Theories in Family Therapy

From a psychological point of view, Angner (2008) describes wellbeing as the prevalence of positive attributes. In this regard, subjective wellbeing involves the general evaluation by an individual regarding his or her quality of life. Notably, this involves feeling negative emotions in low levels, high levels of positive mood, and perceiving that one’s life is satisfying. Families often seek therapy to improve or enhance their wellbeing and solve a conflict. Family therapy is a type of psychotherapy that handles pattern of behavior within the family, individual challenges, and couple relationships. Moreover, he was suspended the previous week for punching another student. Regarding her husband, Lisa feels that Li has an addiction because he spends 2-4 hours a day playing online poker games.

Moreover, she feels emotionally betrayed and that his behavior occasionally drains the family financially. Since the couple finds their son’s troubles very stressful, Lisa perceives it as acting out which is related to the fact that their father spends very little time with the family. However, Li maintains that he has a right to do what he wishes in his free time and it is his wife's high stress level and her short temper that are causing stress in the rest of the family members. Structural family therapy comprises three tenets which are firmly related and guide the therapeutic process. They include the family, the presenting problem, and the process of change. The family is theorized as a “living open system” (Colapinto, 1982, p.

5) whereby the parts are interdependent. In this regard, initiative is at the core of the functionality of the system. The rules that regulate the system keep evolving as members of the group continue to negotiate specific arrangements within this unit that prove effective at any particular point in time. This evolution is influenced by change (Colapinto, 1982). For example, as children grow older, they may need more privacy from their parents and also the rules that controlled their behavior are modified. As stated in the case study, since Jimmy is older, he might require more space and less control compared to Emma. Also, he is more experienced on how to act in different situations. According to Sacks and colleagues (2014), the home environment plays a significant role in the well-being of adolescents.

Parental support, open communication, and close relationships are critical during the teenage years as the individual experiences various emotional and physical changes. Aufseeser, Jekielek, and Brown (2006) state that teens who have a close and healthy relationship with their parents have a lower chance of engaging in dysfunctional or risky behaviors such as substance abuse, fighting, and so forth. Also, they are more likely to report low levels of anxiety and depression and positive levels of well-being. The authors also conducted research and found that individuals between the ages of 14-16 also find it hard to communicate with their parents or caregivers about issues that bother them. However, this behavior has resulted in more problems not only to his relationship with Lisa, but also his children.

Treatment Plan In light of the fact that problems are as a result of a dysfunction in the system, treatment involves modifying the family structure. Notably, this often means changes in the position of individual members within the system (James & MacKinnon, 1986). For instance, more proximity might be necessary between the husband and wife and more distance between the son and the mother. For example, in the case study, Lisa complains that Li spends less time with the family. Consequently, probing and pushing the limits increases the family’s tolerance levels and capacity to handle stressful situations. The structural family therapist also works with the family based on the view that despite the systemic constraints that impact the family to function at inadequate levels, there exists great potential and resources within each person to move forward as a unit (Friesen, 1995).

In practice, the structural theory applies to an array of situations. It is essential to note that instead of being just a cluster of specific counseling techniques, the approach provides a consistent way of thinking and functioning. The fundamental goal when dealing with families is restructuring the family’s system of transaction such there is flexibility in interactions to allow alternative methods of dealing with one another. For a successful process, the counselor may draw from his or her personal strengths and qualities such as empathy and humor to get closer to the girl. Succeeding session may be part of the second phase of the assessment. The counselor evaluates the family structure based on how each person answers the questions. For instance, if Lisa attempts to answer all the questions in therapy and talks more compared to the other members, the therapist formulates a structural map where Lisa is at the top of the hierarchy in the family structure.

Markedly, issues of imbalance of power between the couple and who has the most control between parents and children may begin to come up. Lisa may also begin to perceive Emma’s quietness and unhappy mood and Li’s gambling from a broader standpoint. In supporting Lisa, Li might put himself in her shoes and begin to understand why she reacts to issues in the family as she does. In these sessions, the therapist has each person enact their usual response to a particular behavior. In turn, he or she intervenes and directs the family to find a different approach to responding to an issue. Rather than the parents reacting negatively to Jimmy’s behavior as they previously would have, they can initiate an open conversation so that the child can raise his concerns without fear of judgment from them.

According to this theory, humans are perceived as emotional beings. As such, specific patterns emerge within the family to dissolve the anxiety experienced by each person. This anxiety is elicited either by excessive attachment or too much distance in a relationship. The level of anxiety of any single member of the family is influenced by existing levels of external stress as well as the sensitivities to specific factors in the environment. As such, chronic anxiety may arise if family members cannot think through their responses to situations and instead react anxiously to sensed emotional pressures. However, as a teenager, he values a sense of independence and freedom as he tries to discover himself. In turn, each person experiences emotion pressure and anxiety.

On this aspect, Bowen maintained that the process of triangling is not always harmful. It is only detrimental if the third party distracts the family system from dealing with the actual issue. In this case, Li’s gambling and Jimmy’s negative behavior blinds the family from the real problem which is a dysfunction in how they relate to each other and deal with stress. Besides, disagreements make them feel threatened. From such a scenario, Jimmy might be acting out to receive outside acceptance and approval which seems inadequate in the home environment. The third key concept is the nuclear family emotional response. Problems usually result from the heightened tension between individuals in the family. The level of anxiety is controlled by the type of stressors, the family’s capacity to deal with this stress, and the family’s association with other social networks including the extended family.

When the parents or one of them directs his or her anxieties on one or more children, he or she begins to form negative perceptions about them (Papero, 1990). For example, Lisa perceives Jimmy as the problem child without finding out the underlying issues. The more focus placed on the child, the more the child also reacts to the parents. This aspect can, therefore, explain the son’s aggressive behavior. The same is true for Emma who receives little attention and as such withdraws. According to Broderick (1993), parents’ perceptions of the child have an impact on his or her development and behavior. Therefore, as the child continues to grow, he or she may act in ways that embody these perceptions. For instance, if Emma has been perceived as the quiet child, her withdrawal provides an excellent explanation to her character.

Multigenerational transmission focuses on how patterns and roles in a triangle are transmitted from one generation to the next through parent-child projection as previously discussed. In therapy, counselors help clients to evaluate family patterns and explore the family history. When people distance themselves emotionally, they risk making the new relationships much more important than they really are. As a result, he or she may pressurize others to act in ways that are accommodating to his or her needs. Failure to do so may lead to additional tension (Friesen, 1995). Bowen based the concept of sibling position on Walter Toman’s research on the role of sibling position on behavior and development. The fundamental principle of this idea is that individuals who grow in the same position as determined by birth order exhibit similar characteristics.

One of the main goals in the treatment of the family is to restructure and improve the methods of communication between the couple, children, and the siblings. Open communication will be essential in dealing with conflict since each person’s concerns and feelings will be considered and respected (Papero, 1990). For instance, the helper can direct active listening techniques to help in disarming argumentative postures and improving family relations. The second goal of treatment in resolving marital conflict. One of the ways this can be done is by encouraging the couple to spend more time together and break old routines. The second difference follows this path. While the systems theory looks at the role of individual members as well as their position and influences in the family, structural theory ignores the role of each.

Bowen’s model seeks to change how each operates and thus promote therapeutic change through single members of a system (Colapinto, 1982; Papero, 1990). Another difference is on the techniques that are applied in therapy. Structural therapy focuses more on how to restructure the system including how family members interact with each other. This theory is also convenient considering the limitations of time. References Angner, E. Subjective well-being.  The Journal of Socio-Economics, 39(3), 361-368. Aufseeser, D. Itasca, Illinois: F. E. Peacock Friesen, J. D. Theories and approaches to family counseling.  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 7(4), 223-233. Minuchin, S. The acting-out child and his family: An approach to family therapy.  William Alanson White Institute, New York. Pannilage, U. Structural family therapy as a bridge between" helping too much" and empowerment.