Strategic Family Therapy

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Strategic Family Therapy

• Jay Haley Worked with Milton Erickson, Gregory
  Bateson Salvador Minuchin
• Started the Family Therapy Institute in DC
• Helped Minuchin start the Philadelphia Child
  Guidance Center in 1967
• Retired in 1995 to La Jolla, CA
• Died in 2007

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Strategic Family Therapy

• Family rules the overt covert rules that
  families use to govern themselves
• Family homeostasis the tendency of a family to
  remain in the same pattern of functioning unless
  challenged to change
• Quid pro quo the tendency of family members to
  treat others in the way that they are treated

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Strategic Family Therapy

• Redundancy principle the familys repetition of
  limited behavioral sequences
• Punctuation the belief that what individuals
  say is caused by what others say
• Symmetrical/complementary relationships among
  equals unequals
• Circular causality events are interconnected
  that behaviors are caused by multiple factors

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Strategic Family Therapy

• The use of short-term strategic interventions
  designed to change the family structure
• - these interventions magnify the problem or
• - these interventions rid the family of the
  presenting problem(s)

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Strategic Family Therapy

• By targeting the entire family constellation, the
  counselor attempts to expand the familys
  resources . This expansion bring about change so
  that the family no longer considers the child as
  a problem but rather concentrates on becoming
  more equipped to handle family crises.

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Strategic Family Therapy

• 9 NEEDS FOR SUCCESS
• The family must ask for help. They must HIRE the
  counselor. The counselor is not thrust upon the
  family
• The family must be in agreement with the
  counselor about what is to change
• The problem needs to be changeable not incurable

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Strategic Family Therapy

• There must be agreement that the family problem
  will be solved without expelling someone
• Change must occur in the same environment in
  which it started
• The family must have confidence in the counselor
• Each family member must feel connected to the
  counselor

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Strategic Family Therapy

• The referring party comes to the first session to
  assure the family that the counselor is in
  charge of their treatment
• The counselor must spearhead the treatment. All
  decisions must pass through the counselor

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Strategic Family Therapy

• SINGLE-PARENT HOMES
• PROBLEM- parentified child is given
  responsibility without authority (deputy
  strategy)
• PROBLEM overwhelmed mom (support strategy)
• PROBLEM enmeshment or neglect (roommate
  strategy)

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Strategic Family Therapy

• PROBLEM three generation home grandparents in
  charge (spoiler strategy)
• PROBLEM revolving boyfriends (powerful person
  strategy)
• PROBLEM noncustodial parent tries to dictate
  life in custodial home (contract strategy)

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Strategic Family Therapy

• OPPOSITIONAL CHILD
• HIERARCHY IS NOT INTACT often distant Dad. How
  can Dad make his presence and authority known
  without ignoring or becoming abusive?
• AT LEAST TWO ADULTS IN CONFLICT Is there a
  grownup or agency on the kids side? Has the
  parent or have the parents given authority to
  outside forces? Are the parents distracted by
  another problem?

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Strategic Family Therapy

• The parent must control timing, topic temper
• The child is more concerned about the PROCESS
  rather than the outcome. The reward is to get
  the adult involved in a ridiculous, heated
  argument.
• The counselor must stay joined with the parents
  and connected to the child.
• What keeps the parents from working as a team?
  The kid need to face two adults when confronted.

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Strategic Family Therapy

• Three parenting strategies
• Mystery
• Nuclear bomb punishment
• absurdity

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Strategic Family Therapy

• Peer knowledge
• Parents must know parents
• Parents must know license numbers
• Emphasize behavior rather than who
• Reinforce time with good peers

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Strategic Family Therapy

• Divorce is a transition, not pathology
• Divorce affects children in three ways
• Loss of a parent (conflict causes 75 of the
  noncustodial parent to withdraw)
• Custodial parent is often chronically angry,
  bitter or depressed
• Parents fight over children like they are property

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Strategic Family Therapy

• Parents need to learn to focus on their
  childrens problems not their own
• Encourage parents to follow the legal decree for
  one to two years to give time for anger to
  subside

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Strategic Family Therapy

• NORMAL DIVORCE
• 1. Mom kids. Assess situation. Privately
  persuade mom to let counselor talk to dad.
• 2. Dad alone. What kind of relationship do you
  want with your kids?
• 3. Parents alone after they both feel connected
  to the counselor. Focus on the negotiation and
  then move on.

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Strategic Family Therapy

• DAD STILL LOVES MOM DIVORCE
• Kids are usually stuck in the middle
• Bring entire family together and let the parents
  talk about how the kids are doing.
• Are the kids carrying on dads fantasy?
• The family is told that there is nothing the kids
  can do to get the parents back together.

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Strategic Family Therapy

• Stepparents need to
• Avoid loyalty binds for the kids
• Earn the right to parent
• Be a kind, loyal, adult role model

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Strategic Family Therapy

• Three stepparenting problems
• Stepparent does not have enough power
• Stepparent has too much power
• The parents dump the kids on the stepparent

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Strategic Family Therapy

• Solutions
• Emphasize the marital dyad first
• Emphasize dyads, not family activities
• Privately ask parent, what do you see the
  stepparents role with the children?
• Counselor needs to align with the weaker of the
  couple to encourage assertiveness
• Work on collaboration between step parent when
  there are just a few problems instead of when
  there are crises