6 - The Milan Family Therapy

Question 1

Assumptions

Answer 1

Assumption 1 - mind is social

• mental problems - problems in social interactions
• therapeutic efforts towards patterns of interaction between ppl, not towards an person or behaviour
• shift from intra-personal to interpersonal thinking

Assumption 2 - circular epistemology

• epistemology - the way we know or understand the world
• how we understand families will help us on how to intervene
• circularity - allows therapist to be more understandging
• allows shifts for (why?) to (how?)

Question 2

Assumptions cont..

Answer 2

Assumption 3 - difference and language

• dev from Bateson’s ideas on lang
• how our lang devs makes it easier to be linear in our thinking
• a change from “X is” to “X shows…”

Assumption 4 - evolving systems

• in an evolving system, therapist is the facilitator of change
• therapist might be directive because he knows what the maladaptive structure is

Assumption 5 - therapeutic change

• change occurs at 2 levels -
  1. Level of meaning - eliciting new meanings
  2. Level of action - prescribing new actions

Question 3

Interviewing principles -

Answer 3

Hypothesising -

• start of therapy
• must be related but different to family’s own theory

Circularity -

• the executive part of hypothesising
• therapist must clarify patterns of interaction
• act of conducting investigations from feedback received from members
• ‘the difference that will make the difference’

Question 4

Triadic questions

Answer 4

• questions asked to a 3rd person about the relationship between 2 other ppl
• getting the outside perspective, will help members dev a better understanding of the family
• enables family’s ability to observe own system
• explore different pers of the same rels

Question 5

Types of circular questions

Answer 5

• spatial difference Q’s
• temporal difference Q’s
• clarification Q’s
• behaviour effect Q’s

Question 6

Neutrality

Answer 6

• sense of respect and acceptance

- therapist blame no one but interested to see how the family works

Question 7

End of session intervention

Answer 7

• they believed that even if families was concrete solutions, these solutions hinders their freedom
• 2 types of interventions:
  1. Positive connotation - the therapists’ quest for understanding a family belief system as a fundamental part of the process of change.
  2. Rituals