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A Comparison Of Theories: Strategic Family Therapy

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A Comparison Of Theories: Strategic Family Therapy
A Comparison of Theories
Andre Carrington
MFCC/556
February 18, 2014
Donna Clark
A Comparison of Theories
Introduction
There are an abundance of valid theoretical orientations to choose from in family therapy. For a family therapist to be effective, it is important for them to choose a theory they feel comfortable using. This selection process must involve previewing the different theories to see which ones match their own unique personal style of counseling. This paper will discuss and compare strategic family therapy, structural family therapy, and Milan systemic family therapy. It will also include a discussion on the major contributors, the history, and the specific interventions of each approach.
History and Main …show more content…
They are tailored to meet each client’s individual presenting problem. The goal of the intervention is to change the way the family dynamic works around the presenting problem. Interventions are to be performed by a highly skilled clinician who can assert his or her leadership in the context of the family (Amini and Woolley, 2011). The clinician then discredits the controlling power of the issue in order to place themself as the controlling figure in the family. Interventions are goal directed, and can include specific homework assignments that the family agrees to complete. One general strategy is the use of paradoxical interventions. This can include prescribing the symptom to the family to exaggerate that particular symptom in them family and highlight the level of damage it is causing (Amini and Woolley, 2011). It can also facilitate a rebellion by the family against the symptom, helping them move toward a positive change in …show more content…
L., & Woolley, S. R. (2011). FIRST-SESSION COMPETENCY: THE BRIEF STRATEGIC THERAPY SCALE-1. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 37(2), 209-22. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/874488520?accountid=458
Campbell, D. (1999). Family Therapy and Beyond: Where is the Milan Systemic Approach Today?. Child & Adolescent Mental Health, 4(2), 76-84. doi:10.1111/1475-3588.00254
Nichols, M. P. (2010). Family Therapy Concepts and Methods (9th ed.). : Allyn & Bacon.
Nichols, M. and Tafuri, S. (2013), Techniques of Structural Family Assessment: A Qualitative Analysis of How Experts Promote a Systemic Perspective. Family Process, 52: 207–215. doi: 10.1111/famp.12025
Wright, D. W. (1998). Family systems therapy: Developments in milan-systemic therapies. Marriage & Family Review, 27(3-4), 323-325. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/199565944?accountid=458
Zeig, J. K., & Gilligan, S. G. (1990). Brief Therapy: Myths, Methods, And
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