Family systems theories

1. SYSTEMATICFAMILYTHERAPY
Muhammad Musawar Ali
MPHIL, ICAP
Psychmmusawarali@gmail.com
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2. Family
Traditionally, family has been defined as a unit
made up of two or more people who are related by
blood, marriage, or adoption; live together; form
an economic unit; and bear and raise children.
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3. Familyandittypes
 NuclearFamilythatismadeup
ofmarriedparentsandtheir
biologicaloradoptedchildren.
 ExtendedFamily,whichconsists
ofparentsandchildrenaswellas
otherkin,suchasunclesand
aunts,niecesandnephews,
cousins,andgrandparents
 Singleparentsfamily
 Dual Career family ( both
partners work)
 Childless family
 Aging family
 gay/Lesbian family
 Multicultural family(
belong to different cultural
background)
 Blended family ( one of the
couple previously married
and has children)
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4. DefiningHistoricalEvent
 AfterworldwarIIinunitedstatethreetrendsoriginatethis
 Highdivorcerate
 ChangingroleofWomen
 Expansionoflifespan
 Inthe1950sanumberofresearcherswhowereworkingindependentlybegantolookatschizophreniaasan
areawherefamilyinfluencesmightbeconnectedtothedevelopmentofpsychoticsymptoms.
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5. Difference between Structural & Strategic
therapy
Structural Family Therapy
 Structural family
therapists believe that by
changing the structure within the
system that relational styles will
change as a natural consequence.
 Look family context, process of
change, presenting problem,
subsystems.
Strategic Family Therapy
Strategic family therapists
believe that by changing the
relational strategies that the
structure will change as a
natural consequence
Look at the problem
solution
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6. System Theory
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• System theory is a generic term for conceptualizing a group of related
elements (people) that interact as a whole entity (e.g family or
group).
• According to the theory, any living organism is composed of
interacting component mutually affecting one another
• Change in any part affects all other parts

7. Three basic assumptions distinguish system theory from other
counseling approaches:
1. Causality is interpersonal
2. Psychosocial system are best understood as repeated patterns of
interpersonal interaction, and
3. Symptomatic behaviors must be understood from an interactional
viewpoint.
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8. Main concepts introduced by this theory are:
Circular causality
The idea that events are related through a series of
interacting feedback loops.
Scapegoating ( in which one person is singled out as the
cause of the problem) And
Linear causality (one action is seen a the cause of other) are
eliminated.
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9. 9
Bowen’s Family System Theory
System = organized unit made up of interdependent parts
 Whole unit is greater than the sum of its parts
 Change in any part affects all other parts
 Family is system in which each member has a significant influence on all other
members
Families may struggle to find a healthy balance between two extremes:
 Enmeshment = over involvement in each others’ lives
 Disengagement = too much detachment from one another

10. View of Human Nature
• Chronic anxiety in all life that is both emotional and physical.
• Some individual are more affected than other
• “because of way previous generation in their families have
channeled the transmission”
• If anxiety is low = problem exist for family
• If anxiety is high= people prone to illness
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11. Bowen’sFamilySystemsTheory
CentralConstructs
Differentiationofself
Chronicanxiety
Triangles
Emotionaldistance
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12. 12
DifferentiationofSelf
Occurswhenanindividualisabletodistinguishbetween intellectualprocessesandthefeelingprocessheorsheis experiencing. Greaterfusion
between individuals,poorerfunctioning(Can’tdifferentiate b/wthoughtsandfeelingsandhavetroubledifferentiating themselvesfromothers).
 Highlydifferentiated=betterathandlingstress/anxiety
 Increaseddifferentiationbyonefamilymemberislikelytoleadothermemberstobecomemoredifferentiated
 Self-differentiationisprincipalgoaloffamilytherapy

13. Differentiationofselfscale
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Fusion
Lowestlevels
Emotionallyfusedtothefamily
Feelingsdominate
Differentiationofself
Highestlevels
Separatethinkingfromfeelings

14. Chronicanxiety
 Bowen believed that there is chronic anxiety in all life that is both emotional and physical.
Multigenerational transmission process
 Transmission of anxiety from generation to generation
 Patterns, themes and roles are passed through generations
 Less anxiety focused on children = more likely they’ll grow up w/ greater differentiation
 Child most involved in family’s fusion has lower differentiation
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15. De-triangulationofSelffromFamilyEmotionalSystem
 Triangulation refers to the practice of two family members bringing a
third into their conflict
Triangles
Smallest stable relationship system
A major influence on the activity of a triangle is anxiety
More anxiety = more distance, or closeness
Less anxiety = comfortable back and forth discussion of feelings
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16. WhyFamiliesEnterTherapy
• Stressors -- environmental and developmental -- arise in the normal
course of a family’s life.
• The failure of its members to accommodate to stressors leads members to
disengage from some members, and become enmeshed with others
• Indirectness of communication and anxiety ensues, with triangular
relationships substituting for direct encounter and the pursuit of intimacy.
• Identified patient is usually reason for entering therapy, but often only the
symptom of family distress..
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17. Adistressedfamily
 Isoftenunwillingtotakeresponsibility
 Interpretsproblemsfromalinearcausalityperspective,ratherthanacircular
perspective.
 Suffersaconfusionoflevels(childrenandparents)
 Formscoalitions(aparentandachildagainstanotherparent)
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18. Counselor’sRole
 Duringthefirstinterview,thetherapistlooksforthefamily’smotivationsandencouragesthemtoavoid
resistances.
 Hekeepsawaytheriskofblames,inordertogetthebestparticipationpossible.
 Itshouldbeavoidedtothepatienttobeseenasa“scapegoat”.
 careful/sensitiveattention
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19. Goals
Goals:
 if counseling is successful, clients will understand and modify the
coping strategies and patterns of coping with stress that have been
passed on from generation to generation.
 They will display a non-anxious presence in their daily lives and will
be able to separate their thoughts from their feelings and themselves
from others.
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20. Sessions
 Family therapy tends to be a solution-focused and short-term approach, and
generally around six to 20 sessions are needed for families to realize their
strengths and find ways forward.
 For families and loved ones who are experiencing more complex
difficulties however, further sessions may be needed.
 Sessions can last from between 50 and 90 minutes, and intervals between
each one could be several weeks at a time depending on various factors,
such as the problems being addressed, the stage of treatment and the needs
of family members. Ultimately all elements of family therapy, including the
setting, family therapy techniques and length of sessions will result from a
collaboration and mutual agreement between the therapist and family.
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21. Goals of Initial Sessions
1. Outline Therapy Boundaries & Structure (introduction,
teamwork, video, confidentiality, structure of the session &
therapy, Questions).
2. Engage and Involve all family members (supportive
environment, hear from everyone, neutrality)
3. Gather and Clarify Information (the context of therapy, the
systems, presenting difficulties/issues, solution & success to
date)
4. Establish Goals and Objectives of Therapy
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22. Middle Sessions Goals
1. Develop and Monitor Engagement (Creating and offering choices about
the process of therapy & Resolving issues in the family-therapist-team
system as they arise)
2. Gather Information and Focus Discussion (presenting difficulties, family
system, solution & success)
3. Identify & Explore Beliefs (presenting difficulties, relationship b/w
family and wider system, solution & success, therapy process, family
behavior)
4. Work towards change at the level of beliefs and behaviors (challenge
existing patterns & assumptions, provide distance b/w family & problem,
reframe, elicit solution, amplify change, enhance mastery, introduce
therapist/team ideas)
5. Return to Objectives and Goals of Therapy
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23. End Sessions Goals
1. Gather Information and Focus Discussion ( the presenting issues,
solution & success, the system/wider system)
2. Continue to work towards change at the level of behaviors and
beliefs (amplifying change, enhance mastery, reframe, open up new
stories & explanations, challenging new patterns & assumptions)
3. Develop family understanding about behaviors and beliefs
4. Secure Collaborative Decision re: Ending (positive feedback from
the family, negative feedback from the therapy, therapist notice
changes)
5. Review the process of therapy
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24. Techniques
• Techniques in this approach focus on ways to create an
individuated person with a healthy self-concept who can
interact with others and not experience anxiety every time
the relationship becomes stressful .
• Ways of achieving this goal include assessment of self and
family in a number of ways.
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25. Multigenerational Genogram
• It’s a visual representation of a person’s family tree ,
depicted in geometric figure, lines and words.
• Genograms include information related to family and it’s
member relationships with each other over at least three
generations.
• A genogram helps people gather information, hypothesize
and track relationship changes in the context of historic and
contemporary events.
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26. Genogram Tree
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27. Content Based Questions
• The focus of this technique is on cognitive process. Ask
questions of one’s family.
• The objective is to understand what happened in one’s
family without any emotional overlay.
• A client may also go home again and visit with his or her
family in order to get know them better. Such a procedure
promotes person- to- person relationship on dyadic level and
asking questions about pivotal events that had an impact on
the family such as death, births and marriages.
• Asking questions is an important tool in Bowen’s work.
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28. Detriangulation
• Focus on Detriangulation involves “the process of being in
contact and emotionally separate with others.
• Detriangulation operates on two levels:
• One is to resolve anxiety over family situation and not
project feelings onto others.
• The second is to avoid becoming a target or scapegoat for
people who may be overcome with anxiety.
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29. Differentiation of Self
• The ability of a person to distinguished between subjective
feelings and objective thinking.
• Confrontation between client and the counselor is involves
in becoming differentiated.
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30. Proscribed Practices
Advise
Un-transparent/closed practices
Therapist monologue (not give lecture)
Consistently siding with one person
Inattention to use of language
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31. Reflections
Sticking in one time frame (but past, present, future)
Agreeing/not challenging ideas
Ignoring information that contradict hypothesis
Dismissing ideas
Inappropriate affect
Ignoring family affect
Ignoring differences
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32. Strengths and Contributions
 Cognitive emphasis of this approach and its focus on
differentiation of self and Detriangulation are unique.
Comprehensive process in assisting families
 Looks at many aspects of the family (i.e., atmosphere,
constellation, goals)
 Respect is given to both children and adults
 Interventions are suggested to children and adults
 Focus on multigenerational family history
 Uses genograms in plotting historical links, which is specific
tools that was originated with the Bowen approach.
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33. Limitations
This approach may required considerable investment on
multiple levels, which some clients may not be willing or
able to do.
Parents feigning or embellishing
Provides much insight into behavior, interactions, and
motivation, but not many explicit interventions
Client who benefit most from Bowen work are those who
are severely dysfunctional or have a low differentiation of
self.
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