Theoretical Experiential Family Theory

When we are speaking about Carl Whitaker (1988) and his Symbolic-Experiential Family Therapy, we can say he was against labeling of the individual´s existence problems by a simple behavior, cognition, or following a specific psychology model. Luepnitz (2002) express he went further when he emphasized that psychopathology was only a distraction from the real-existential problems faced by most of the families. Whitaker was called as an innovator when he introduced his controversial therapy, but was also extensively criticized. His therapy focus in “present-centeredness” and open clients dealing with their family problems, how they perpetuate their past problems, and how perceived and communicated when playing the role of coach.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss one of the tasks of family development and the life cycle theories. The task I chose was assuming mutual responsibility for child care and nurturing.

One of the essential principles of symbolic-experiential therapy starts in the first meeting with the family. The therapists encourage the family to take responsibility, and this is done through two battles, the battle for structure and the battle for initiative. The first meeting began with both therapists insisting that the entire nuclear family be present in treatment. The Brice family first insisted on starting the session without Don, since they believed Claudia was the problem of the family, not Don. Napier then followed by addressing the family, “Now, maybe you guys aren’t up to this kind of major job

The theory that was chosen to work with this family is narrative Therapy. Narrative therapy is a form of psychotherapy that helps people to identify their values and the skills in their lives. This therapy encourages the clients to face the issues that they face. The therapist helps the clients to co-author a new narrative, and deconstructs those dominant discourses in their life (Gehart, 2014). This learner chose this theory because this theory takes the problem out of the way so that the client can see those skills and the values that they already have.

Systems theory is a lens with which to view human behavior in relation to interactions with different systems, such as family, school, work, and community (Rogers, 2016). Assessing how families function through a systems theory lens allows social workers to examine and understand the different systems that affect the family and the individual. It is a necessary tool in identifying how a family functions in relation to the systems in which it exists as well as identifying what influences are affecting the family. Recognizing these many influences will allow the social worker to understand strengths, weaknesses, and issues of the individual members of the family, as well as the family system as a whole (Thomlison, 2010).

Integration. Cognitive-behavioral therapy can be a launching pad for families to begin employing practical steps to reach their relational goals. As the family is guided to recognize current dysfunctional core beliefs that exist within their system, they can be guided to see how these beliefs have cyclically shaped their interactions and intrapersonal dialogue. Once the origin of schemas is uncovered, the family can move to instituting new beliefs and patterns of interacting to redefine how the family functions and relates. Experiential theory could be a helpful tool to begin the schema-uncovering process while the cognitive restructuring applied through cognitive-behavioral therapy can be used to transition the clients from knowing the current schemas to developing and maintaining new ones. The goal of this transition is best articulated in systems theory as differentiation of self and relational balance. These theories work together to balance give and take in family relationships as well as allow members to articulate what they need that give and take to look like.

Family Therapy is a diverse field, so I have decided to highlight The Internal Family Systems Model developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, who began formulating his theory when he was working as a family systems social worker. Former UW Whitewater professor, Don Norman is certified IFS therapist. Professor Norman and Dr. Schwartz ran a series of certification courses over the span of 18 months at UW Whitewater in the early 2000’s. My rational for my interest in this type of counseling is based on the success my family has had with this theory. IFS draws some of it’s techniques from Freud 's id, ego, and superego, and expands upon Jung’s understanding of the complexity of the psyche. What is shared is the general understanding that

Family therapists should have training in highly efficient methods that they can use to meet the needs of families. These methods should help bring an awareness of how the family processes operate and the therapist should make these apparent to the family. Therapists should also be concerned with helping families re-examine their belief systems and not try to change family structure. A new epistemology, challenging the early cybernetic notions, gained attention (Goldenberg, 2017). For example, the familial unit could influence the individual in many ways and influence the formation of their personality and behaviors. Family therapists should be concerned with epistemology within a family structure. Epistemology explains how one knows what he/she

Experiential Family Therapy (EFT) is likely the theoretical orientation of the co-therapists. The manner in which Rick Ph.D. and Karen Ph.D. asked open questions was remarkably similar that when one therapist asked a question, the other therapist was able to acknowledge and reply the family’s response without changing a perspective. For that reason, co-therapists have the same theoretical orientation.

Experiential family therapy is one that believes the root cause of the problems in the families is a result of emotional suppression. This theory is focused on freedom experiencing emotions in the here-and-now. Experiential family therapists believe clients should seek self-fulfillment and focus on individual’s roles in the family rather than on the family as a whole. In order to promote growth, the individual and family must both grow. Once families are emotionally healthy, healthy attachments can then be made. I am drawn to this approach because of its focus on the individual. I believe that if individuals are healthy, family roles will become clearer and the system as a whole will become healthier. It is similar to when a spoiled piece

If one were to examine sociology at face value they may not be able to identify that there is a degree of science and sociological theories that are embedded within it. Upon looking at families and their structures, there are a vast array of key theories that are used to observe their behaviors: explaining why they are the way they are. In addition, it is imperative to look at how these theories ultimately affect families. Some theories that possess the most vivid and profound explanations of family structure are the conflict theory, interactionism theory, and the functionalism theory. These theories will be explored throughout the course of the paper to give individuals a deeper understanding of how family structures can be studied through these three different theories, as well as their impact on society as a whole.

The family system theory is a micro level theory that views the family as a working unit that achieves goals, makes important decisions, and works out problems together. One of the purposes of this theory is to investigate how individuals interact with their family members. Maintaining equilibrium in a family is one of the most important parts of the family system theory. It states that family members will alter themselves to adapt to difficult situations that are causing the equilibrium to break apart (Benokraitis 40). My family consists of my two parents, me, and my three younger sisters. Sometimes our personalities clash, especially between my parents and my second youngest sibling. My sibling is stubborn and instigates fights which, in turn, causes my parents frustration and anger. Using the family system theory, I can understand why my parents must change their approach to all their daughters. However, my parents fight frequently around my siblings and I. Hearing them fight all the time has made communicating throughout the family difficult because on top of the fighting they verbally put us down. Having that stress around our family changes how we approach one another. When my parents fight, most of the time it is to gain back equilibrium like the family system theory says.

Structural Family Therapy is the belief that families are a special social framework with its own particular structure and examples of correspondence (Nichols & Schwartz, 2004, pg. 176-177).These examples are controlled by numerous variables including qualities, identities of all relatives, and the impact of the more distant family (which includes cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.) (Nichols & Schwartz, 2004, pg. 176-177). As an aftereffect of these families, each family builds up a specific one-of-a-kind identity, which is intense and influences the majority of the members of that family.

As I’ve studied different approaches in my master’s program and this class in particular, the theory that resonates most with who I am and my experiences is the experiential family theory. One aspect of experiential therapy that makes it a good fit for me is the idea that therapists encourage transformation through individuation and self-actualization, believing that to bring a more authentic self to the family will bring about familial health. This has been my experience in my own work. While my child might have been the identified client, as my family worked through therapy, we each had our own opportunity to grow and become healthier. As we each had our own experiences in family therapy, our familial relationships grew stronger. A second aspect that makes experiential therapy a good fit for me is that working with clients begins with a strong therapeutic alliance, and deep sense of empathy with the clients, and the therapist’s intuition (Nichols, 2013; Brubacher, 2006). This fits perfectly with how I see the world. I am a relationship person. I see the world in feeling tones and the ability to connect with

Experiential family therapy (EFT) was first developed in the 1960’s by physician and psychotherapy pioneer Carl Whitaker and is aimed at helping individual family members feel fulfilled and self-actualized within the family unit by means of improving cooperation and intimacy among family members. Unlike other schools of family therapy, EFT does not focus on the perceived problems of individual family members but examines how family interactions and communications cause problems for the individual family members. It is important to remember that, due to the level of interpersonal involvement needed in this style of therapy it requires every family member involved to fully participate in the process. For optimum effectiveness, the family should already be relatively stable.</p> Whitaker’s approach to EFT is known as the symbolic-experiential model. This model emphasizes immediate, here-and-now experiences rather than the introspective methods of earlier theories and promotes emotional expression as a medium of shared experience and as a means of both personal and family fulfillment. Symbolic-experiential family therapy is predicated on the existential idea that there is a great deal more to a family’s dynamics and existence than is empirically observable; unconscious dynamics, histories of shared and individual experiences, secrets, etc. This model attempts to integrate two different aspects of human experience; experience and “symbols.” Experience is what is taken in