MRI Group Flashcards
First order Change
Change that occurs at the behavioral level only regarding family patterns of interaction
Primary Contributors
Don Jackson
John Weakland
Paul Watzlawick
Richard Fisch
General Knowledge
-Assess for cycle (do more of the same that they have not been able to successfully change therapy)
-Paradoxical directives
-Therapy terminates the moment after symptom relief even if that is after the first session
-treatment of family is same 6 steps
-Therapist takes full responsibility for change
Goal of Therapy
-Second-order change (ideally but also first order change)
-Help the family define clear, reachable goals
-Break patterns/perturb the system
More of the Same
Refers to the problem of families failing to appropriately respond to normal life circumstances, making the attempted solution to the problem the problem. Families falling into this pattern end up doing “more of the same” behavior, meaning that they do more of the failed solution as opposed to trying a different solution
Out of Session Directive
Paradoxical interventions were typically prescribed through out of session directives; that is instructing clients to engage in behavioral change outside of the session as opposed to in the “here and now” of the session
Paradoxical Intervention
Interventions used to address the concept that families are naturally resistant to change, They either involve instructing the family not to change, or to change in ways that contradict their desired change. Now the family’s natural resistance to change will promote them to rebel against the directive to not change, thereby experiencing the initial desired change.
Positioning
A paradoxical intervention of pushing a family member further into the absurdity of their initial position, thereby making them realize their own absurdity.
Prescribing the Symptom
A paradoxical intervention through instructing clients to intentionally engage in the behavior they wish to change. They may either rebel against the therapists directive and experience desired change, or comply with the therapists’s directive and become aware of their control over choosing to continually engage in the undesirable behavior.
Problem as Attempted Solution
The therapist traditionally assesses that the problem is not the problem, but the attempted solutions to fix the problem reinforce the interactional behavioral sequence.
Report and Command Functions
Every communication has two components, report (the content of the message) and command (a message about the relationship)
Restraining the Progress of Change
A paradoxical intervention when clients come in reporting that therapy has been effective and that they are experiencing change, the therapist encourages them to slow down, and cautions them about the risk of changing too fast.
Second-Order Change
Change that occurs at the level of family beliefs or rules that govern patterns of interaction
