Strategic therapy is a treatment created to handle family functioning issues with a focus on adolescent behavioral problems and drug usage. Gregory Bateson and Milton Ericson coined the term ‘strategic therapy’ in the 1950s (Szapocznik & Hervis, 2020). MFT is categorized in the brief therapies group because it has twelve to sixteen sessions (Carr, 2019). The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine (2021) discusses MFT’s effectiveness in reducing behavioral issues and social aggression, improving family engagement and overall functioning, and decreasing cases of substance abuse. The strategic family therapy model has two major interventions: paradoxical and directed tasks.
Both the directed and paradoxical tasks are methods that ask families to engage in certain behaviors but they take different approaches. In direct tasks, the family does something that disrupts unwanted conduct (Szapocznik & Hervis, 2020). Paradoxical tasks require the family to continue doing what they consider unwanted (Besharat, 2019). One example of a directed task is when a parent asks a crying child to continue crying for another ten or twenty minutes. In response, the teenager is most likely going to stop crying immediately, disrupting the behavior. Paradoxical tasks utilize the concept of reverse psychology and are often complex. For example, a parent will ask a child who does not brush not to do so for the next ten days, triggering him to brush his teeth.
Cultural and ethical issues arise with MFT because therapists develop treatment plans, including choosing the tasks to be implemented. Lebensohn‐Chialvo et al. (2019) argue that treatment fidelity is the most pressing challenge for therapists because it requires that all treatment plans are consistent with established manuals. Therapists must respect their client’s cultural beliefs and respect boundaries. All the chosen tasks must remain within ethical and cultural confines.
References
Besharat M, N. M. (2019). Paradox therapy for the treatment of social anxiety disorder: A case study. J Syst Integr Neurosci., 6(1).
Carr, A. (2019). Family therapy and systemic interventions for child‐focused problems: The current evidence base. Journal of Family Therapy, 41(2), 153-213.
Lebensohn‐Chialvo, F., Rohrbaugh, M. J., & Hasler, B. P. (2019). Fidelity failures in brief strategic family therapy for adolescent drug abuse: A clinical analysis. Family Process, 58(2), 305-317. Web.
Szapocznik, J., & Hervis, O. E. (2020). Brief strategic family therapy. American Psychological Association. Web.
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. (2021). Evidence for the best program: Outcomes. Web.