Abstract
This work deals with studying the effectiveness of modernist and postmodern therapy. The first is called structural family therapy, and the second is called solution-focused brief therapy. The main difference between these two approaches is the focus in the process of work. The latter method aims to focus on a positive future result without including the causes of the problem. On the other hand, the first makes an attempt to determine which factors were expressed in the overdue conflict and tries to show customers the problem from several perspectives. After studying the case study from Unit three, a choice was made, and a justification was given for why solution-focused brief therapy can be more productive for the problem under study. Moreover, Appendix A provided a variant of the questions that are necessary to develop a program for working with patients.
Introduction
Family therapy is gaining more popularity and importance in current society. Modern couples and families are increasingly turning to specialists for help to solve their problems and maintain relationships. In solving the issue, specialists in this field can use different models to achieve the best results. Therefore, this assignment will briefly compare and contrast the modern and postmodern models called structural family therapy and solution-focused brief therapy. Moreover, a justification will be provided for using one of the approaches to solve the problem derived in the case study.
Structural Family Therapy
This paper’s first modern theory to be considered is structural family therapy (SFT). The main emphasis in this approach is the structure of the family. Additionally, it is based on the work that needs to be done to improve the relationship between family members. The founder of this approach is Salvador Minuchin (Minuchin, 2018). SFT is still considered one of the leading forms of work with families in modern psychology.
As already mentioned, this theory approaches providing assistance based on the relationships and connections between its members. The approach considers stress and negative external and internal factors, which can significantly affect people, to be the leading cause of the violation of relationships in the family (Becvar & Becvar, 2013). Thus, the main goal of therapy is to establish communication within a particular cell of society, which will help bring positive dynamics for all its participants.
Like any therapy, the structural family method has specific techniques and methods used by specialists while working with clients. The primary technique in this approach is mapping, which consists in creating a visual map of family problems and how they are transmitted through the dynamics of the cell of society (as shown in Figure 1). The map may include data such as age, gender, and gender of the relationship between people in the family. In addition, the specialist separately discusses with clients such aspects as family values and rules, behavioral patterns, and the type of relationship or hierarchy between members. Thus, this method helps to see the scale and impact of issues and determine which behavior in the family contributes to their occurrence.
A psychologist may suggest that family members create a map themselves to obtain more effective mapping results. This will help to understand better the problem that the family has addressed and involve it more in the therapy process. Another technique that can be applied in structural family therapy is role-playing. This method consists of playing problem situations in front of a specialist and further analyzing what is happening. The reframing technique may also be used, where there is a look at the problem from different points of view. This is useful so that clients independently gain awareness of the kind of problem and what behavior can provoke it.
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
The second theory, which belongs to the postmodern, is solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT). This approach focuses on the current state of clients and the goals and results they want to receive at the end of therapy (Franklin et al., 2017). Unlike structural family therapy, SFBT does not focus on why people seek help. Thus, the specialist attempts to focus the family’s attention on what they want to see in the future what kind of relationships and behavior. This method also includes skills, resources, and opportunities to achieve the ultimate goal of therapy.
In other words, SFBT helps clients independently choose ways to solve a problem and eliminate its leading causes. Moreover, this method emphasizes that individuals often already have the necessary abilities, but they need a push and help from a specialist. In the same way, the approach determines that people already know what measures can be applied to improve the current situation but need mentoring to gain confidence in their decisions and clarification to achieve results more quickly.
In this case, the therapy under study uses such a technique of questions throughout the session to ensure the greatest informativeness and effectiveness. To do this, several types of questions are used at once, each of which has its meaning. Hence, a specialist can ask coping questions aimed at understanding the current state of clients and how they can cope with difficulties (De Shazer et al., 2021). Another kind is miracle questions that help determine the future people want to see after therapy. Such a technique will help envision what life will look like without problems and take steps to achieve it. The third type of question is scaling questions designed for patients to evaluate present circumstances and progress. They are often used when therapy is limited, and all its conditions and points cannot be adequately met. This type of interest helps to determine how much people want to make changes in their lives, their willingness to do so, and their confidence in the future result.
Choosing a Model and Role-Play
This section of the paper will discuss the implications of how the modern and postmodern models, their characteristics, and their underlying assumptions might impact the previously researched case study. The rationale for using structural family therapy is that it can solve several problems. Hence, family problems related to trauma, depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are among them. The main advantage of using this approach is the ability to correct the imbalance in the relationships within the family and build a healthy and reasonable framework within the cell of society (Gehart, 2017). It will help clients, on an individual level, to adjust and improve the way they respond to external stimuli and generally improve communication. All these advantages stem from the fact that when using SFT, a specialist considers such aspects as it recognizes behavior patterns, routines, habits, and communication.
This approach can be practical for the family from the case study since the spouses have experienced a significant event in their lives that has dramatically affected their relationship. This type of therapy can help stabilize moods and behaviors within the family and direct all efforts to solve the problem. It is worth it since this type of treatment can take a significant amount of time. This is because the result depends on the dynamics and relationships within the family. It is necessary to maintain clients’ involvement in the process of working on the problem.
SFBT, in turn, includes the development of a vision of the future without problematic situations, for the solution of which the client will turn to a specialist. Henceforth, the primary function of therapy becomes mentoring the patient in achieving the final desired goal (Franklin et al., 2017). These actions involve recognizing what is most effective assisting in determining the most effective and productive ways to form a strategy for the future.
This type of therapy is used both at the individual and family level, making it quite universal. Based on these statements, a role-play was developed that shows how the SFBT technique can be used in family therapy (Appendix A). SFBT can be used with people of various cultural, social, political, and economic backgrounds (Franklin et al., 2017). The advantage of this therapy is that the leading place is occupied by the client, who needs to be directed to the right choice and solution. Henceforth, a specialist helps determine what change would look like and assist in outlining the steps necessary to achieve goals.
Conclusion
The most effective therapy for solving a case study problem can be solution-focused brief therapy. This is since this approach has such a positive characteristic as focusing on the future result. Thus, customers already know why they asked for help, how to achieve the desired result and what difficulties they may encounter. However, at the same time, it is worth noting that solution-focused brief therapy can borrow some aspects from structural family therapy. Hence, there is no need for a complete study of the causes of the problem situation, but it is still worth investigating them, at least superficially. This will help to give a more comprehensive picture of the specialist’s patients and their characteristics. Further, therapy will help undertake particular actions to overcome the issue of conceiving a child and blaming each other for not doing so. In conclusion, it is essential to emphasize that solution-focused brief therapy is an effective tool, as it will help the couple to follow a coherent, proper, and well-developed plan.
References
Becvar, D. S., & Becvar, R.J. (2013). Family therapy: A systemic integration, (8th ed). Pearson.
Colapinto, J. (2019). Structural family therapy. Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy, 2820-2828. Web.
de Shazer, S., Dolan, Y., Korman, H., Trepper, T., McCollum, E., & Berg, I. K. (2021). More than miracles: The state of the art of solution-focused brief therapy. Routledge.
Franklin, C., Zhang, A., Froerer, A., & Johnson, S. (2017). Solution focused brief therapy: A systematic review and meta‐summary of process research. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 43(1), 16-30. Web.
Gehart, D. R. (2017). Mastering competencies in family therapy: A practical approach to theory and clinical case documentation. Cengage Learning.
Minuchin, S. (2018). Structural family therapy. Families and Family Therapy, 1-11. Web.