Mental Research Institute (MRI) assessement technique
Assessment focuses n the symptom(s) and does not look at history. Looks for instances of circular
... [Show More] causality and determines sequences of symptom maintaining behaviors
Who are the theorists associated with MRI?
Watzlawick, Wekland, Fisch, Jackson and Sluzki
sensate focus exercises
exercises designed to reduce anxiety and teach mutual pleasuring through non-genital touching in non-demanding situations
attachment
seeking closeness in the face of stress
Anxiously attached children
have overly protective and intrusive parents
Avoidantly attached children
have emotionally unavailable parents. The child will make initial attempts at seeking comfort from his or her caregiver, but when it becomes apparent that the caregiver will not respond, the child eventually gives up
complimentarity
refers to the reciprocity that is the defining feature of every relationship
process/content
Focus on "how" people talk rather than "what" they talk about; the most productive shift a family therapist can make; focusing on the underlying processes that are contributing to the content is key
enmeshment
offers access to support, but at the expense of independence. Enmeshed parents are loving and attentive; however, their children tend to be dependent and may have trouble relating to people outside their family
family life cycle
a series of stages determined by a combination of age, marital status, and the presence or absence of children
Narrative Therapy
emphasizes the fact that families with problems come to therapy with defeatist narratives that tend to keep them from acting effectively-Michael White
Personal Construct Theory
According to George Kelly, we make sense of the world by creating our own constructs of the environment. We interpret and organize events, and we make predictions that guide our actions on the basis of these constructs.
Reframing techniques
Process of redefining events from a different point of view; relabeling behavior to shift how family members respond to it
constructivism
teaches us to look beyond behavior to the ways we interpret our experience. Moreover, in a world where all truth is relative, the perspective of the therapist has no more claim to objectivity than that of the clients
social constructionism
a sociological theory that argues that people actively shape their reality through social interaction; it is therefore something that is constructed, not inherent; it looks to uncover the ways in which individuals and groups participate in the construction of their perceived social reality
Solution Focused Therapy
the best way to solve a problem is to discover what people do when they're not having the problem
triangles in family therapy
Relationship problems often turn out to be triangular (Bowen, 1978), even though it may not always be apparent
cybernetics
when a family functions like a closed system, the response to a problem may actually perpetuate it; to employ this concept clinically, therapists simply identify how family members have been responding to their problems and then get them to try something different.
Bowen Family Systems Therapy
1. Two counterbalencing life forces are togetherness and individuality
2. Differentation of self
3. Relationship Triangles
4. Understanding not problem-solving is the goal-ask process questions
5. Use of genograms to outline relational dynamics
Murray Bowen
one of the pioneers of family therapy, emphasized theory as opposed to technique, distinguishing his work from the more behaviorally oriented family therapists. Bowen’s extended family systems model is the most comprehensive theory in family therapy. The goal in the Bowenian model is differentiation of self, namely, the ability to remain oneself in the face of external influences, especially the pressures of family life
Philip Guerin
Guerin's highly articulated model outlines several therapeutic goals, which emphasize the multigenerational context of families, working to calm the emotional level of family members, and defining specific patterns of relationships within families
differentiation of self
cornerstone of Bowen's theory is both an intrapsychic and an interpersonal concept; roughly analogous to ego strength; is the capacity to think and reflect, to not respond automatically to emotional pressures; it is the ability to be flexible and act wisely, even in the face of anxiety
A differentiated person
capable of strong emotion and spontaneity but also possessing the self-restraint that comes with the ability to resist the pull of emotionality
Emotional Triangle
Virtually all relationships are shadowed by third parties—relatives, friends, even memories and driven by anxiety
triangulation
lets off steam but freezes conflict in place. It isn't that complaining or seeking solace is wrong, but rather that triangles become chronic diversions that undermine relationships.
unifferentiated family ego mass
describe an excess of emotional reactivity, or fusion in families. If you know someone who overreacts to what you're trying to say because he or she is given to emotional outbursts, then you know how frustrating it can be to deal with emotionally reactive people
T or F: Lack of differentation in a family produces reactive children
True: manifests as emotional overinvolvement or emotional cutoff from the parents, which in turn leads to fusion in new relationships—because people with limited emotional resources tend to project all their needs onto each other. Because this new fusion is unstable, it is likely to produce one or more of the following: (1) emotional distance; (2) physical or emotional dysfunction in one partner; (3) overt conflict; or (4) projection of discord onto children
emotional cutoff
Describes how some people manage anxiety in [Show Less]