***Each response needs to be ½ page or more*** Respond to two colleagues who chose a different Bowenian concept in analyzing the events, and offer an alternative viewpoint. Colleague 1: Denise: Helen is emotionally attached to her mother and her son Alec. According to Bowen's theory the family is viewed as an emotional unit. Helen becomes very upset because her son is making 'bad' decisions which are in turn affecting her mother, her marriage, and herself. A breakdown in communication began to happen when Alec moved in with his Grandmother. In my opinion Helen viewed Alec as her relief, she no longer needed to stress about her mother, because her son was there to take care of her. When Alec's behaviors began to come into question, Helen's world began to crumble and the stresses of taking care of her mother began to creep back into her life. If you apply Bowen's triangular theory to the Petrakis family you can see the how Helen's relationship with her mother was deteriorating, because she felt torn between her mother, and her husband. Helen was hoping for some relief by bringing in a third person (Alec) to help spread some of her tension. However, the tension was not relived, it grew even stronger because of the poor choices Alec had made. Colleague 2: Julie Bowen’s family theory could be beneficial in treatment in the case of the Petrakis family. Helen Petrakis presents as emotionally distressed and overwhelmed (Plummer, Makris, & Brocksen, 2013). Helen appears to be in a fused relationship with several members of her family (Plummer, et al., 2013). She overextends herself to protect the emotional state of all the members of her family. She wants to make her husband happy by taking care of his aged and ailing mother (Plummer, et al., 2013). She wants to make her mother-in-law happy by taking care of her needs (Plummer, et al., 2013). She wants to make her children happy by taking care of all of the things that they do not want to do, like laundry, financial matters, and other things that they are old enough to manage (Plummer, et al., 2013). Helen’s response to all that is involved in this role she has taken on is anxiety (Plummer, et al., 2013). Bowen’s theory suggests that fusion can be demonstrated by an extreme sense of responsibility for the reactions of another family member (Brown, 1999). Fused relationships can be seen in the anxious reactions to perceived demands (Brown, 1999). The person in a fused relationship is typically not able to talk about issues directly with the other person or understand that there are choices available to them (Brown, 1999). Helen is experiencing anxiety as a reaction to the perceived expectation of her husband, John to care for his mother (Plummer, et al., 2013).            The second concept that demonstrates the effectiveness of Bowen’s family theory in the case of the Petrakis family is triangles. Helen’s husband, John, and their son, Alec, have been experiencing tension and conflict (Plumme ...

1. ***Each response needs to be ½ page or more***
Respond
to two colleagues who chose a different Bowenian concept in
analyzing the events, and offer an alternative viewpoint.
Colleague 1:
Denise:
Helen is emotionally attached to her mother and her son Alec.
According to Bowen's theory the family is viewed as an
emotional unit. Helen becomes very upset because her son is
making 'bad' decisions which are in turn affecting her mother,
her marriage, and herself. A breakdown in communication
began to happen when Alec moved in with his Grandmother. In
my opinion Helen viewed Alec as her relief, she no longer
needed to stress about her mother, because her son was there to
take care of her. When Alec's behaviors began to come into
question, Helen's world began to crumble and the stresses of
taking care of her mother began to creep back into her life.
If you apply Bowen's triangular theory to the Petrakis family
you can see the how Helen's relationship with her mother was
deteriorating, because she felt torn between her mother, and her
husband. Helen was hoping for some relief by bringing in a
third person (Alec) to help spread some of her tension.
However, the tension was not relived, it grew even stronger
because of the poor choices Alec had made.
Colleague 2:
Julie

2. Bowen’s family theory could be beneficial in treatment in the
case of the Petrakis family. Helen Petrakis presents as
emotionally distressed and overwhelmed (Plummer, Makris, &
Brocksen, 2013). Helen appears to be in a fused relationship
with several members of her family (Plummer, et al., 2013). She
overextends herself to protect the emotional state of all the
members of her family. She wants to make her husband happy
by taking care of his aged and ailing mother (Plummer, et al.,
2013). She wants to make her mother-in-law happy by taking
care of her needs (Plummer, et al., 2013). She wants to make
her children happy by taking care of all of the things that they
do not want to do, like laundry, financial matters, and other
things that they are old enough to manage (Plummer, et al.,
2013). Helen’s response to all that is involved in this role she
has taken on is anxiety (Plummer, et al., 2013). Bowen’s theory
suggests that fusion can be demonstrated by an extreme sense of
responsibility for the reactions of another family member
(Brown, 1999). Fused relationships can be seen in the anxious
reactions to perceived demands (Brown, 1999). The person in a
fused relationship is typically not able to talk about issues
directly with the other person or understand that there are
choices available to them (Brown, 1999). Helen is experiencing
anxiety as a reaction to the perceived expectation of her
husband, John to care for his mother (Plummer, et al., 2013).
The second concept that demonstrates the effectiveness
of Bowen’s family theory in the case of the Petrakis family is
triangles. Helen’s husband, John, and their son, Alec, have been
experiencing tension and conflict (Plummer, et al., 2013). Helen
withholds information from her husband John because she
claims that he will humiliate and hurt Alec (Plummer, et al.,
2013). There is a triangle between John, Alec, and Helen.
Applying Bowen’s family theory to this case study could
involve asking Helen questions that could help her to become
aware of her role in the triangles that exist in her family

3. (Brown, 1999).
To apply structural family therapy to the Petrakis family
case study would involve assessment of the family’s systems.
The subsystems, boundaries, functions, relationships, and social
supports, of the Petrakis family would need to be explored with
structural family therapy (Vetere, 2001). The family member’s
communication and interactions would need to be analyzed in
using structural family therapy (Vitere, 2001). The social
worker would create another system that would help all of the
other systems to achieve a balance that would benefit all
members of the family.
The family theory model that I found to be most helpful
for the Petrakis family is the Satir Model. The Iceberg Metaphor
is an excellent illustration that can help family members to
visualize their internal experience (Banmen, 2002). The Satir
Model asserts that coping is the issue that should be addressed,
rather than solving a problem (Banmen, 2002). These concepts
would be beneficial to implement with Helen Petrakis.
Improving Helen’s ability to cope could dramatically reduce the
symptoms of anxiety that she has been experiencing. Satir’s
Model is more strengths-based as compared to Structural Family
Therapy. In structural Family Therapy the therapist is woven
into the fabric of the treatment process. The focus is on the
systems that are impacting the family. With Satir’s Model, the
family themselves are the one’s that are being empowered. This
is done through helping them to see that they have the power to
make their own choices and that they are responsible for own
lives (Banmen, 2002). These concepts are consistent with the
strengths-based perspective.
Refe
rences
Banmen, J. (2002). The Satir model: Yesterday and today.

4. Contemporary Family Therapy, 24
(1), 7-22.
Brown, J. (1999). Bowen family systems theory and practice:
Illustration and critique.
Australian and New Zealand
Journal
of Family Therapy, 20
(2), 94-103.
Plummer, S. -B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. (Eds.). (2013).
Sessions case histories
. Baltimore, MD: Laureate
International Universities Publishing.
Vetere, A. (2001). Structural family therapy.
Child & Adolescent Mental Health, 6
(3), 133-139.