This document discusses family systems theory and approaches to family therapy. It defines the family as a system and discusses how family therapists view problems arising from dysfunctional relationships and interactions within the family system. Several major approaches to family therapy are summarized, including psychoanalytic, structural, strategic, and behavioral. The document also covers stages of the family life cycle, characteristics of healthy vs unhealthy families, types of family therapy interventions, and goals and techniques of the initial, working, and termination phases of family therapy.

1. Family and Life Cycle
Presented by
Joy Christie P. Suresca

2. Objectives
After one and half hour of discussion my
colleageus will be able to:
• Differentiate the family therapy from individual
psychotherapy
• Know the kinds of intervention in family crisis
• Enumerate and define different approaches of
family therapy

4. Family
• Are groups of individual that interact,
support, and influence each other in
performing basic functions.
• They are an integral part of the society,
bound together by intense and long-
lasting ties of past experience, social
roles, mutual support, and expectations.

5. System
is a set of interacting or
interdependent components forming
an integrated whole

6. Family as a System
In the early 1950’s , the
psychotherapist began to look not
only at the individual with problems,
but also at the pattern of
relationships that correspond with
the family problems.

7. Family Crisis
A crisis occurs when individuals or
families encounter stressful
situations and normal coping
mechanisms fail to resolve the
disruption (Caplan, 1964)

8. 5 Interpersonal Requisite For Maintenance
of Well Being or Health in Individuals and
Families
• Love
• Support
• Impulse control
• Feel part of the group
• Personal achievemnt and
recognition

9. Healthy families take care of the
needs of their members and support
each other during crisis (Caplan, 1964)

10. Adaptive Qualities of Healthy
Family
• Strong parental leadership
qualities
• Effective communication
patterns
• Clear boundaries and roles
• Flexibility

11. Healthy Functioning Families
• No single member dominates or
control another
• Family members participates in
activites together
• Children are allowed to
express opinions
• Family members adapt to the
changes
( Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 1995)

12. In a culturally diverse families
functioning may have different ways.
Culture and traditions give families a
sense of stability and support from which
members draw comfort. Guidance and a
means of coping with the problems of life
(Andrews & Boyle, 2002)

13. Crisis intervention
is a useful strategy in which families
and children can find relief from
overwhelming circumstances

14. Family Crisis Intervention
Advantages
• Enhances self-awareness
• Clarifies the roles of
members in sustaining it
• Develops fresh coping
skills
• Gains a sense of competency
to manage the situation.
Langsley & Kaplan (1968)

15. Family therapy
is a method of treatment in which
family members gain insight into
problems, improve communication,
improve functioning of individual
members as well as the family as a
whole .

16. Family therapy
• Major goal is to facilitate positive
change in the family
• Other goals are
– fostering open communication of
thoughts and feeling
– promoting optimal functioning
interdependent roles

17. Family therapy VS individual therapy
Family therapy Individual therapy
Assumes that outside
or external influences
play a major role in
personality
development and
regulation of
member’s lives
Internal or
intrapsychic thoughts,
feelings, and conflicts
are the major
components of
personality
development

18. Approaches to Family therapy
Jones (1980) describes seven orientations
or approaches to family therapy
• Integrative Approach
• Psychoanalytic Approach
• Bowen Approach
• Structural Approach
• Interactional or Strategic
Approach*
• Social Network or Systematic
Approach*
• Behaviorist Approach*

19. Integrative Approach
• Nathan Ackerman
• Grandfather of family
therapy
• Focused on family values
• A problem arises when
interpersonal conflict is
internalized by the client
and it becomes an
Overall goal: Remove pathogenic or intrapersonal
conflict and promote more healthy relationships
within the family (Jones, 1980)

20. Psychoanalytic Approach
• Family members are
affected by each member’s
psychological make-up
• Problem arises when there
is an internalization or
introjection of parental
figures
Goal: Guide the family members who exhibit
pathology into clarifying old misunderstandings
and misinterpretations between themselves and
parent s and members of the family of origin and
establishing an adult to adult relationship(Jones,
1980)

21. Bowen Approach
• Consist of both emotional and
relational systems.
• Individuals behavior is a response to the
functioning of the family system as a
whole (Bowen, 1978)
• Differentiation of self-concept
• Focuses on guiding one or more family
members to become a more solid,
defined self in the face of emotional
forces created by marriage, children,
or the family of origin
Goal: To gain the clarity and conviction to carry
through one’s own positions, such as a parent, spouse,
or dependent child (Titleman, 1998)

22. Structural Approach
• Salvador Munuchin
• Family as a system of
individuals
• problem arises if family
boundaries become enmeshed
or disengaged and can’t cope
with change
• The therapy is short term and
action oriented with the focus
on changing family organization
and social context
Goal: Develop clear boundaries for individual
members and changing the family’s structural pattern

23. Interactional or Strategic Approach
• Virginia Satir & Jay Haley
• Communication theory
• The therapist studies the interactions
between and among family members,
recognizing that change in one family
member occurs in relation to change in
another family member.
• Deals with interpersonal relationships
among all family members and focuses
on why the family is in therapy and
what changes each member expects
Goal: Homeostasis among family members

24. Social Network or Systematic Approach
• Healing comes from social relationship
• Problem arises when the family loses its
ability to recover quickly from change
• This used but is not clearly defined
• Bringing several people together as a
social network who have similar ideals
and goals
Emphasizes the natural healing powers
of the family

25. Behaviorist Approach
• Individual learns that she or he obtain
satisfaction or rewards from certain
responses of other individuals.
• Problem arises when maladaptive
behavior is learned and reinforced by
the family
• TO GAIN ATTENTION!!
• This approach is direct and clearly
stated in bringing change
Goal: Behavorial change by positive
reinforcement

26. Stages of Family Therapy
• The Initial Interview
• The intervention or
working phase
• Termination phase

27. The Initial Interview
• Engagement stage
• Assessment stage
• Exploration stage
• Good setting stage
• Termination stage

28. Family Assessment Guide
I. Construct of a family genogram
II. Description of the family in
relation to the community,
focusingon ethnicity, socioeconomic
class, educational level and
religion
III. Description of presenting
problems, focusing on each family
member’s perception of the
identified problem

29. IV. Identification of communication
patterns focusing on who speaks to
whom, tone of voice, emotional
climate and manner by which
emotions are expressed
Family Assessment Guide

30. V.Identification of roles of family
members as supportive, antagonistic,
critical scapegoat, rescuer, or
victim.Are there family coalitions,
pairings,triangles, splits?
VI. Developmental history of the
family in general and of
presenting problems
VII.Family’s expectations of therapy
Family Assessment Guide

31. The Intervention or Working
Phase
• The goal of the intervention
phase is to help the family
accept and adjust to change
• Occurs once a week
• The therapist role is to
clarify and interpret
communication as well as
to offer suggestion and
guidance

32. 12 family strengths by Otto
(1963)
1. Provide for the physical, emotional
and spiritual needs of each family
members
2. Be sensitive to the needs of family
members
3. Communicate feelings, emotions,
beliefs and value effectively
4. Provide support, security and
encouragement to enhance creativity
and independence

33. 12 family strengths by Otto
(1963)
5. Initiate and maintain growth-
producing relationships within and
without family system
6. Maintain and create constructive and
responsible community relationships in
the neighborhood, school, town, and
local and state governments.
7. Grow with and through children

34. 12 family strengths by Otto
(1963)
8. Help one’s self and accept help when
appropriate
9. Perform family roles flexible
10. Show mutual respect for the
individuation and independence of each
family member
11. Uses crisis as a means of growth
12. Have aconcern for family unity and
loyalty and for cooperation among

35. The Termination
Phase
• If the family has
achieved the goals
and identified
specific problems
have been resolved
then its time to
initiate the
termination phase

36. The Family Life Cycle
• Duvall’s theory, 1977
• The family is a developing system
that must progress in the proper
manner for healthy child
development
• These family developmental tasks
refer to growth and reponsibilities
achieved by a family and by
individual developmental
requisites

37. Duvall’s 8 stages of family
cycle
Stage Description of Family task
1. Beginning families Satisfying to live together by learning
and provide personality’s needs to each
other
Relating harmoniously to the three
families
Family planning
Develop a sexual and marital role
adjustment
2. Early Childbearing New parent role
Reconciling conflicting developmental
task of various family member
Jointly facilitating developmental needs
of family members to strengthen each
other and the family unit
Accepting the new child's personality

38. • Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
consectetuer adipiscing elit.
Vivamus et magna. Fusce sed sem
sed magna suscipit egestas.
• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
consectetuer adipiscing elit.
Vivamus et magna. Fusce sed sem
sed magna suscipit egestas.
Stage Description of Family task
3. Families with pre-
school children
Exploring the environment by children
Establishing privacy, housing and adequate
space
Husband-father involved in household
responsibilities
Pre-schoolers assume responsibilities of
self care
Socializing of children
Integrating of new family member
Separating from children as they enter
school
4. Families with school-
aged children
Promoting school achievement
Maintaining a satisfying marital
relationship
Promoting open communication
Accepting adolescence
Duvall’s 8 stages of family
cycle

39. • Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
consectetuer adipiscing elit.
Vivamus et magna. Fusce sed sem
sed magna suscipit egestas.
• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
consectetuer adipiscing elit.
Vivamus et magna. Fusce sed sem
sed magna suscipit egestas.
Stage Description of Family task
5. Families with teenagers Maintaining a satisfying marital
relationship
Maintaining open communication
Maintaining family ethical and
moral standards by the parents
Allows independence
6.Launching center families Expanding the family circle
Accepting the new couple
lifestyle and values
Devoting time to other activities
and relationship
Re-establishing the wife and
husband roles
Assisting aging and ill parents
Duvall’s 8 stages of family
cycle

40. • Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
consectetuer adipiscing elit.
Vivamus et magna. Fusce sed sem
sed magna suscipit egestas.
• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
consectetuer adipiscing elit.
Vivamus et magna. Fusce sed sem
sed magna suscipit egestas.
Stage Description of Family task
7. Families of
middle year
Maintaining a sense of ell being psychologically
and physiologically by living in a healthy
environment
Attaining and enjoying a career or other
accomplishment by cultivating leisure time
activities and interests
Sustaining satisfying and meaningful
relationships with aging parents and children
Strengthening the marital relationship
8. Families in
retirement and
old age
Maintaining satisfying living arrangement
Maintaining marital relationships
Adjusting a reduced income
Adjusting to the loss of a spouse
Duvall’s 8 stages of family
cycle

41. TYPES OF FAMILY THERAPY
1. Conjoint Family Therapy
The entire family is seen at the same
time by one therapist. The therapist is
passive.
2. Concurrent Family Therapy
One therapist see all family members
but in individual session.
3. Collaborative Family Therapy
Each family member sees a different
therapist.

42. TYPES OF FAMILY THERAPY
3. Multisystematic Therapy
Was developed for juvenile offenders and
their families.
a) Treatment is delivered in the person’s
home, school, or other community
locations
b) Therapist are available for
consultation 24 hours a day 7 days a
week
c) Caseloads of therapist are kept
intentionally low