2.4 Structural Family Therapy

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Feb 20, 2024

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Running head: STRUCTURAL FAMILY THERAPY 1 Structural Family Therapy Rachel Stover SWK 656 Indiana Wesleyan University

STRUCTURAL FAMILY THERAPY 2 Current Family Issues There are two factors that can contribute to the current issues within the family. The first one being the divorce between Angela and Don. It has a profound impact on the family’s well- being. Don is facing multiple challenges in his relationship with his children, while Angela appears to be oblivious to the reasons behind Don’s difficulties. Heather expresses her strained relationship with her brother Ben. Secondly, Ben, the son, holds a negative view of therapy which he views as another punishment from his father. Ben feels that he is unfairly singled out for the blame. Ben stated that he feels his sister, Heather, always takes their dad, Don, side whenever there is an argument/disagreement, which in turn leaves Ben without any support. The lack of communication and support needs to be addressed in order to facilitate resolution. Heather appears to be struggling the most with the changes resulting from the divorce. She longs for her previous relationship with her brother and feels there is a lack of respect. The tension that appears between Ben and Don seems to have a negative impact on Heather, as it has severed her relationship with her brother. Genogram A genogram serves as a valuable tool for the therapist and the family. It provides valuable insight into various situations and relationships within the family. Genograms possess the potential to enhance understanding of the underlying reasons behind the occurrences within the house. The social worker can employ genograms to gain a deeper understanding and visual representation of the family relationships and dynamics.

STRUCTURAL FAMILY THERAPY 3 The genogram for this family helps both the social worker and the family. Through the genogram the social worker can achieve a comprehensive understanding of the family dynamic and relationships within the family. It also allows the family to get a visual of the hierarchy within the family, which in turn tells each family member their placement within the family. Therapist Approach During this session, the social worker ask Don to take a step back and to just observe the argument that is happening between Heather and Ben. This allows Don to stay in a neutral position and allows the children to resolve the conflict on their own. The social does acknowledge Don’s perspective in wanting to participate in the discussion but also emphasizes the importance of taking a step back and letting the kids resolve it on their own. This approach is important because it teaches Heather and Ben that they need to communicate better with each other without yelling at each other. Taking a Step Back To address the issue of Don’s involvement in the disagreements between Heather and Ben the social worker asks Don to switch spots with Ben and to just observe the dynamics and conversation between Heather and Ben. This is teaching Don that he does not need to be the mediator in arguments that he can just remain neutral and support both of his children. By having Don step back, this alleviates the pressure that Ben feels of Heather and Don always teaming up against him and allows him to speak freely. By having Don step back and observe the children, it can allow Ben and Don to improve their relationship. This will also allow Don to focus on the bigger issue and potentially establish a more effective co-parent relationship with Angela. When the siblings fight, it is normal

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STRUCTURAL FAMILY THERAPY 4 behavior between siblings. By Don stepping into the disagreements, it can hinder both Heather and Ben from learning how to develop certain social skills and conflict resolution. Re-enactment By having Ben and Heather re-enact their argument it provides them with a heightened sense of self-awareness regarding their habitual patterns. It also enables the social worker to get a view of the dynamics and understand what is going on between Heather and Ben. This technique proves to be beneficial when addressing boundary adjustments or realigning subsystems. The social worker can intervene during the re-enactment process to draw attention to and modify problematic dynamics. During the re-enactment the social worker is teaching and working with Don on how to remain neutral when Heather and Ben are fighting and how to assume his role as the parent by not becoming overly involved within the problems between his children. Other Techniques By having the family present and participate in a re-enactment, the social worker has the opportunity to witness the family dynamic and what goes on within the household. This allowed the social worker to correct the behavior of Don’s involvement and reminded him of his role as the parent. Additionally, the social worker was able to provide feedback to Heather and Ben after the re-enactment and address any emotions or concerns they had. In addition to this technique, I think it would be beneficial for each member of the family to participate in family therapy. I also think that it could be beneficial to have Angela participate in a few family therapy sessions so that she gets a clear understanding of what is going on between Don and the children and see how she may be able to help the situation. The reason I believe the family would benefit from individual therapy is because they all have emotions and

STRUCTURAL FAMILY THERAPY 5 concerns regarding the divorce and the changes within the family that they may have not fully processed.

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