Clinical Psychology - Family and Group therapy

Question 1

General systems theory

Answer 1

was originally used by biologists to describe the functioning of living and non-living systems. It predicts that all systems consist of interacting components, are governed by the same general rules, and have homeostatic mechanisms that help them maintain a state of stability and equilibrium.

Question 2

Cybernetic theory

Answer 2

is concerned with the mechanisms that regulate a system’s functioning and distinguishes between negative and positive feedback loops

Question 3

Negative feedback loops

Answer 3

resist change and help a system maintain the status quo

Question 4

positive feedback loops

Answer 4

amplify change and disrupt the status quo

Question 5

double-bind communication

Answer 5

occurs when a person receives two contradictory messages from a family member and is not allowed to comment on the contradiction

Question 6

Symmetrical interactions

Answer 6

reflect equality and occur when the behavior of one person elicits a similar type of behavior from the other person. Symmetrical interactions can escalate in intensity and become a “one-upmanship game.”

Question 7

complementary interactions

Answer 7

reflect inequality and occur when the behavior of one person complements the behavior of the other person. A common complementary pattern is for one person to assume a dominant role, while the other assumes a subordinate role

Question 8

postmodernism

Answer 8

which challenges the basic premises of general systems theory, including the premise that there are universal laws that govern systems and can be discovered by scientific research. These approaches adopt a constructivist or social constructionist perspective and assume that there are multiple viewpoints and realities. They view family therapy as a shared process in which the therapist forms a collaborative relationship with the family and helps family members identify alternative ways of interpreting and resolving problems.

Question 9

Differentiation

Answer 9

Differentiation is both intra- and interpersonal. The intrapersonal aspect is a person’s ability to distinguish between his or her own feelings and thoughts. This ability makes it possible for the person to separate his or her own emotional and intellectual functioning from the functioning of others, which is the interpersonal aspect of differentiation. A person with a low level of differentiation becomes “emotionally fused” with other family members.

Question 10

Emotional Triangles

Answer 10

when a family dyad experiences tension, it may recruit a third family member to form an emotional triangle which helps alleviate tension and increase stability.

Question 11

Family Projection Process

Answer 11

The family projection process refers to the parents’ projection of their emotional immaturity onto their children, which causes the children to have lower levels of differentiation.

Question 12

Multigenerational Transmission Process

Answer 12

The multigenerational transmission process is an extension of the family projection process and refers to the transmission of emotional immaturity from one generation to the next.

Question 13

Extended Family Systems Therapy (Bowen)

Answer 13

The primary goal of therapy is to increase each family member’s differentiation

Question 14

Structural Family Therapy (Minuchin)

Answer 14

is based on the assumption that a family member’s symptoms are related to problems in the family’s structure, and identifies subsystems and boundaries as important aspects of a family’s structure

Question 15

stable coalition

Answer 15

occurs when one parent and a child form an inflexible alliance against the other parent

Question 16

unstable coalition

Answer 16

Also known as triangulation and occurs when each parent demands that the child side with him or her

Question 17

detouring-attack coalition

Answer 17

occurs when parents avoid the conflict between them by blaming the child for their problems

Question 18

detouring-support coalition

Answer 18

occurs when parents avoid their own conflict by overprotecting the child.

Question 19

Strategic Family Therapy (Haley)

Answer 19

based on the assumptions that struggles for power and control in relationships are core features of family functioning and that “a symptom is a strategy that is adaptive to a current social situation for controlling a relationship when all other strategies have failed

Question 20

Prescribing the symptom

Answer 20

involves instructing family members to engage in the problematic behavior, often in an exaggerated way.

Question 21

Restraining

Answer 21

involves encouraging family members not to change or warning them not to change too quickly.

Question 22

ordeal

Answer 22

an unpleasant task that a family member is asked to perform whenever he or she engages in the undesirable behavior.

Question 23

Milan Systemic Family Therapy

Answer 23

based on the assumption that “the family as a whole protects itself from change through homeostatic rules and patterns of communication. The primary goal of therapy is to alter the family rules and communication patterns that are maintaining problematic behavior.

Question 24

Circular questioning

Answer 24

asking each family member the same question to identify differences in perceptions about events and relationships and uncover family communication patterns. For example, a therapist might ask each member, “When mom is depressed, what does Dad do?”

Question 25

Conjoint Family Therapy (Satir)

Answer 25

family systems seek a state of balance, with family problems arising when balance is maintained by unrealistic expectations, inappropriate rules and roles, and dysfunctional communication. The primary goal of conjoint family therapy is to enhance the growth potential of family members by increasing their self-esteem, strengthening their problem-solving skills, and helping them communicate congruently

Question 26

Narrative Family Therapy

Answer 26

Practitioners of narrative family therapy consider a person’s problems “as arising from, and being maintained by, oppressive stories which dominate the person’s life. The primary goal of narrative family therapy is to replace problem-saturated stories with alternative stories that support more satisfying and preferred outcomes.

Question 27

Emotionally Focused Therapy

Answer 27

EFT was designed to help emotionally distressed partners who want to strengthen their relationship and stay together. EFT is based on the assumptions that (a) emotions are essential to the organization of attachment behaviors and influence how people experience themselves and their partners in intimate relationships, (b) the attachment needs of partners are essentially healthy and adaptive but problems arise when needs are enacted in the context of attachment-related insecurities, and (c) relationship distress is maintained by the ways in which interactions between partners are organized and by the dominant emotional experiences of each partner

Question 28

Functional Family Therapy

Answer 28

Functional family therapy (FFT) is an evidence-based treatment for at-risk adolescents (e.g., those who have conduct disorder and/or a substance use disorder) and their families. the primary goal of FFT is to replace problematic behaviors with nonproblematic behaviors that fulfill the same relationship functions.

Question 29

Multisystemic Therapy

Answer 29

Multisystemic therapy (MST) is an evidence-based treatment that was originally developed for adolescent offenders at risk for out-of-home placement and their families, but it has subsequently been adapted for adolescents with other serious clinical problems including psychiatric disturbances, substance abuse, and childhood maltreatment. MST is provided in the family’s home and community settings where problems occur,