What is Strategic Family Therapy? | MFT Model Reviews

Summary

In this video, Stephanie Yates Onyobile provides a comprehensive overview of Jay Haley's Strategic Family Therapy (SFT), a solution-focused model aimed at resolving family issues through brief interventions. She explains core concepts like circular causality, power dynamics, and second-order change, emphasizing the therapist's role in guiding families toward sustainable change. Using techniques such as paradoxical interventions, ordeals, and reframing, SFT encourages families to break negative cycles and adopt new perspectives. The video offers practical insights into effective family therapy strategies for addressing dysfunction and improving communication.

Takeaways

• 😀 **Strategic Family Therapy** focuses on resolving family dysfunction quickly by targeting symptomatic behavior and changing family dynamics.
• 😀 **Circular causality** in family therapy means that problems are seen as part of a repeating cycle, where each family member’s behavior influences others, creating a dysfunctional loop.
• 😀 **First-order change** involves surface-level changes, while **second-order change** focuses on deep, lasting shifts in family dynamics and relational patterns.
• 😀 Haley’s approach views **symptoms as power**, suggesting that problematic behaviors often arise from a need to regain control within the family system.
• 😀 The therapist in **Strategic Family Therapy** is seen as an **expert**, offering clear directives to bring about change in family behavior and relationships.
• 😀 **Paradoxical interventions** ask family members to do the opposite of what would typically resolve the problem, such as encouraging a couple to argue more to help them recognize their control over the situation.
• 😀 **Ordeals** are tasks that pair an unpleasant or unwanted task with a symptom, like requiring parents to buy each other gifts every time they argue, creating an unpleasant consequence for the behavior.
• 😀 **Restraint** involves the therapist advising the family to **not change** their behavior, forcing them to realize they have control over the situation and that they can choose to stop.
• 😀 **Positioning** exaggerates the severity of a symptom (e.g., telling a family that their constant arguments mean they 'hate' each other) to help the family see the problem in a different light and reduce its perceived severity.
• 😀 **Reframing** involves viewing a problematic behavior from a positive perspective, like reframing a child’s destructive behavior as an expression of creativity, shifting how the family interprets the issue.

Q & A

What is the primary goal of Jay Haley's Strategic Family Therapy?

The primary goal of Jay Haley's Strategic Family Therapy is to relieve symptoms in the family by altering the behaviors that sustain the dysfunction, rather than focusing on deep psychological insights or unconscious causes.

How does Strategic Family Therapy view the cause of family problems?

Strategic Family Therapy views family problems as a result of circular causality, meaning that issues are interconnected and perpetuated by the behaviors and interactions of family members, rather than being caused by a single factor.

What is the difference between first-order and second-order change in Strategic Family Therapy?

First-order change refers to surface-level changes that do not disrupt the underlying family dynamics, whereas second-order change involves more profound shifts in the family's fundamental patterns and rules, leading to lasting transformation.

What is the role of the therapist in Strategic Family Therapy?

In Strategic Family Therapy, the therapist is seen as an expert who provides directive interventions to guide the family through the change process. The therapist assigns tasks and challenges dysfunctional behaviors to achieve symptom relief.

Can you explain the concept of paradoxical interventions in Strategic Family Therapy?

Paradoxical interventions involve instructing the family to continue or even increase dysfunctional behaviors as a way to disrupt their patterns and highlight the family's ability to control or change those behaviors. This approach often leads to the family realizing their power to stop the behaviors.

What are ordeals in Strategic Family Therapy?

Ordeals are tasks that are unpleasant and are assigned to family members in connection with problematic behaviors. For example, if parents argue frequently, they might be asked to buy each other a gift every time they argue, as a way to discourage the behavior.

How does reframing work in Strategic Family Therapy?

Reframing involves reinterpreting a family's problematic behavior in a more positive light. For example, a child who misbehaves by drawing on the walls might be seen as creatively expressing themselves, reframing the behavior from a negative act to a form of personal expression.

What is the significance of restraint in Strategic Family Therapy?

Restraint in Strategic Family Therapy involves telling the family to avoid changing certain behaviors, even if those behaviors are problematic. This technique can help the family realize their power to change and question the validity of the behavior.

What does positioning mean in Strategic Family Therapy?

Positioning involves exaggerating the severity of a symptom or problem in order to challenge the family's perception. For example, a therapist might exaggerate the intensity of family conflict to help members see that the issue may not be as dire as they believe.

How does Strategic Family Therapy differ from other therapeutic approaches?

Strategic Family Therapy is distinct from other approaches in its focus on direct, task-oriented interventions aimed at quick symptom relief. It emphasizes altering dysfunctional behaviors through paradoxical techniques, rather than exploring deep emotional or unconscious issues.