Milan Systemic Therapy

Question 1

Analogical Message:

Answer 1

Milan Systemic:

A metaphorical or symbolic message (process).

Question 2

Circular Questioning:

Answer 2

Later Milan Systemic:
The therapist asks one family member to comment on the interactions of two other family members to create circularity within the system and help the therapist build a more elaborate hypothesis.

Question 3

Counterparadox:

Answer 3

Milan Systemic:
An intervention used to unravel a family’s double-bind message by referring to their dysfunction as legitimate and necessary, and as so, instructing the family not to change.

Question 4

Milan Key Terms:

Audio 12

Answer 4

Classical Schools of Therapy

Primary Contributors

Mara Selvini Palazzoli

Guiliana Prata

Luigi Boscolo

Gianfranco Cecchin

Key Terms & Primary Interventions

A Learning Process: Milan Family Therapists viewed the use of interventions as nothing more than a learning process in which the therapist tests hypotheses and interventions through trial and error as they learn about the family.

Analogical Message:  
Circular Questioning:  
Counterparadox:  
Digital Message:  
Epistemological Error: 
Epistemology:  
Games:
Hypothesizing:
Metacommunication:
Neutrality & Irreverence:  
Paradoxical Prescription:  
Positive Connotation:  
Punctuation (different than Structural):  
Rituals: 
Team Approach:  
The Dirty Game:  
The Invariant Perspective:
Time:

Question 5

Digital Message:

Answer 5

Milan Systemic:

The content of the message (objective).

Question 6

Epistemological Error:

Answer 6

Milan Systemic:
A set of beliefs that are incongruent with reality and become problematic, such as not believing that one is responsible for his or her own behaviors.

Question 7

Epistemology:

Answer 7

Milan Systemic:

The manner in which individuals (families) make sense of the world, including their relationships to and with others.

Question 8

Games:

Answer 8

Milan Systemic:
Unacknowledged strategies that result in destructive interactions within families—often, games are unspoken and used as attempts to control another’s behavior.

Question 9

Hypothesizing:

Answer 9

Milan Systemic:

Continual process of conceptualizing the nature of the family’s behavior that guide questioning and interventions.

Question 10

Metacommunication:

Answer 10

Milan Systemic:

Communication about communication.

Question 11

Neutrality & Irreverence

Answer 11

Milan Systemic:

The therapist’s stance of being open to multiple hypotheses regarding the family’s behavior.

Question 12

Paradoxical Prescription:

Answer 12

Milan Systemic:

Either prescribing the symptom or asking the family not to change.

Question 13

Positive Connotation:

Answer 13

Milan Systemic:
They Hallmark of the early Milan Systemic School. Positive Connotation illuminates upon circularity by assigning a positive motive or value to each family member’s behavior—whether it be a desirable or undesirable behavior.

Question 14

Punctuation (different than Structural):

Answer 14

Milan Systemic:
The manner in which individuals attribute their behaviors as a result of another’s behavior. For example, I only nag you cause you never offer to help.

Question 15

Rituals:

Answer 15

Milan Systemic:
An intervention presented by a therapy team that is described in great detail, instructing various individuals within the family to carry-out specific behaviors and specific times of the day for a distinct period of time. They serve to provide consistency and clarity as to the hypothesized problem within the family.

Question 16

Team Approach:

Answer 16

Milan Systemic:
A team of therapists that strategically hypothesize and plan interventions regarding each particular family. Often, team members will watch therapy as it unfolds behind a one-way mirror as 1 or 2 therapists work directly with the family.

Question 17

The Dirty Game:

Answer 17

Later Milan Systemic:

When parents struggle for control, they triangulate a symptomatic child who then works to defeat the parents.

Question 18

The Invariant Perspective:

Answer 18

Later Milan Systemic:
Typically during the 3rd session, the therapist(s) will instruct the mother and father to tell their family that they have a “secret,” and to then take a trip together, away from the family, for a few days. They are cautioned not to tell the family anything more than the mere fact that they have a secret prior to leaving.

Question 19

Time:

Answer 19

Milan Systemic:
Suggesting that a family’s historic perception of a problem influences their current perspective on the problem, affecting their view of the past and present behavior. For example, if I perceive my mother as cold, I will only recall times in the past where my mother was cold and ignore current instances of my mother demonstrating warmth or compassion.

Question 20

Differences of Milan from MRI & Strategic:

Answer 20

~each session had 5 tasks
~ only 10 sessions but each held 1 month apart
~ always team approach with 1 way mirror
~ emphasized epistemology as informing rules to keep families stuck
~ two primary interventions = positive connotation & ritual

Question 21

Later Milan Group:

Answer 21

Palazzo li & Prata:
- dirty game & invariant prescription

Boscolo & Cecchin:
- circular questioning (dropped paradox)