Structural Family Therapy and Strategic Family Therapy Essay
Key Points
A psychologist named Salvador Minuchin discovered structural family therapy by discovering that family dysfunctions are not individual based but grounded on an entire family unit. Therefore, this model tends to analyze family rules that easily lead to patterns that are highly dysfunctional within families which are actualized through relations and family model systems (Williams, 2016). This therapeutic approach happens gradually and includes interventions that require meditation and self-analysis Structural Family Therapy and Strategic Family Therapy Essay.
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Strategic family therapy was discovered by Milton Erickson with an aim of influencing change. It does so through psychological reviews of the issues that individuals in a family face at individual level (Horigian, Anderson & Szapocznik, 2016). Research suggests that strategic family therapy is more realistic and considerate when compared to structural family therapy. However, its success is highly dependent on collaboration between family members.
Comparison, Strengths and Weaknesses
Structural family therapy helps to re-build a family’s network and cohesion by changing dysfunctional patterns that exist within a family. In comparison, strategic family therapy lays a lot of emphasis on the processes, relationship patterns and hierarchy that exists in a family. A common similarity is that both therapeutic strategies aim at influencing positive change in a family unit through behavior modification, encouraging communication and altering patterns of hierarchy (Williams, 2016). A common strength of both therapies is that they make maximum use of external and internal family networks to develop sustainable solutions that can be used to resolve conflicts within families. One of the weaknesses of structural family therapy is that it eliminates past abuse and trauma incidences. According to Williams (2016), this can be major factors that contribute to current dysfunctional patterns within a family. Structural Family Therapy and Strategic Family Therapy Essay.
Reference
Horigian, V.E., Anderson, A. R., & Szapocznik, J. (2016). Taking Brief Strategic Family Therapy from Bench to Trench: Evidence Generation across Translational Phases. Family Processes, 55(3), 529-542.
Williams, A. E. (2016). The Viability of Structural Family Therapy in the Twenty-first Century: An Analysis of Key Indicators. Contemporary Family Therapy, 38(3), 225-2261 Structural Family Therapy and Strategic Family Therapy Essay.