Structural Family Therapy (Minuchin)

Question 1

• *early stage:** reframing, Joining
• *middle stage:** reseating them, blocking interactions

Question 2

family mapping, tracking (aware of family’s symbols, language and values, reframing family’s label of experience, behavior or problem - ex: nagging = concern

Question 3

diffuse boundaries - unclear boundaries - confusion regarding hierarchical relationships, roles and relationships

enmeshment - overly involved

Question 4

conflict-detouring - one subsystem detoured to another - usually when there’s a scapegoat

Question 5

equifinality - same results arise from different origins - inhibited child may develop from

Question 6

nonsummativity - system cannot be analyzed by isolated segments. The whole is greater than sum of parts

Question 7

A Structural therapist would want to establish a first order change with such interventions as challenging the fighting (symptom) and re-labeling the problem (reframing).

Question 8

subsystems are defined by redundant patterns organized across three dimensions: behavioral activity, proximity and time

Question 9

Making personal and stylistic adjustments in order to adapt to a family’s communication and affective style describes the Structural therapy intervention known as accommodation.

Question 10

“Joining” is a Structural approach in which a therapist engages separate family members and subsystems in order to form a therapeutic alliance.

Question 11

Intensity is a Structural term referring to using a change in your tone of voice or repeating yourself to emphasize a point in session.

Question 12

Boundary marking is a Structural intervention designed to separate and strengthen subsystems and break unhealthy alliances. For example, if the therapist redirected the children to go back to the other side of the room to play each time they came near the couch, that would be considered boundary marking.

Question 13

Boundary marking is a Structural intervention designed to separate and strengthen subsystems and break unhealthy alliances. For example, if the therapist redirected the children to go back to the other side of the room to play each time they came near the couch, that would be considered boundary marking.

Question 14

A ‘stroke and a kick’ is a Structural term for acknowledging one member of a system for positive intent, while pointing out to another member of a system how the action has a negative impact on her/him.