HISTORY
Who created Structural Family Therapy?
Salvador Minuchin
Who identifies the problem?
The family
What is Structural diagnosis?
The process of identifying and analyzing the underlying patterns of interaction and power dynamics within a family system
What are "family rules?
The unspoken, invisible patterns and expectations that govern how family members interact with each other
Where was the creator of SFT from?
Argentina
What is a family map?
A visual to show the relationships between all family members
What is family hierarchy?
The structure of power and authority within a family.
What is a coalition?
Coalitions are dysfunctional alliances that can arise in dysfunctional families
What does SFT chart?
Relationships between family members
Who should be on a family map?
Family members
What is "joining"?
When a therapist becomes part of the family system (in a light way)
Name one attribute of a circular question.
•Help define the problem the family faces
•Elicit responses that suggest how situations have changed over time (temporal questions)
•Invite consideration regarding how the interactions of two family members might affect a third (triadic questions)
•Include hypotheticals that invite the family to change their behavior (interventive questions)
Who does the Pathology rest upon?
The group
Name the 3 types of boundaries
Clear boundaries: Help maintain healthy relationships
Rigid boundaries: Can cause problems, also known as disengaged boundaries
Diffuse boundaries: Can cause problems, also known as enmeshed boundaries
What is detouring?
a dynamic where parents, instead of addressing conflict directly with each other, focus their negativity on a child
Name a key point about an unstable coalition.
Fluctuating alliances:
Unlike a stable coalition, the members involved in an unstable coalition may switch sides depending on the situation, leading to confusion and conflict within the family.
Increased conflict:
The shifting nature of an unstable coalition can exacerbate family conflict as members feel uncertain about where they stand within the family dynamic.
Potential for triangulation:
In some cases, an unstable coalition can lead to triangulation, where a third family member is drawn into the conflict to alleviate tension between the coalition partners.