Family Therapy Exam 4

cummulative

research approaches

qualitative

quantitative

qualitiative

analysis of words or images focused on depth of understanding

quantitiative

analysis of numbers focused on breadth of understanding, hypothesis testing, and generalizing results

statistical vs clinical significance

statistical - refers to reliability of the study results

clinical - reflects impact on clinical practice/patient care

purpose of research

evaluate results of specific therapy models

evaluate mechanisms of change

outcome studies/research

evaluate results of specific therapy models, is it effective

confidence in finding comes from meta-analysis

process studies

evaluate mechanisms of change, what about this therapy makes it effective

examines how therapeutic change happens for families (why it’s effective)

• specific interventions

• features of the therapist-client interactions

• therapist characteristics

• therapist style

forms of outcome research

efficacy studies

effectiveness studies

efficacy studies

highly controlled conditions

randomized controlled trials

high internal validity

preferred by researchers

effectiveness studies

real-world conditions

routine clinical interventions with multimodal treatment and heterogeneous samples

high external validity

preferred by clinicians

individual problems

• family therapy is more effective than other approaches for some disorders, with stronger support for externalizing than internalizing

  • especially adolescents with externalizing disorder

  • families and adults with internalizing especially when related to relationships

relationship problems

couple/family therapy is effective for couple conflict, attachment disorder and child maltreatment

• EFTC has more research support than cognitive couple therapy

• child maltreatment effective but intensive

family transitions

family therapy can stabilize and strengthen family relationships and reduce emotional difficulties

• divorce, moving, blended families, remarriage, new school, etc

most common contributor to effective family therapy

alliance

• therapist-family alliance

  • built by therapist expressing understanding and support

• within-family alliances

  • therapist helps move families to more open self-disclosure, listening and responsiveness

bowenian

several months - years

emphasizes how current family patterns, alliances, and boundaries are embedded in unresolved issues from families of origin

psychoanalytic

one year/50 sessions

emphasizes the impact of unconscious conflict, early infant-caregiver attachments, and inner experiences on current family relationships and focuses on increasing family member insight

behavioral

12 sessions/3-4 months

teaches family members skills for changing their behavior by altering contingencies of reinforcement and adjusting the nature of social exchanges that take place in the family

cognitive

12-20 weeks

focuses on helping family members recognize distortions in their thinking and restructure the core beliefs that impact family interactions

structural

few months - year

uses spatial and organizational metaphors to describe problems int he family and identify solutions

strategic

12-16 sessions/3-4 months

emphasizes directive and task-oriented interventions that result in family improvements, rather than focusing on family members understanding the meaning of symptoms

milan

few months - year

questions family belief systems attached to behaviors and focuses on interrupting destructive family games

experiential

6 months - 2 years

emphasizes emotional engagement, self-growth, and self-determination through present experience, encounter, confrontation, intuition, spontaneity, and action

solution-focused

5-8 sessions (one scheduled at a time)

explores solutions to family problems by considering the exceptions to problems and the existing family strengths

narrative

16-20 sessions

helps family members deconstruct problem-saturated stories based on dominant and re-write more empowering family narratives