Theories of Counseling:
Systemic Approaches
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Systemic Approaches/Systems Therapy
Basic Tenets
Looks at circular or reciprocal influence rather than linear influence.
Systemic thinking has been influenced by natural science, mathematics,
chaos theory, physics, systems theory, psychoanalysis, anthropology and
evolutionary psychology.
Circular causality: Looks at the way conflict occurs in the context of others
who are causing reciprocal grief.
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Systemic Approaches/Systems Therapy
Basic Tenets (continued)
Rules of Relationships: Every family or system has explicit or subtle rules to
guide behavior. Rules apply to:
Power structure: Who has the power?
History: What are the family legends, myths and history that have been
inherited from previous generations?
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Systemic Approaches/Systems Therapy
Basic Tenets (continued)
Coalitions: Who is aligned with whom?
Hierarchy: Who is in control? What is the pecking order?
Roles: Who is the rescuer? Distracter? Troublemaker?
Boundaries: Are the boundaries loose or ridged?
Enmeshment: Is there differentiation or are members too close to each
other.
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Systemic Approaches/Systems Therapy
Basic Tenets (continued)
Culture: What is the cultural identity of the family? (religion,
socioeconomic status, ethnicity).
Communication: What are the communication patterns and metarules?
Life Cycle: What is the developmental stage of the family? (launching
children, empty nest, married without children etc.)
Metaphors: What is the underlying symbolic interactions between family
members?
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Systemic Approaches/Systems Therapy
Types of Therapies
Psychoanalytic (Murray Bowen, Nathan Ackerman and James Framo): Looks
at the way influences from the past shape the present family dynamics.
Humanistic/Existential (Carl Whitaker and Virginia Satir): Emphasizes
relationships within family systems and the therapists use themselves as tools
while being warm, engaging and receptive.
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Systemic Approaches/Systems Therapy
Types of Therapies (continued)
Structural (Salvador Minuchin): Looks at the underlying structure
of families while looking to initiate adjustments.
Strategic (Jay Haley and Cloe Madanes): Concerned with inter-
relational and communication styles and how these might be
altered.
Multicultural approaches: Looks at the societal influences of
marginalization, oppression and ethnic identity.
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Systemic Approaches/Systems Therapy
Types of Therapies (continued)
Narrative Therapy (Michael White and David Epston): It is a phenomenological
approach that looks at a family’s inner experience and personal meaning
through the use of language.
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Systemic Approaches/Systems Therapy
Interventions
Externalizing Conversations: Helps the client place the problem outside of
himself or herself (e.g. When did this problem begin to start to take over your
life?”)
Mapping the Influence: Helps the family to explore the effects and outcomes
and makes it clear that everyone “owns” the problem.
Unique Outcome Questions: Looking for the exceptions to the problem.
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Systemic Approaches/Systems Therapy
Interventions (continued)
Unique Possibilities: Helps the family visualize a time in the future when
the problem is no longer affecting them.
Restorying: Helps families change their narratives about who they are and
what got them to the place there are at right now.
The Problem Is The Problem: The problem is not the individual or the
family, but the problem is the problem.
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Systemic Approaches/Systems Therapy
Similarities Among the Therapies
Problems need to be understood within the context of the family system.
Changes in one part of the system will affect all others who are interconnected
to that system.
It is expedient to involve all family members in treatment.
All therapy is family therapy.
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Systemic Approaches/Systems Therapy
Similarities Among the Therapies (continued)
Families go through a family life cycle.
Experiences you had in your family of origin shapes the way your current family
evolves.
Families as a system, organize themselves to maintain stability.
Family structures exist in a cultural context.
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Systemic Approaches/Systems Therapy
Similarities Among the Therapies (continued)
Human behavior is often triangular, meaning conflicts between two people
usually involve a third person.
Families get stuck in ruts or repetitive patterns that restrict their freedom and
options.
Symptoms are often useful and functional and help maintain family
equilibrium.
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Systemic Approaches/Systems Therapy
Notes About Working With Families
You need to decide which members of the family with which you are going to
work.
You have to join the family to effect change from within.
You have to be careful you don’t take sides and are perceived as fair and
objective.
You need to maintain control over the session.
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Systemic Approaches/Systems Therapy
Notes About Working With Families (continued)
You need to help the family reframe the problem so that the focus is not just
on one family member.
You need to be highly active and directive in order to implement your
interventions.
You need to consider individual behavior but also attend to family interactive
patterns.
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Systemic Approaches/Systems Therapy
Notes About Working With Families (continued)
You need to keep things moving and be active to keep the family members
(especially children) engaged in the process.
You need to get more supervision than you would with individual cases
because family therapy is infinitely more complex.
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Systemic Approaches/Systems Therapy
Stages in the Process
First Contact: First impressions are important and you need to be perceived
as accessible to every one, knowledgeable, confident and calm. It is important
to note where each family member sits and how the family interacts.
Joining the Family: You need to try to build a connection with every family
member without showing favoritism or bias toward one over another.
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Systemic Approaches/Systems Therapy
Stages in the Process (continued)
Assessment: You need to check out coalitions, power hierarchies,
channels of communication, dysfunctional behavior etc., all while looking at
the strengths and weaknesses of each family member.
Reorientation: This is where you present your impression or interpretation
of what is going on within the family.
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Systemic Approaches/Systems Therapy
Stages in the Process (continued)
Structural Realignments: This means making changes in the way family
members interact with each other.
Intervention: These are the therapeutic actions that are taken and these
will vary depending upon the theory used.
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Resources
Ivey, A. E., D’Andrea, M., Ivey, M. B. and Morgan, L. S. (2002). Theories of counseling
and psychotherapy: A multicultural perspective, 5th ed. Boston, MA.: Allyn &
Bacon.
James, R. K. & Gilliland, B. E. (2003). Theories and strategies in counseling and
psychotherapy, 5th ed. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Kottler, J. A. (2002). Theories in counseling and therapy: An experiential approach.
Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
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