Family psychotherapy engages clients within their family systems. Each member of the family acts like a gear in a clock-like system. An individual represents a system and simultaneously plays a role in the larger family system. However, if one gear malfunctions, the clock cannot function properly.
Within family therapy, the values, behaviors, and actions of one family member affect the entire system and its relationships.
Each "gear" – whether a child, parent, or grandparent – has unique characteristics. According to psychologist Richard Schwartz, each family member within the family system has their sub-personalities. These interact and clash with one another, sometimes provoking conflicts and issues. Psychotherapists can assist in such cases.
History and Foundations of Systemic Family Therapy
The field of family psychotherapy emerged post-World War II. It is distinctive from other approaches as it integrates cybernetics and systems theory into psychotherapy:
Systems Theory
The concept of systems was pioneered by Austrian biologist Ludwig von Bertalanffy. He observed and analyzed the behavior of living organisms, later describing the general principles of their functioning in a unified systems theory. According to this theory, every organism is a distinct system composed of individual elements. Not all systems are living, but processes occur continuously within them, including within the subsystem of each element. Changes in one element affect the entire system.
As a philosophical theory, the systems approach views objects as systems and analyzes them.
Key Characteristics of a System
Self-Contained
Can exist both as an independent whole and as a subsystem within a common hierarchy.
Not Autonomous
Is not composed solely of itself; it is created by a hierarchy of elements that facilitate its processes.
Unique
Is not merely a sum of its parts, but a unique structure with its distinctive features.
Diverse
Can be studied through various conceptual lenses.
In the psychotherapeutic process, the systemic approach shapes how therapists view clients as unique and complex systems. Psychotherapist Anna Varga integrates the fundamentals of the systemic approach with family therapy into a unified school of systemic family therapy. Here, an individual can be viewed either as a separate system or as part of a larger family system.
Cybernetics
Cybernetics deals with information and how it is managed and transmitted within and between systems. These systems can range in scale from a printer to a corporation, from a country to an individual. When new information enters a system, it initiates processes of response and change within it. Cybernetics optimizes such processes related to information—from the timing of exchanges to the efficiency of data transmission.
In psychotherapy, cybernetics sets the direction for working with a client and their family system. By discussing their family and responding to questions about its structure, a person creates a certain model of that family.
Thus, cybernetics helps the systemic family therapist understand the roles and rules within the family: its internal workings, the interactions among its members, and the inherent conflicts.
Family Therapy: Key Terms
Symptom — a key term in strategic family psychotherapy. It represents a problem within the family that brings a client to therapy. Whether it’s a withdrawn child or an overly controlling parent, any such symptom can undermine the system from within.
Just as chronic migraines cannot be cured with paracetamol alone, a symptom in family therapy needs to be addressed at its source, which is likely rooted deep within.
During systemic family therapy, the specialist focuses on the problematic symptom, analyzing its function and role within the family system. They methodically work with the relationships among family members, the rules, and the myths within them. If a mother believes in the myth that her family is perfect and exemplary, her perception sets the tone for how she structures family relationships and what values she instills in them. Thus, the therapist can identify harmful rules and attitudes in this family and replace them with more effective ones to eliminate the symptom.
For instance, the genogram technique is used in family psychotherapy to identify negative dynamics and reduce tension. Together with the therapist, the client draws their family tree, which helps to recognize harmful behavioral patterns hidden within it.
Just like any other organism, a family goes through its own life cycle, which consists of distinct stages of its functioning:
Monad
A single adult individual.
Dyad
Two people forming a couple.
Triad
A couple with a child (initially small, then becoming a teenager).
Separation
The child's detachment from the parents.
Dyad
The children leave, and the couple is once again alone.
In every system, these stages vary in terms of when they occur and how long they last. Some stages can be particularly challenging to navigate, such as a couple getting stuck in one of the cycles. In such cases, a systemic family therapist can assist in restoring the family's orderly life cycle.
Techniques of the Systemic Family Approach
In the classical approach, all family members participate in therapy. In addition to the previously mentioned genogram, here are some of the techniques that can be applied during a session:
However, it is now common for only one family member, rather than the entire family, to attend therapy. Nevertheless, the methods and techniques can be adapted for an individual ready to change the family dynamics.
Who Benefits and How Long Does Family Therapy Last?
A client of family therapy could be an individual, a couple, or several relatives. Initially, the therapist gets to know the client better by asking about them, their family and its members, and the relationships between them. When a symptom is identified, the therapist collaborates with the client to restructure the rules and behavior patterns that provoke conflicts within the family system.
Family therapy can assist with various symptoms arising within the family:
Relationship difficulties between parents and children of any age
Changes in the family: birth, divorce, relocation, illness, or death
Challenges in a couple's sexual life
Continuous conflicts and arguments among family members
The dependency of individual family members and its negative impact on the entire family
Child-related issues: socialization, friendships, school
The duration of therapy depends on the complexity of the client's issues. It may require from 5 to 30 sessions, typically once a week, depending on the complexity and depth of the family's symptoms.
