2. Strategic Family Therapy
Haley called the therapy ‘Strategic’ because:
"it is a therapy where the therapist
initiates what happens during therapy,
designs a specific approach for each
person's presenting problem, and
where the therapist takes responsibility
for directly influencing people."
http://www.mri.org/strategic_family_therapy.html
Roots in structural family therapy
Builds on concepts from
communication theory
3. LEADING
FIGURES
Palo Alto Group 1960-70’s Brief Family Therapy /Mental
Research Institute (MRI)
Don Jackson, Gregory Bateson, John Weakland, Paul Watzlawick
(family communication)
Strategic Family Therapy Institute 1980’s
Jay Haley & Cloe Madanes (directive & challenging)
Milan Systemic Model
Mara Selvini-Palazzoli (
5. How VERBAL and NONVERBAL messages are exchanged
PROCESS between people in a SYSTEM vs. inner conflicts
WHAT rather than WHY
Communication PATTERNS vs. content
Faulty communication patterns = family DYSFUNCTION
6. INTERPERSONAL NATURE OF COMMUNICATION
All behavior is communication
Communication happens at many levels
Every communication has a content(report) &
a relationship(command) aspect
Relationships are defined by command messages
Complementary interactive patterns = oppositional create superior/inferior relationships
Symmetrical interactive pattern = equality – can
become competitive
Each person punctuates a sequence of
events in different ways organizing their
view of cause and effect
7. Focus
IP symptoms
Family attempts to address
“problem” behavior
Actions become a pattern
Pattern reinforces
IP behaviors
Circular Patterns
8. Breakdown in
family functions …
Solutions
become part of
the problem …
Contradictions
between what is
said and what is
expressed…
Breakdown in
rules and roles…
Repeating
non-workable
solutions …
11. Define the problem
Identify attempted solutions
Determine the position of the client
Designing an intervention
Selling the client on the intervention
Assigning homework
Doing a homework follow-up
Terminating
Latino Brief Therapy Center (Schlanger & Anger-Diaz (1999)
12. KEY CONCEPTS
PARADOXICAL INJUNCTIONS – Contradictions between what is said and what is
expressed in tone or gesture
PARADOXICAL DIRECTIVES – Direct client to continue or extend the behavior.
Non-confrontational – undermines resistance – ties in to patients own
momentum
DOUBLE BIND – Conflicting messages – can’t win situations
THERAPEUTIC DOUBLE BIND (COUNTER PARADOXES) – Technique to force a
person/couple/family into a no-lose situation
PRESCRIBING THE SYMPTOM – prescribe the very behavior to be resolved.
The therapist helps the client understand this need and determine how much
control they have over the symptom. This can help them change or stop it.
RELABELING (POSITIVE CONNOTATION) – Changing the label attached to a
person or problem from negative to positive. In altering the meaning, the
emotional and conceptual context, the situation can be perceived differently,
and hopefully new responses will evolve.
13. KEY CONCEPTS
FIRST ORDER CHANGES – superficial behavioral changes within a system that
do not change the structure of the system
SECOND ORDER CHANGES – changes to the systemic interaction pattern so
the system is reorganized and functions more effectively
FAMILY HOMEOSTASIS – families tend to preserve familiar organization and
communication patterns – resistant to change
FAULTY FAMILY SOLUTIONS
1) Ignoring a problem when action is needed
2) Taking action when it is unnecessary
3) Action taken at the wrong level i.e. first order changes when the problem
is at a second order level
DIRECTIVES - Challenging
Provoke – rebel or resist
Ordeal Therapy – undesirable task – more difficult for the client to have the
problem than give it up
14. KEY CONCEPTS
PRETEND TECHNIQUES – Encourage family members to ‘pretend’ –
playfulness and fantasy – shift context – encourage voluntary control of
behavior
HYPOTHESIZING – interactive process of speculating = determine how the
family is organized around the problem
NEUTRALITY - Remain allied with all family members – avoid coalitions or
alliances
CIRCULAR QUESTIONING – focusing on family connections rather than
individual family members to address family differences
REFLEXIVE QUESTIONING (Tomm – social constructionist/narrative)
Help families reflect on perceptions, actions, & belief systems – meaning of
their life patterns
Types of Questions:
Future oriented questions
Observer - perspective
Unexpected counterchange
Embedded suggestion
Normative- comparison
Distinction-clarifying
Questions introducing hypotheses
Process interrupting
15. Want to read more …. there are
some great resources on line
that illustrate the theory and
applications…………
Robbins, M. S., Szapocznik, J., & United States.
(2000). Brief strategic family therapy.
Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of
Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention.
