Family System Therapy

    

                  Alfred Adler 1870-1937         Murray Bowen 1913-1990   Virginia Satir 1916-1988

    

                 Carl Whitaker 1912-1995    Salvador Minuchin 1921            Chloe Madanes 1941

Family System Therapy

• Introduction- in the early times the approach of choice and that was most common was family therapy. The family systems perspectives is that we are born free and independent individuals of choice and yet most of our entire lives we are attached to family in one form or another (Corey, 2012). It is sometimes best to try to understand a client by their interaction with their family. Specific symptoms of a client are often known as a set of habits within a family (Corey, 2012). Sometimes the best way to  try to help a client is to work with the entire family as a group. Actions of each individual family members can effect all the other family members in the group also. There are two different approaches called the systemic and the individual approach. Individual is more about just the client and their problem and systemic more family based and learning how the family plays a part or influences the problem. 
• Development of family systems therapy- family systems has really grown over the past several years. Alfred Adler was important key founder with him being first psychologist of the modern time to do family therapy (Corey, 2012). With Adlerian family therapy Adler was very quick to notice that family and specifically birth order played an important in many clients. In which is very clear that both children and parents get very use to being negative and it begins to effect both child and parent.  Rudolf Dreikurs came along behind Adler and created a more organized type of family therapy in which Adlerian family therapy begins with forming a respectful relationship as you would do even with a individual client (Corey, 2012). Multigenerational family therapy was the therapy that was developed by Murray Bowen (Corey, 2012). Which deals with the idea and interest of patterns across many generations. Human validation process model was the idea of Virginia Satir in which she emphasized family connection (Cory, 2012). In her therapy process she outlined four communication stances that people tend to use under stress in which they are blaming, placating, super reasonable, and irrelevant (Corey). Experiential family therapy in which was developed by Carl Whitaker. In which he expressed the idea of freedom, choice, self determination, growth, and actualization (Corey, 2012). Structural-strategic family therapy in which was developed by Salvador Minuchin with the idea that an individual symptoms are best understood from the point of patterns with in the family (Corey, 2012). 
• Multilayered process of family therapy- families are considered multilayered in which is affected by larger systems in which they are within (Corey, 2012). Forming a relationship in which begins from the minute of meeting the client. Conducting an assessment usually by starting with a map of the family history. 

Reference 

Corey, G. (2012). Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy (9th edition). Belmont, CA:

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