Structural Family Therapy

Overview of Structural Family Therapy

Overview of Structural Family Therapy
Structural family therapy was constructed as a result of the life work of Salvador Minuchin.
Within Minuchin’s work, he builds his treatment upon the traditional structural family therapy: brief strategic family therapy and ecosystemic structural family therapy. (Becvar,Becvar pg.125)
The therapist begins the session by looking into the family’s structure their boundaries,
Structural family therapy allows the therapist to transform into a coach. This coach takes the family and begins to walk through different drills which allows the family to see many different patterns. These patterns start to work through interaction and promotes a positive reinforcement
instead of anxiety, shame or guilt.
Development and History
Structural Family Therapy was formulated by Salvador Minuchin. In the 1960s, Minuchin became one of the leading experts and spokespersons of this theory. Minuchin would work together to teach Structural therapy to many up and coming therapists. In 1974, Minuchin wrote down a detailed outline in his book; his very own approach how to use structural therapy effectively. Structural family therapy allows the therapist to focus on the family as one unit. It takes the family and considers it a hierarchical organization with how the subsystem of the family will impact the family.
(Becvar,Becvar 2009) Family therapy was a very effective tool in in the 1970s. It began to surface in many classrooms across the country.

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Minuchin 's Basic Concepts
Structural family therapy is designed to show the family a way to learn from past patterns.
Family life experiences of whom ever is involved will show a pattern of mistakes and values.
Minuchin wanted the family to understand and view their family as a integrated whole or as a system. Just like any organization, there are levels of management or authority figure-heads. A family has to have structure in order to maintain balance and organization. Structural family therapy is a step up with three key theoretical concepts or constructs: structure, subsystems, and boundaries.(Gehart pg.135) Structure is a way to see how the family interacts with each other; who is respected and who is the outcast. Why did these individuals get their reputation? What life choices did they make to receive the respect or outcast status? This concept is a result of different patterns and structures that are implied with a set of covert rules of which the
family members may not be consciously aware, but are defined by their interactions.
(Becvar, Becvar pg. 174) Subsystems are looking into two different individual’s pasts that might help bring light to the issue at hand. It looks into how each parent was raised according to their parents. Some parents want their children to have more or less than what they had due to issues that arose with in their own lives. The therapist needs to imply that in a well functioning spouse’s subsystem, there is give and take on both parts. Each spouse brings a different prospective that needs to be respected and acknowledged. Together the parent can come to a conclusion that satisfies both parties. This is called Parental Subsystem. Sibling subsystems allows the children to be children.
As parents, we want the child to experiment with peer relationships. When an issue arrises, the children can come up with a solution based on the parent’s guidelines and boundaries.
(Becvar,Becvar p. 177) Minuchin wants the family to put into place a set of rules and boundaries

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that are implied throughout the family. Each family member has its own identity and functions throughout the patterns of relationships within a subsystem. Boundaries are divided into two different types: clear boundaries and rigid boundaries. Clear boundaries are set to be firm and yet flexible. The family wants to establish these boundaries, but they want the individual to have the freedom to experiment and learn from his or her lessons. Rigid boundaries are rules that are put into place that gives the child no room to experience their own life experience. The parents hover over the child, protecting them from themselves. The child only sees the parents objective instead of formulating their own objective.
Therapist Involvement
The therapist’s role in Structural Family Therapy comes in three phases. The therapist joins the family as the positive leadership reinforcement. The therapist puts into place the family to refocus on their underlying structure. The therapist formulates the family to transform the family structure. All that the therapist wants to do is to reorganize the way that the family sees problems and develop a program as how to maintain a balance of solving problems in a orderly fashion.
Model Application Outline
I.

Therapist Role
A. Observer
B. Show family different patterns of concern
C. Identify problems and implement solutions

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II. Assessment of the family
A. Show family levels of leadership (organizational)
B. Subsystems
1. parents individual backgrounds
2. Children’s viewpoint
III. Define the problem
IV. Reorganize the family
A. change patterns and develop health communication
V. Conclusion
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References:
Becvar, D. S., & Becvar, R. J. (2013). Family therapy - a systemic integration. (8th ed.).
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458: Pearson.

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Gehart, D. (2014) Mastering Competencies in Family Therapy. A Practical Approach to
Theories and Clinical Case Documentation. (2nd ed.) Belmont, CA, 94002-3098. Cengage
Learning.

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References

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Becvar & Becvar, “Family Therapy A Systematic Integration”, Seventh Edition. Allyn & Bacon. 2009.