Ch. 1 History Flashcards
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)
the oldest and largest professional family therapy organization in the world, AAMFT is dedicated to increasing understanding, research, and education in the field of marriage and family therapy and ensuring that the public’s needs are met by trained practitioners (http:// www.aamft.org/
Basic Family Therapy Skills Project
a project that began in 1987 that focuses on determining, defining, and testing the skills essential for beginning family therapists to mas-ter for effective therapy practice.
brief therapy
an approach to working with families that has to do more with the clarity about what needs to be changed rather than time. A central principle of brief ther-apy is that one evaluates which solutions have been attempted and then tries new and different solutions to the family’s problem, often the opposite of what was already attempted
circular causality
the idea that actions are part of a causal chain, each influencing and being influenced by the other.
circular questioning
a Milan technique of asking ques-tions that focus attention on family connections and high-light differences among family members. Every question is framed so that it addresses differences in perception about events or relationships by various family members
contextual therapy
an approach developed by Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy that stresses the healing of human rela-tionships through trust and commitment, which is done pri-marily by developing loyalty, fairness, and reciprocity
cybernetics of cybernetics
a type of systemic interrelat-edness that stresses the effect on a family therapist’s inclu-sion and participation in a family system. Also known as second-order cybernetics
double-bind
the theory that states that two seemingly con-tradictory messages may exist at the same time on different levels and lead to confusion, if not schizophrenic behavior, on the part of an individual who cannot comment on or escape from the relationship in which this is occurring
dual therapy
conjoint couple therapy devised by Carl Whitaker.
emotional reactivity
a Bowen concept used to describe a situation in which feelings overwhelm thinking, thus drowning out individuation
family sculpting
arranging family members as a sculpture representing the way they acted or responded to a significant event, in the hope they will gain insight into their behaviors individually and as a unit.
feminist family therapy
an attitude and body of ideas, but not clinical techniques, concerning gender hierarchy and its effect on conducting family therapy. Feminists recognize the overriding importance of the power structure in any human system
gender-sensitive issues in therapy
an emphasis on the importance of gender rather than a focus on masculine or feminine concerns.
internal family systems model
a model of working with families created by Richard Schwartz that considers both individual intrapsychic dynamics and family systems
International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors (IAMFC)
a division within the American Counseling Association that promotes excellence in the practice of couples and family counseling by creating and disseminating publications and media products, providing a forum for exploration of family-related issues, involving a diverse group of dedicated professionals, and emphasiz-ing collaborative efforts with other marriage and family counseling and therapy groups.
linear causality
the concept of cause-and-effect—that is, forces being seen as moving in one direction, with each action causing another.
Mental Research Institute (MRI)
created in Palo Alto in 1958, one of the oldest institutes in the United States for the training of marital and family therapists
multisystemic therapy
a research-backed theory and treatment, originated by Scott Henggeler, that views indi-viduals, especially “difficult-to-reach children,” as nested within a complex of interconnected systems that encom-pass individual, family, and extrafamilial (peer, school, neighborhood) factors. Behavior is seen as the product of the reciprocal interplay between the individual and these systems and of the relations of the systems to each other. Developmental factors are included in assessment, and cognitive–behavioral interventions are used
mystification
the actions taken by some families to mask what is going on between family members, usually in the form of giving conflicting and contradictory explanations of events.
National Mental Health Act of 1946
legislation that authorized funds for research, demonstration, training, and assistance to states in order to find the most effective meth-ods of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health disorders.
new epistemology
the idea that the general systems approach of Bateson, sometimes referred to as cybernetics, must be incorporated in its truest sense into family therapy, with an emphasis on “second-order cybernetics” (i.e., the cybernetics of cybernetics). Basically, such a view stresses the effect of the family therapist’s inclusion and participa-tion in family systems.
paradoxical intentions
the outcomes that paradoxical treatment is intended to achieve. When a paradoxical inten-tion is handled poorly, it can be destructive
psychoeducational model
an approach to working with families that have a schizophrenic member, in which atten-tion is given to teaching family members about multiple aspects of mental illness in a day-long Survival Skills Workshop focusing on boundaries, hierarchy, and maintenance of the integrity of subsystems.
reflecting team approach
a democratic and collaborative model of working with couples and families in which clinical observers of a therapeutic session come out from behind a one-way-mirror observing room to discuss their impressions with the therapist and client couple or family; in this way an open environment is created, and, through dialogue, the couple or family is made a part of the larger treatment team.
schism
the division of the family into two antagonistic and competing groups
second-order cybernetics
the cybernetics of cybernetics, which stresses the effect of the family therapist’s inclusion and participation in family systems.
marital skew
a dysfunctional marriage in which one partner dominates the other
social constructionism
a philosophy that states that experiences are a function of how one thinks about them and the language one uses within a specific culture. From this perspective all knowledge is time and culture bound. It challenges the idea that there is objective knowledge and absolute truth. Narrative and solution-focused therapy are based on social constructionism
structural family therapy
a major therapeutic approach to family therapy founded by Salvador Minuchin
systems theory
a theory, sometimes known as general systems theory, that focuses on the interconnectedness of elements within all living organisms, including the family. It is based on the work of Ludwig von Bertalanffy.
therapeutic conversations model
a postmodern approach devised by Harlene Anderson and Harry Goolishian in which the family therapist relates to the couple or family in a more egalitarian partnership
triadic questioning
asking a third family member how two other members of the family relate.
undifferentiated family ego mass
according to Murray Bowen, an emotional “stuck togetherness,” or fusion, within a family.
Women’s Project in Family Therapy
a major undertaking of researchers and practitioners (Marriane Walters, Betty Carter, Peggy Papp, and Olga Silverstein) who sought to emphasize the absence of gender in the formation of systems theory.
Ackerman, Nathan (1908– 1971)
A pioneer in family counseling who helped focus the attention of psychoanalysis and the profession of psychiatry on the treatment of family units. Ackerman was cofounder of Family Process.
Bowen, Murray (1913– 1990)
The founder of Bowen family therapy and the Georgetown Family Center, the originator of the genogram, and the founder of the American Family Therapy Academy.
Haley, Jay (1923– 2007)
A pioneer in the field of family therapy, Haley was influenced by Milton Erickson and worked with Gregory Bateson studying schizophrenia. Haley influenced the development of strategic and structural family therapy.
Minuchin, Sal
The founder of structural family therapy and the former director of the Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic.
Whitaker, Carl (1912– 1995)
A pioneer in the family counseling field whose experiential approach challenged families to look at the absurdity of their situations. Whitaker emphasized uncovering and using the unconscious lives of families.
Satir, Virginia (1916– 1988)
A pioneer in family counseling, Satir focused on building self-esteem and self-worth in people within families through clear communication.
