Bowen Family Systems Theory Quiz

Counselling Techniques for Family and Relationships

• Counselling techniques for families and relationships are an evidence-based treatment
• Techniques are grounded in theory and skill-based dialogue

What is Family?

• Initially, families were defined narrowly as parents and children
• The concept of family has evolved to include strongly supportive, long-term roles and relationships between people who may or may not be related by blood or marriage

What is Family Therapy?

• Family therapy is a kind of psychotherapy that works with families and couples in close relationships
• Also known as couple and family therapy, marriage and family therapy, family systems therapy, and family counseling
• It frequently interprets change in terms of how family members interact
• Family interactions are essential for psychological well-being

Different Schools of Family Therapy

• Family therapy emphasizes the belief that involving families in solutions benefits clients regardless of the origin of the problem.
• Family involvement is commonly achieved by direct participation in therapy sessions.
• Family therapists have the skill to guide conversations in ways that emphasize the strengths, wisdom, and support of the wider family system

History of Family Therapy

• Family therapy's origins can be traced to the 19th-century social work movements in the United Kingdom and the United States.
• The roots of family therapy can be seen in the emergence of child guidance and marriage counselling movements of the early 20th century.
• Formal development of family therapy emerged in the 1940s and early 1950s, including the founding of the American Association of Marriage Counselors in 1942.
• Early family therapy was heavily influenced by psychoanalysis, social psychiatry, learning theory, and behaviour therapy

Basic Problems Within a Family System (example points)

• Marital or partner conflict: Disagreements and difficulties in the couple relationship
• Emotional distancing: Feelings of detachment or disconnection between family members
• Dysfunction in a spouse or partner: Issues affecting a person's ability to function in the marriage

Family System Therapy (example types)

• Structural Therapy: Investigates and reorders the structure of the family system.
• Strategic Therapy: Focuses on the interactions patterns between family members.
• Systemic/Milan Therapy: Emphasis on belief systems

Family System Therapy (Bowen's Theory)

• Murray Bowen created a comprehensive theory of family counseling.
• Self-differentiation (ability to distinguish between ideas and emotions) is a crucial aspect of therapy, reducing illness and anxiety in the family.
• Bowen's theory suggests families operate as emotional units influenced by interactions, not just individual members viewed in isolation
• Family members interact in consistent, patterned ways due to their roles and implicit agreements.

Family System Therapy ( key concepts)

• Triangles: A relationship system involving three people, often where one is in conflict and the others are in harmony.
• Differentiation of self: The ability to maintain one's sense of individuality while being part of a family

Family System Processes

• Nuclear Family Emotional Process: Focuses on four primary issues within the family including marital conflict, dysfunction in a spouse or partner, emotional distancing within the family , and impairments in children.
• Family Projection Process: Parents passing their anxiety, emotional concerns, or relational issues onto their children.
• Multigenerational Transmission Process: The transmission of deep-rooted family patterns and behaviors across generations, influencing individuals' sense of self, ability to differentiate, emotional development, and relationship formation.
• Emotional Cutoff: Occurs when individuals distance themselves or sever ties to avoid conflict and stress but doesn't resolve underlying issues
• Sibling Position: The influence of birth order on roles and expectations within the family.
• Societal Emotional Process: The impact of societal factors (like the criminal justice system) on family relationships during times of societal regression or heightened anxiety.

Structural Family Model (an example)

• Structural family therapy is used to identify dysfunctional relationships within a family, enabling a family to establish healthier patterns.
• Structural family therapists work initially with problematic interactions between family members and the existing rules, patterns/function and coalitions between family members.
• Therapists use “joining” or actively collaborating with the family to understand existing family rules and expectations to achieve a family functioning that benefits all.
• The therapist aims to get the family to enact its problems to assess the family’s interactions & dynamics.
• Mapping is the note-taking procedure to observe the interrelations.

Strategic Therapy

• Strategic family therapy focuses on creating fresh solutions to behavioral issues.
• The therapist aims to inspire the family to implement changes.
• The process often involves providing homework that requires the family to try out different solutions.
• Paradoxical aim is a common strategy where the therapist encourages problematic behaviors to encourage a response.

Brief Strategic Family Therapy

• BSFT is an evidence-based intervention used for internalizing and externalizing disorders in children and adolescent including acting-out behaviors
• BSFT is a strength-based therapy that uses family members' strengths to reconstruct problematic behaviors into constructive interactions

Narrative Therapy

• Narrative therapy is a strengths-based approach that assists clients in developing problem-resolution perspectives
• Narrative therapy focuses on the collaboration between client/family and therapist.
• The primary focus within family is to improve communication, interactions & well-being

Family Diagnostic Interview

• The first one or two sessions with a family within family therapy are to establish trust, rapport, understand the family's history, developmental stage and current functioning, identify desired outcomes, and prepare a diagnostic formulation.
• The family may need additional sessions for a thorough assessment
• This interview process might include reviewing the family’s history, establishing rapport, identifying desired outcomes, and assessing current functioning

Therapist’s Role in Family Therapy

• Therapists should actively participate in family and individual sessions.
• Ask family members about their concerns, challenges, and hopes for therapy
• Encourage open communication and listening
• Clarify words & feelings,
• Assess the impact of words & behaviors, & suggest strategies/solutions
• Help the family resolve issues and improve relationships
• Observe family dynamics within sessions