systemic approaches

8/8/2019 Systemic Approaches

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Theories of Counseling:Systemic Approaches

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Systemic Approaches/Systems Therapy

Basic Tenets

Looks at circular or reciprocal influence rather than linear influence.

Systemic thinking has been influenced by natural science, mathematics,chaos theory, physics, systems theory, psychoanalysis, anthropology andevolutionary psychology.

Circular causality: Looks at the way conflict occurs in the context ofothers who are causing reciprocal grief.



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Basic Tenets (continued)

Rules ofRelationships: Every family or system has explicit or subtle rulesto guide behavior. Rules apply to:

Power structure: Who has the power?

History: What are the family legends, myths and history that havebeen inherited from previous generations?



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Coalitions: Who is aligned with whom?

Hierarchy: Who is in control? What is the pecking order?

Roles: Who is the rescuer? Distracter? Troublemaker?

Boundaries: Are the boundaries loose or ridged?

Enmeshment: Is there differentiation or are members too close toeach other.



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Culture: What is the cultural identity of the family? (religion,socioeconomic status, ethnicity).

Communication: What are the communication patterns andmetarules?

Life Cycle: What is the developmental stage of the family?(launching children, empty nest, married without children etc.)

Metaphors: What is the underlying symbolic interactions betweenfamily members?



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Types of Therapies

Psychoanalytic (Murray Bowen, Nathan Ackerman and James Framo):Looks at the way influences from the past shape the present familydynamics.

Humanistic/Existential (Carl Whitaker and Virginia Satir): Emphasizesrelationships within family systems and the therapists use themselves as

tools while being warm, engaging and receptive.



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Types of Therapies (continued)

Structural (Salvador Minuchin): Looks at the underlying structureof families while looking to initiate adjustments.

Strategic (Jay Haley and Cloe Madanes): Concerned with inter-relational and communication styles and how these might bealtered.

Multicultural approaches: Looks at the societal influences ofmarginalization, oppression and ethnic identity.



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Types of Therapies (continued)

Narrative Therapy (Michael White and David Epston): It is aphenomenological approach that looks at a familys inner experience andpersonal meaning through the use of language.



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Interventions

Externalizing Conversations: Helps the client place the problem outsideof himself or herself (e.g. When did this problem begin to start to take overyour life?)

Mapping the Influence: Helps the family to explore the effects andoutcomes and makes it clear that everyone owns the problem.

Unique Outcome Questions: Looking for the exceptions to the problem.



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Interventions (continued)

Unique Possibilities: Helps the family visualize a time in the future whenthe problem is no longer affecting them.

Restorying: Helps families change their narratives about who they areand what got them to the place there are at right now.

The Problem Is The Problem: The problem is not the individual or thefamily, but the problem is the problem.



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Similarities Among the Therapies

Problems need to be understood within the context of the family system.

Changes in one part of the system will affect all others who areinterconnected to that system.

It is expedient to involve all family members in treatment.

All therapy is family therapy.



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Similarities Among the Therapies (continued)

Families go through a family life cycle.

Experiences you had in your family of origin shapes the way your currentfamily evolves.

Families as a system, organize themselves to maintain stability.

Family structures exist in a cultural context.



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Similarities Among the Therapies (continued)

Human behavior is often triangular, meaning conflicts between two peopleusually involve a third person.

Families get stuck in ruts or repetitive patterns that restrict their freedomand options.

Symptoms are often useful and functional and help maintain familyequilibrium.



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Notes About Working With Families

You need to decide which members of the family with which you are goingto work.

You have to join the family to effect change from within.

You have to be careful you dont take sides and are perceived as fair and

objective.

You need to maintain control over the session.



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Notes About Working With Families (continued)

You need to help the family reframe the problem so that the focus is notjust on one family member.

You need to be highly active and directive in order to implement yourinterventions.

You need to consider individual behavior but also attend to familyinteractive patterns.



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Notes About Working With Families (continued)

You need to keep things moving and be active to keep the familymembers (especially children) engaged in the process.

You need to get more supervision than you would with individual casesbecause family therapy is infinitely more complex.



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Stages in the Process

First Contact: First impressions are important and you need to beperceived as accessible to every one, knowledgeable, confident andcalm. It is important to note where each family member sits and how thefamily interacts.

Joining the Family: You need to try to build a connection with every family

member without showing favoritism or bias toward one over another.



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Stages in the Process (continued)

Assessment: You need to check out coalitions, power hierarchies,

channels of communication, dysfunctional behavior etc., all while looking

at the strengths and weaknesses of each family member.

Reorientation: This is where you present your impression or interpretation

of what is going on within the family.



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Stages in the Process (continued)

Structural Realignments: This means making changes in the way familymembers interact with each other.

Intervention: These are the therapeutic actions that are taken and thesewill vary depending upon the theory used.



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Resources

Ivey, A. E., DAndrea, M., Ivey, M. B. and Morgan, L. S. (2002). Theories of counseling

and psychotherapy: A multicultural perspective, 5th ed. Boston, MA.: Allyn &

Bacon.

James, R. K. & Gilliland, B. E. (2003). Theories and strategies in counseling and

psychotherapy, 5th ed. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Kottler, J. A. (2002). Theories in counseling and therapy: An experiential approach.

Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.


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