Most of us have probably studied Structural Family Therapy as part of our graduate program, but now that we have been in practice for 2, 10, 15, or more years isn’t it time to revisit some of the classic approaches and strategies?
As you may recall, Salvador Minuchin, M.D. pioneered the field of Structural Family Therapy in the 1960s. His work is as meaningful and useful today as it was 5 decades ago! Minuchin’s approach is based on the work he did with delinquent pre-teen boys while he was Director of the Family Research Unit of the Wiltwyck School. In this position he studied the structure of the families of these boys, in an attempt to develop therapeutic approaches to help the acting-out child and the entire family.
Minuchin viewed the entire family as a system. He saw the family as a part of a larger system, such as the community, and as containing smaller subsystems. He identified 3 significant subsystems: the spousal subsystem, the parental subsystem, and the sibling subsystem. By observing how these subsystems interact, over time, the therapist can understand where the problems lie in the family. The therapist might ask: which subsystem is ruling the family? Are the boundaries between subsystems clear and firm yet flexible, or are they rigid? Are there overt or covert coalitions between the subsystems? And, what are the rules that govern the interaction between subsystems? By working with the family on changing a dysfunctional family structure, the therapist can help the family achieve a second-order change rather than just symptom reduction.
In Structural Family Therapy the therapist works from a position within the family, rather than as an observer, and may even use a family member as temporary co-therapist. From this position, the therapist can focus on the task of directed behavioral changes within the family.
Structural Family Therapy also helps the family see beyond the presenting problem and beyond the identified patient. The structural therapist views the identified patient as a signpost, drawing the therapist’s attention to the actual difficulties within the family structure.
Some of the advantages of Structural Family Therapy are that it can produce positive results very quickly. It can also be effective with extremely pathological families. Structural Family Therapy tends to be a very directive form of therapy, which provides the therapist with many opportunities to intervene.
In this practical course, the therapist will be reminded of the basic tenants of Structural Family Therapy. The therapist will learn how to gather information and how to use this information to assess a family from a structural point of view. The therapist will learn a variety of interventions and techniques that can be use with a family. And, finally the therapist will learn the strengths and weaknesses of this approach.
Visit Practical CE Seminars before April 1, 2010 to receive 30% off our online Structural Family Therapy course, and receive 3 CE credits in the process! Follow the link below to order your course:
http://www.practicalceseminars.com/OnlineCEClasses3.html#StructuralFamilyTherapy
When checking out, just enter the discount code: H5UD
Practical CE Seminars is approved to provide CE courses through BBS (provider# 4552), APA, NBCC (provider# 6433), ASWB (provider# 1211), NAADAC (provider# 736), and CAADAC (provider# 2N-09-120-0611). Visit our accreditation page at www.practicalceseminars.com for a full description of our approval status.
