Dr. N. S.
Rohini
Professor
Department of Psychology
Avinashilingam University,
Coimbatore – 641043
By
Ms. Anupama. N
PhD Research Scholar,
Avinashilingam University,
Coimbatore - 641043
“To put the world right in order,
we must first put the nation in order;
to put the nation in order,
we must first put the family in order;
to put the family in order,
we must first cultivate our personal life;
we must first set our hearts right” – Confucius
Family as a basic unit may be defined as a group of
persons related to a specific degree, through blood,
adoption, or marriage (Jiloha, 2009).
Family therapy is a form of psychotherapy that seeks
to reduce distress and conflict by improving the
systems of interactions between family members.
This type of counselling views problems as “patterns
or systems” residing in the person, which is often
referred to as a “strengths based treatment.”
Family relationships are viewed as important for
good mental health, regardless of whether all family
members are participating in the therapy.
It is an ideal counselling method for helping family members
to adjust to an immediate family member struggling with an
addiction, medical issue or mental health diagnosis.
It is also recommended for improving communication and
reducing conflict.
“Family” is defined by the modern family therapist as anyone
who plays a long-term supportive role in one’s life, which may
not mean blood relations or family members in the same
household.
In a nutshell, the goal of family therapy is to work together
to heal any mental, emotional, or psychological problems
tearing your family apart. (Lee, 2010)
In the 1950s and 1960s, psychodynamic psychologies based on the work of
Sigmund Freud (1959) and his associates, behaviourism centered on the
theories of B.F. Skinner’s (1972), and the so-called “third force”
humanistic perspectives of Carl Rogers (1951), Abraham Maslow (1968),
Victor Frankl (1959) and their associates dominated psychology,
psychiatry, and models of human behavior.
All three of these theoretical and clinical branches assumed the primacy of
the individual in understanding human behavior and treating psychological
disorders.
It was in this environment in the 1950s that Murray Bowen (1966; 1971)
began his professional career as a psychiatrist, except that he, like other
radical psychiatrists and psychologists of the time, began rejecting the
dogma of theory and treatment based solely on the individual models.
These pioneers began incorporating new approaches to treatment and
formulating new theories for health and pathology.
Out of this creative firmament, family systems theories were born in
their many manifestations.
James Framo (1992; 2003) and Henry Dicks (1953) developed
object relations family systems theory and therapy. Gregory
Bateson, Don Jackson, Jay Haley, and John Weakland (1956),
Virginia Satir (1983), and others created communications-based
theory and therapy (Wynne, Rychoff, Day, and Hirsch, 1958).
Carl Whittaker and Thomas Malone (1953) founded symbolic-
experiential family theory and therapy.
Jay Haley (1963) was instrumental in formulating strategic family
theory and therapy.
These schools of family therapy represented samplings of the
important work occurring during this pivotal time.
Rather than simply focusing on family therapy techniques and
methods, Murray Bowen (1966) boldly articulated a comprehensive
theory of human functioning based on observations of families and
other natural systems (Kerr and Bowen, 1988).
Inclusive and considerate of the needs of each member
of the family and/or other key relationships (systems) in
people’s lives
Recognise and build on peoples’ strengths and relational
resources
Work in partnership ‘with’ families and others, not ‘on’
them
Sensitive to diverse family forms and relationships,
beliefs and cultures
Enable people to talk, together or individually, often
about difficult or distressing issues, in ways that respect
their experiences, invite engagement and support
recovery.
When a child is having a problem such as with
school, substance abuse, or disordered eating
A major trauma or change that impacts the
entire family (i.e. relocation to a new house,
natural disaster, death of a family member)
Adjustment to a new family member in the home
(i.e. birth of a sibling, adoption, foster children, a
grandparent entering the home)
Domestic violence
Divorce
Parent Conflict
1. Bowenian Approach (Murray Bowen)
2. Structural Approach (Salvador Minuchin)
3. Systemic Approach (Gianfranco Cecchin-
Milan)
4. Strategic Approach (Jay Haley)
5. Experiential Approach (carl Whitaker)
6. Humanistic Approach (virginia satir)
Bowen’s approach explains how projected their own
emotionality towards a particular family member and
the member’s reaction to other family members.
Strategies such as letter writing are used to decrease
levels of emotional reactivity and increase
connectedness among family members.
This theory is based on individual’s ability to
differentiate his own intellectual functioning from
feelings
This form of family therapy is the best for those who
cannot or do not want to bring family members into the
therapy room.
1. Differentiation of self refers to the manner in which a person is able to
separate thoughts and feelings, respond to anxiety, and cope with the
variables of life while pursuing personal goals. Highly differentiated
people achieve contentment through their own efforts, while those with a
less-developed self seek validation from other people.
2. Triangulation involves the natural tendency to divert anxiety or
conflict by involving a third party. (i.e. a mother complaining to her
daughter about her husband)
3. Family projection process is where the transmission of a parent’s
anxiety, relationship difficulties, and emotional concerns to the child
within the emotional triangle, may contribute to the development of
emotional issues and other concerns in the child. For Example: when the
child refuses to go to school and wants to stay with parents can be
considered to fused with parents.
4. Multigenerational transmission process depicts the way that
individuals seek out partners with a similar level of differentiation,
potentially leading certain behaviours and conditions to be passed on
through generations. A couple low level of differentiation may have
children who have even lower levels of differentiation. Then These
children may eventually have children with even lower levels of
differentiation affecting family functioning.
5. Emotional cut-off describes a situation where a person decides to best manage
emotional difficulties or other concerns within the family system by emotionally
distancing themselves from other members of the family. Bowen believed emotional
cut-off would lead people to place more importance on new relationships, which
would add stress to those relationships, in turn.
6. Sibling position describes the tendency of the oldest, middle, and youngest
children to assume specific roles within the family due to differences in expectation,
parental discipline, and other factors. For example, older children may be expected to
act as miniature adults within the family setting.
7. Societal emotional process illustrates how principles affecting the emotional
system of the family also affect the emotional system of society. Individuals in society
may experience greater anxiety and instability during periods of regression, and
parallels can be noted between societal and familial emotional function. Factors such
as overpopulation, the availability of natural resources, the health of the economy, and
so on can influence these regressive periods.
8. Nuclear family emotional process reflects Bowen’s belief that the nuclear family
tends to experience issues in four main areas: intimate partner conflict, problematic
behaviors or concerns in one partner, emotional distance, and impaired
functionality in children. Anxiety may lead to fights, arguments, criticism, under- or
over-performance of responsibilities, and/or distancing behavior. Though a person’s
particular belief system and attitude toward relationships may impact the development
of issues according to relationship patterns, Bowen held them to be primarily a result
of the family emotional system.
It Focuses on reordering the family system according to
how the roles and power are distributed amongst family
members.
Issues of hierarchy are addressed, making sure the parents
(or adult caretakers in the home) are in control and work as
a team in setting appropriate boundaries for children.
The therapist strengthens adult and sibling relationships by
“joining” with the family to help make sure no one person
or dyad (two people) in the family system have too much
power.
“Joining” the family may even involve having one or more
family members step behind a one-way mirror so that the
therapist can point out patterns of interactions amongst
other family members.
This model focuses on the meaning behind family
member’s behaviours and proposes that family
communications are happening on an unconscious level.
The therapist takes a neutral and distant approach, yet
confronts the family with rituals and behaviours that
allow family members to attribute different insight and
understanding as to why a problem is occurring.
Power is not seen as belonging to any one person in the
family, but rather to the unconscious “game” that family
members participate in to keep a problem going.
This is a direct and brief family therapy approach, suited to those
who want results in a short period of time.
In this direct approach, the family therapist prescribes homework
meant to change they way family members interact with the
person identified as having the “problem” or “symptom”.
Hierarchies, coalitions and communication systems are assessed,
similar to that in the other family counselling approaches.
Common techniques used in strategic family therapy are
prescribing the symptom to the family (i.e. telling them to yell at
each other more) and reframing the family’s problem from a
negative to a positive one.
The therapist takes over authority from the family member who
tends to dominate and control family interactions, making it
possible to shift patterns of communication in a way that allow
for the “holder” of the family’s symptom to get better
Whitaker believed that the active and forceful personal involvement
and caring of the therapist was the best way to bring about changes in
the family and promote flexibility among family members.
He relied on his own personality and wit rather than any kind of fixed
techniques to stir up issues in families and to help them open up and be
themselves. He also did this to confuse the family.
In his words, "I revel in non-organization. I think that's part of what my
therapy has to do with.
It has to do with disorganizing whatever the family brings in and
enjoying my disorganization as well."
In doing this he tried to get the families to go somewhere in order to
get them unstuck.
During this part of the therapy the therapist and the family learned to
express anxiety more openly during the session.
Techniques that were commonly used to activate the underlying anxiety
of the therapy included waiting, challenging roles, amplifying family
deviations and highlighting differences.
If successful, families should experience their will to fight, push and
disagree.
Virginia stir’s chief concerns was communication within
families.
Satir (1988) went as far as to write, “Once a human being
has arrived on this earth, communication is the largest
single factor determining what kinds of relationships she or
he makes with others and what happens to each in the
world.”
Satir developed within her model five conceptual styles of
communication:
◦ placating
◦ blaming
◦ computing
◦ distracting
◦ congruent communication
Four assumptions of Satir Five major tenets of Satir
All people await the potential of Family of origin influence on our
growth and are capable of attitudes and behaviours
transformation Inappropriate roles, restrictive
People carry all the resources rules, and/or unrealistic
they need for positive growth and expectations and family
development dysfunction
Families are systems wherein Result of dysfunctional family
everyone and everything impacts systems is low self-esteem
and is impacted by everyone and Each person contains all the
everything else resources one needs for growth
The beliefs of counsellors are and healthy functioning
more important than their Therapist beliefs an important
techniques tool
A better understanding of healthy boundaries and family patterns
and dynamics
Enhanced communication
Improved problem solving
Deeper empathy
Reduced conflict and better anger management skills
More specifically, family therapy can improve the family
relationships through:
Bringing the family together after a crisis
Creating honesty between family members
Increasing trust in family members
Developing a supportive family environment
Reducing sources of tension and stress within the family
Helping family members forgive each other
Conflict resolution for family members
Bringing back family members who have been isolated
THANK YOU
