Brief Therapy Project Paper

The Mental Research Institute (MRI) was founded by Jackson. He was heavily influenced by Bateson and developed the Brief Therapy Project. Nichols (2013) noted “What emerged was an elegantly brief approach based on interrupting vicious cycles that occur when attempts to solve problems only make them worse. Unlike today’s therapies, which are brief by default, the Palo Alto approach was brief by design. (p. 100). The MRI group believed that families make logical, but misguided attempts to solve their problems. These solutions are guided by family system rules. The attempts to solve problems do not typically work and the result is often a positive feedback loop that ultimately makes the problem worse. MRI therapists focus on identifying feedback loops, the rules that govern them, and then finally, changing the loops and rules. They are concerned with modifying problem behaviors in order to reach a more functional level of homeostasis, rather than on long term change or insight. Under the MRI
Once families realize that they can be more flexible in solving problems, they can reduce their resistance in the family system. Some techniques used by MRI include reframing, symptom prescription, positioning, and restraining. The MRI group believes that there are no linear causes within family systems; causality is circular. One example is a child who misbehaves because he is receiving minimal attention from his parents. The mother and father will typically respond negatively to the behavior. This will most likely cause the child’s behavior to worsen. MRI interventions would help the parents change their interactional behavior. Instead of disciplining the child for misbehaving, the parent’s would learn to provide more compassionate responses and help the child feel more loved, which will in turn improve the child’s overall