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MFT National Exam > Whitaker, Symbolic-Experiential > Flashcards

Whitaker, Symbolic-Experiential Flashcards

1
Q

Symbolic-Experiential: WHO, HOW LONG?

A

Whitaker
Classical

(Kempler also)

Therapist personality & psych health single most important factor to effective treatment. LISTENED TO CLIENTS.

Move from symptom relief to healing attributes inherent within the growth process. Humanistic.

BEING & BECOMING - CO-BEING & CO-BECOMING

WHO: All members of the family - incl. 2 generations - MUST attend early sessions. Refusal to see parts of family bc meaningful/lasting change requires everyone.

HOW LONG: Weekly sessions until later phases, then monthly. Growth - can go as needed - 6 months-2 years

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2
Q

Symbolic-Experiential: Assessment & Diagnosis

A

Whitaker

  • Therapy starts w/first phone call, sets stage for first interview - extends into as many sessions as needed. Demand all family attend. (Battle for structure)
  • Competency-based approach - no diagnoses/problems
  • Assess family life cycle, transgenerational belief system
  • Asses into extended family & community
  • Pay attention to subsytems, emotional age vs chrono age, triadic patterns, dyadic collusions, teaming, individual dynamics

Non-pathologizing. When clients inquire about a diagnosis, Whitaker did therapeutic double bind - relational diagnosis that is unlikely to change.

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3
Q

Symbolic-Experiential: GOALS

A

GOALS:

  • Increase sense of belongingness to the family
  • Encouraging freedom to individuate
  • Increase creative expression
  • Safety in emotional expression
  • Be congruent with yourself

10 SPECIFIC GOALS

1) Increase level of stress
2) Development of family nationalism (shared anxiety)
3) Expand relationships w/entire family
4) Expand relationships –> culture, community
5) Develop family boundaries
6) Separate generations
7) Play
8) Develop we/they. Therapist-family split (models of constant cycle of separating, joining)
9) Explode myth of individuality - believe in itself sense of unit w/strong sense of its absurdity
10) Each member to be more of themselves.

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4
Q

Symbolic-Experiential: Themes

A

1) Emotional suppression was source of dysfunction
2) Clinicians need to be attuned to SELF AS THERAPIST, become more of WHO THEY ARE vs. textbook.
3) Authenticity of therapist
4) Respond to your own anxieties to do here-and-now interventions - evoke the emotional experience of the family.
5) By being yourself as the therapist, helps clients be themselves.

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5
Q

Symbolic-Experiential: Stance of Therapist

A

Artist & Healer

  • Co-therapist: rely on their interpersonal intimacy to sustain them rather than expecting client family to meet their needs
  • Therapist mirrors grandparent role. Involved in loving but not essential to family function.
  • Therapist does NOT take role of expert.
  • Relationships within the family more important than that of relationship w/family and therapist.
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6
Q

Person of the Therapist

A

Whitaker
Symbolic-Experiential

Primary factor for outcome of therapy is psych health and authenticity of therapist!

Be real! Spontaneity

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7
Q

Existential Encounter

A

Whitaker
Symbolic-Experiential

Therapist’s willingness to receive client’s reactions to them and to share their reactions w/clients

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8
Q

Therapy of the Absurd

A

Whitaker
Symbolic-Experiential

May be seen as absurd bc it’s unrecognizable structure, spontaneity, transparency of therapist

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9
Q

Individuation

A

Whitaker
Symbolic Experiential

Primary Goal - become more of who you are

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10
Q

Family Interaction

A

Whitaker
Symbolic-Experiential

Health fam interaction is flexibly & openness to life experiences

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11
Q

Battle for Structure

A

Whitaker
Symbolic-Experiential

Therapist must win this battle to be effective.
Determine who attends session, what time they are, how frequent, for how long.

If fam won’t do it, they aren’t ready.

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12
Q

Battle for Initiative

A

Whitaker
Symbolic-Experiential

After winning battle for structure, fam must win this battle. Realize & demonstrate they are responsible for change.

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13
Q

Expanding Distress

A

Whitaker
Symbolic-Experiential

Shift the problem to whole family so as to get rid of scapegoating, blame

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14
Q

Activating Constructive Anxiety

A

Whitaker
Symbolic-Experiential

Reframe symptoms as efforts toward competence - focus on positive attributes of working w/family

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15
Q

Redefining Symptoms

A

Whitaker
Symbolic-Experiential

Redefine sx from pathological toward growth

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16
Q

Fantasy Alternative

A

Whitaker
Symbolic-Experiential

When you talk about probs in a fantasy/what if way. “What if you medicated your husband and he wasn’t so emotional.”

17
Q

Affective Communication

A

Whitaker
Symbolic-Experiential

Therapist directly reports to family their subjective emotional response

18
Q

Co-Therapist

A

Whitaker
Symbolic-Experiential

Always work w/co-therapist. You can be crazier, your co grounds you.

19
Q

Degrees of Craziness

A

Whitaker
Symbolic-Experiential

Driven crazy
Going Crazy
Acting Crazy

occurs in dysfunctional families

20
Q

Teaming Roles

A

Whitaker
Symbolic-Experiential

healthy fam members may be inteionally put into teams by TH to encourage further healthy B

21
Q

Therapeutic Double Bind

A

Whitaker
Symoblic-Experiential

What about a diagnosis? Whitaker would give a double - bind, diagnosis that won’t likely change

22
Q

Bilateral Pseudo-Therapy

A

Whitaker
Symb-Exp

When family members try to be therapist to ea. other

23
Q

Bilateral Transference

A

Whitaker
Symb-Exp

Taking on gestures, language, posture of family

24
Q

Flight Toward Health

A

Whitaker
Symb-Exp

Fam abruptly stops treatment. Positive sign - they experienced sudden growth. Always supportive no matter what phase they are in

25
Q

Symbolic-Experiential: Treatment Phases

A

No true structure.
Not even a theory, just focus on growth.

Early: win Battle for Structure, Battle for Initiative

Middle: Achieve reorganization around the expanded symptom

Late: operate as mobile milieu. Move to terminate is always encouraged.

Therapists should also check in on their own growth and interest.

26
Q

Whitaker’s Common Strategies

A
  • Basic empathy for family
  • Develop liaison w/patriarch (contemporary male inadequacy)
  • Treat kids like kids - play with them
  • Person of therapist, growth of therapist
  • Sx are efforts for growth
  • Probe unconscious, tickle defenses
    • Invade family’s operation
    • Personal confrontations
    • Increase pathology - implicate whole family - absurdity
    • Fantasy alternatives

MFT National Exam (19 decks)

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