Strategic Family Therapy
There are many theoretical approaches in psychotherapy; every method is effective in its way and can be applied to different cases. The choice of a technique is determined by the values and needs of a client, including improving interpersonal relationships, solving family problems, or dealing with identity issues. Family systems therapy is one of such theoretical approaches; it is characterized by focusing on a client in the context of his or her relationships in a family. The roots of this method come from the fact that most mental problems result from dysfunctions within a family. Therapists who use this approach will thoroughly study a patient’s experiences with relatives. Instead, a psychologist identifies the patterns of communication within the family and suggests ways to interrupt them to facilitate change within a client’s relationships.
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Family System Approach
Family psychotherapists that use this theoretical approach pay close attention to interactions and other activities of family members, which allows them to understand the organizational structure of the family. Researchers confirm this statement by saying that this method focuses on “improving social interactions, emotional connectedness, and problem resolution skills among family members” (Slesnick & Zhang, 2016, p. 619). The foundation of the family systems approach lies in the fact that how family members are currently interacting is crucial for the analysis. Moreover, it is also essential for the further suggestion of therapeutic changes that can improve a client’s condition.
Over the past years, studies have indicated that this orientation has several advantages. For instance, Slesnick and Zhang (2016) note that “offering family therapy for mothers and their children improves the mothers’ substance use outcomes and can provide relational support to both the mother and child” (p. 619). Another experiment that included college women with mental health issues confirms the effectiveness of this method by indicating that when patients were “randomly allocated to treatment, results demonstrated a decline in depressive symptoms” (Haddock et al., 2017, p. 131). These outcomes suggest that the family systems approach is capable of improving family relationships and reducing negative signs of mental health issues.
The reason for this comes from the fact that during therapy, clients can learn better ways to communicate with one another. Moreover, they can identify and resolve all types of issues related to siblings. In addition, patients can define and understand their specific roles in the family. Another advantage is that they also can learn effective ways to resolve their communicational issues and improve relationships, for example, between a parent and a child. However, the use of such a therapy method also has several drawbacks. For instance, the family system approach cannot work in a case where one relative gets sidetracked off the discussed problem and does not wish to cooperate. Another disadvantage is the high cost, and that is why sometimes families cannot afford it, which leads to difficulties increasing further.
How Families Affect This Approach
The birth order of children, family size, number and genders of siblings, and intervals between births of children determine the personality traits of a patient. It arises from the fact that children in the family usually tend to compete for parental attention. For instance, the firstborn can feel entitled to all parental resources and dominate the younger siblings. For this reason, he or she strives to maintain a position in the family, which can destroy relationships with other siblings. Another example is the case where parents favor one child over another, which causes an abandoned sibling to feel less important, creating issues with self-esteem. That is why all these factors influence the family systems approach since the information about family size and ages of its members allows a therapist to suggest solutions.
The Influence of Personal Characteristic
In this profession, the role of a therapist’s personality is especially important. In each field of psychotherapy, specific requirements are made to the personal characteristics of a specialist. However, not only professional qualities determine the influence on a client and the overall success of therapy. Regarding a chosen theoretical orientation, the emphasis should be on the formation of skills for an objective perception of the situation in the family. For example, a professional, who is working according to the family systems approach, should only provide external support and necessary suggestions that improve relationships within a family. In this case, a therapist takes the position of an equal negotiator; it is exceptionally undesirable to take a leading position. As for my personal qualities, I am diplomatic, a good listener, and is capable of directing a conversation in a required direction. This quality is often helpful when clients unknowingly start to divert the subject of a discussion, talk about topics that are unrelated to family issues.
Collaboration with a Therapist from Different Theoretical Orientations
Working together with a professional who uses other approaches seems complicated at first glance; however, this practice has several benefits as well. First of all, it helps to create an objective view of a client’s problem, which allows increasing the effectiveness of therapy. During this collaborative work, clients can get opinions on the same situation from two competent people, and this makes it possible to see the issue from a broader perspective. In other words, therapists who work together have the opportunity to exchange views on the progress of work and to improve professionally by exchanging ideas. Moreover, the joint work of two professionals reduces the possibility of professional burnout syndrome, especially in severe cases. Another apparent advantage of collaboration is that therapists can serve as a mirror that reflects the family relationships of clients. Such a method allows patients to see the situation from another viewpoint. For this reason, this type of work can certainly help to achieve a more effective result of treatment.
Nevertheless, several drawbacks can arise from collaboration. For instance, differences in theoretical orientation can negate all the benefits of working together. Two therapists with different theoretical orientations also may understand a client’s issue in different ways. However, it is still possible to make the most benefit out of collaborating with another professional. Such work should be based on a shared desire to coordinate the specialists’ characteristics and professional skills for a common purpose. Therefore, to maximize the positive effects, professionals should value the personal qualities of each other, as well as focus on the general therapeutic goals. The critical aspects that contribute to success are mutual respect and trust, as well as the desire to discuss collaborative issues. In the case where two therapists possess such characteristics, they can profitably work together even if they are from different theoretical orientations.
References
Haddock, S. A., Weiler, L. M., Trump, L. J., & Henry, K. L. (2017). The efficacy of internal family systems therapy in the treatment of depression among female college students: A pilot study. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 43(1), 131-144.
Slesnick, N., & Zhang, J. (2016). Family systems therapy for substance-using mothers and their 8-to 16-year-old children. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 30(6), 619.