

Exiles, managers, firefighters.

Who leads healing in IFS?

The Self

Cognitive distortions

Inaccurate or biased ways of thinking.

When viewing a family as a system…

All behaviours make sense in context

Learned voicelessness

The result of continually being devalued, which ultimately inhibits the ability to advocate and speak up for oneself.

An example of Reframe

In response to a mother’s statement “I’m a terrible mom because I lost my patience with my kids today.”. The therapist says “It sounds like you’re holding yourself to a really high standard. Losing patience doesn’t mean you’re a terrible mom it means you’re human. Maybe it’s a sign that you need some space to recharge so you can show up the way you want to.”.

Reframe

A therapist finding an alternative yet equally plausible explanation for the same set of facts.

What is the main goal of Bowen Family Systems Therapy?

Increase differentiation and reduce anxiety.

Genogram

An assessment tool commonly used in Bowen theory.

Who developed Structural Family Therapy?

Salvador Minuch

Enactment

A key technique in Structural Therapy.

In the big picture of treatment, MRI therapists focus solely on…

Interrupting the problem’s intersectional sequences

Paradoxical interventions

A hallmark technique in Strategic Therapy

How does Strategic Therapy view symptoms?

As functional or purposeful in the system.

Second Order Change

According to MRI Systemic therapists believe this kind of change is needed for problems in families to be resolved.

What does Experiential Therapy emphasize?

Emotional expression and authentic communication.

Targeting the attempted solution

When developing goals in therapy, MRI systemic therapists approach therapy by focusing on the…

Effective hierarchy

Strategic therapists aim to develop this type of hierarchy within family systems.

A straightforward directive

When working with a family in therapy, Caitlin, a strategic therapist, requests that Dad instead of Mom disciplines the child when the child breaks the house rules. What technique is Caitlin using with her clients?

Ordeals

In strategic therapy, these interventions are used as challenging tasks or tests that individuals must confront, designed to promote change and facilitate personal growth.

Ordeal

Molly has a client who struggles with insomnia, staying up late despite wanting to sleep earlier.

She asks her client to get out of bed and do an unpleasant but harmless task every time he finds himself staying awake past his intended bedtime, “like scrubbing the bathroom floor by hand or standing in a wall sit for five minutes. You can go back to bed when you feel genuinely tired, but if you stay awake again, you must repeat the task.”

This is an example of an…