Paradigms of Clinical Social Work - Essay Example

? Family Therapy Family therapy is also referred to as family systems therapy or simply family counselling; it is a branch of psychotherapy whose main concern is to foster change and development in families and relationships. In this approach to family counselling, change is viewed in terms of the interaction systems that exist between different members of the family, and existing family relationships are regarded as fundamental factors that contribute towards psychological health. To date, there exists several schools of thought with varying approaches to family therapy; for instance, some of the leading models of family therapy include, but are not limited to the Structural, Milan Systemic and Narrative family therapy models. This paper aims to Compare and contrast different views of systems in Structural, Milan Systemic and Narrative family therapy models; in this regard, both the similarities and differences in the family therapy models of the said systems will be analyzed. Since time immemorial, the family as a social unit has always encountered various problems and challenges that have called for interventions in many cultures and societies around the world. Family therapy emerged as a distinctive professional practice in response to the need of providing practical solutions to family problems while nurturing change and development in the family unit (Gibbs, n.d). Family therapy was given impetus in the mid-1950s through the contributions of Anthropologist Bateson Gregory and his colleagues; later, Satir and Watzlawick among other Anthropologists introduced ideas from cybernetics and general systems theory into psychotherapy and social psychology. A number of different schools of family therapy emerged in the mid-1960s; some of the family therapy models that emerged were greatly influenced by the cybernetics and the systems theory, which included Structural and Milan Systemic family therapy models. A common feature between the three models of family therapy namely Structural, Milan Systemic and Narrative family therapy models is inherent; the three family therapy models seem to agree on the importance of family involvement in settling problems within the family system. In this regard, therapists from all the three family therapy models agree that involving families in solutions finding often benefits clients; regardless of the problem origin, and whether the clients consider it a personal or family concern, family involvement is essential. However, all the three models have distinct views of systems that separate them from one another; for instance, the Structural Family Therapy, traditionally attributed to Salvador Minuchin, strives to address the challenges in functioning of the family unit (Colapinto, n.d). Structural Family therapy model is based on the Systems theory and it is characterized by certain salient features such as emphasis on structural change as the central focus of therapy; details of individual change and the concentration paid to the therapist as an dynamic representative in the procedure of reforming the family are secondary to structural change. The family coupled with present conditions within the family is regarded as the fundamental contexts within which behaviour is first manifested, maintained and eventually transformed (Dorfman, 1998). During therapy, the structural therapist often aims at joining the family system in order to gain insight into the subtle rules that govern the functioning of family units, and to map the relationships between family members (Colapinto, n.d). In the end, the structural therapist aims to disrupt the dysfunctional relationships inherent within the family unit to invoke change and development of healthier patterns (Asen, 2002); according to Munich, Pathology rests in the family rather than in the individual member of the family unit. The Structural family therapy model is based on the primary assumption that the family structure is the framework for transactions that lead to organization of the family unit and subsystems within the family (Asen, 2002). Family rules are regarded as the invisible set of functional demands that eventually restructures the organization of the family; structural therapists often focus on more important rules such as; coalitions, boundaries and power hierarchies between different subsystems. According to the structural family therapy model, families can be either functional or dysfunctional depending on their capacity to adapt to various stressors (Dorfman, 1998). The archetypical healthy family system is that in which parent-children boundaries are not only clear, but also semi-diffuse, to allow for joint negotiations between the parents on methods and goals of parenting with some degree of authority (Asen, 2002). Conversely, mixed subsystems (coalitions) and improper power hierarchies define the archetypical dysfunctional family system; for instance, an older child may be found in the parental subsystem in place of a spouse that is physically/emotionally disconnected from the family. On the other hand, the Milan Systemic family therapy model originated in Milan, Italy with scholars such as Mara Selvini Palazzoli, Luigi Boscola, Guiliana Prata and Gianfranco Cecchin (Mftlicence, n.d). This model has its origins in Bateson’s work on Cybernetics, which conceptualized problems as the product of interactional sequences, and initially, this model exclusively applied traditional psychoanalytic methods to disturbed children. Profound shifts in the original Milan Systemic family therapy have given forth a modern perspective to the model; nowadays, it focuses mainly on understanding the psychological difficulties in social contexts. Apart from that, another salient feature of the Milan Systemic model includes the emphasis on distinctions and marking difference as an aspect of creating change. The Milan Systemic therapists embrace teamwork in their counselling sessions such that while one therapist may be conducting the interview, the rest may be commenting on their observations. The Milan Systemic family therapy model is based on a non-normative stance and a neutral stance towards therapy outcomes; in this respect, families are only helped to understand their problems but the role of finding better ways of organizing themselves is the family’s primary responsibility. The initial model applied two main interventions namely positive connotation and rituals; while positive connotation addressed every family member’s behaviour in the circular process that maintained dysfunctional interactions, rituals aimed to enhance the positive connotation. Later, the Milan Systemic family therapy model developed interventions that focus on the therapy session such as hypothesizing, circularity, and neutrality (Mftlicence, n.d). This model simply aims to provide new information rather than attempting to set specific goals for change within the family unit; for instance, the therapist asks the family questions to decentre clients by placing them in a relational context. Eventually, the therapist generates new hypotheses that help the family to discover alternative ways of viewing and understanding their problems. Finally, an Australian Michael White and his colleague David Epston propounded the Narrative family therapy model, a form of psychotherapy using narrative (Shapiro, 2002); the model’s main focus is the narrative in the therapy, and both the client and the therapist collaborate to develop even richer narratives. In this approach, narrative therapists usually ask questions that seek to elicit experientially vivid descriptions of life events that have been omitted in the initial plot of the problematic story (Gibbs, n.d). Narrative therapy is a process of externalization that involves the separation of individuals from the problems to allow for the formation and performance of preferred identities; in this respect, the rule of the thumb in narrative therapy is that the person is not the problem but rather, the problem is the problem (Shapiro, 2002). In the end, narrative family therapy model is simply a process that leads to deconstruction and significance formation, and this is attained through inquiring and cooperation between the client and the therapist to author enriching narratives. Narrative family therapists hold that individual identities are shaped by the accounts of personal lives as depicted in individual narratives, and as such, narrative therapists aim to help individuals to describe fully their rich stories (Gibbs, n.d). These therapists also endeavour to investigate the ramifications of problems on individuals and their chief relationships; this further creates externalization because the therapists focus on the problems not as part of people but rather on the problem’s effects on peoples’ lives. Narrative therapy also enables individuals to connect with their purposes, morals, expectations, and dedications in particular life events, thus allowing them to re-author their own experiences and to reclaim their lives from problems. Binaries such as functional and dysfunctional or normal and abnormal undermine not only the complexities of people’s lived experiences, but also the possible meanings that could be ascribed to the experiences in both personal and cultural contexts. Ultimately, there are different views of systems in Structural, Milan Systemic and Narrative family therapy models; this is because the three family therapy models emanate from different schools of family therapy and they are based on different fundamental assumptions. For instance, whereas the structural therapist aims to disrupt the dysfunctional relationships inherent within the family unit to invoke change and development of healthier patterns, the Milan Systemic therapist aims to provide new information rather than attempting to set specific goals for change within the family unit. Finally, Narrative therapists seek to separate individuals from their problems to allow for the formation and performance of their preferred identities. However, besides the differences in the systems of the three family therapy models, a common feature that is characteristic of all the three is also inherent; all the three models of family therapy agree on the fundamental role of the family in the process of seeking solutions to problems within the family system. Recognition of the importance of family involvement in the solution seeking process attests to the fact that healthy family interrelationships are essential for the ultimate reconstruction of the family system and sustenance of a healthier family. References Dorfman, R. (1998). Paradigms of Clinical Social Work. London: Routledge Mftlicence.com. (n.d). Strategic & Systemic. Retrieved from http://www.mftlicense.com/pdf/sg_chpt4.pdf Shapiro, J. (2002). “Applications of Narrative Theory and Therapy to the Practice of Family Medicine”. Fam Med; 34(2):96-100. Gibbs, S.M. (n.d). “The Story Hour: The Use of Narrative Therapy with Families”. Serendip.brynmawr.edu. Retrieved from http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/577 Asen, E. (2002). “Outcome research in family therapy: The family and therapy”. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment. Retrieved from http://apt.rcpsych.org/content/8/3/230.full Colapinto, J. Structural Family Therapy. 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