Structural family therapy (SFT) is a type of therapy that looks at how family members interact with each other. It’s based on how a family is organized and how everyone feels and behaves. By exploring and adjusting these interactions, SFT helps to improve family relationships and support the mental health of each family member.
Thrive Counseling Center is pleased to offer SFT to families in Kent, Tacoma, and Federal Way, WA. This article will explore SFT, its background, and how we use it in our therapy office.
Historical Background and Key Figures of SFT
Structural Family Therapy was developed in the 1960s by Salvador Minuchin, an Argentine psychiatrist who became one of the most influential figures in family therapy. Minuchin’s approach was revolutionary at the time, shifting the focus from treating individual symptoms to addressing the family system. He believed that the family is a complex, interdependent system where the behavior of one member affects all others.
Minuchin’s work was heavily influenced by his experiences working with underprivileged families, where he observed that traditional individual therapy often failed to address the root causes of their difficulties. His approach emphasized the importance of understanding and altering family dynamics rather than focusing solely on individual pathology.
Minuchin introduced the concept of “family structure,” which refers to the invisible rules and patterns that dictate how family members interact. According to him, families have subsystems (e.g., parental, sibling) and boundaries that define the relationships between these subsystems. When these boundaries are either too rigid or too diffuse, problems can arise.
Core Principles and Goals of Structural Family Therapy
Structural family therapy is grounded in several principles that guide the process:
- Family as a System — SFT views the family as a dynamic system where each member’s actions impact the entire group. Instead of isolating an individual’s issues, SFT examines how family interactions contribute to the problem and how altering these interactions can lead to positive change.
- Structural Mapping — One of the first steps in SFT is creating a structural map of the family that visualizes the relationships and hierarchies within the family and highlights areas of dysfunction or imbalance. This helps therapists identify which interactions must be addressed to improve family dynamics.
- Subsystems and Boundaries — Families comprise various subsystems, such as the parental, sibling, and spousal subsystems. Each subsystem has boundaries that regulate interactions. Healthy families maintain clear yet flexible boundaries. SFT aims to identify and correct boundary issues, whether they’re too rigid or too lax.
- Restructuring — The primary goal of SFT is to restructure the family’s interactions to promote healthier relationships. This might involve altering the roles and rules within the family, which helps members establish clear boundaries or encourages better communication.
- Enactment — Enactment is a technique where family members are asked to act out specific interactions or conflicts. This allows the therapist to observe the family’s dynamics in real-time and intervene directly to guide more constructive behavior.
- Therapist’s Role — The therapist takes an active role in the process, sometimes aligning with different family members to challenge existing structures and encourage healthy change.
Different Types of Family Structures
- Nuclear Family — The nuclear family comprises two parents and their children. In SFT, the focus might be on how parents and siblings interac, and setting healthy boundaries between parents and kids.
- Extended Family includes relatives like grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. SFT might work on issues like authority, loyalty, and blending different generations together.
- Blended Family — This happens when one or both parents bring children from previous relationships into a new partnership. SFT often helps with blending family roles, setting new boundaries, and handling conflicts between step-siblings or with stepparents.
- Single-Parent Family — A single-parent family is one where a single parent raises their child or children on their own. For single-parent families, SFT might focus on balancing parenting responsibilities, managing stress, and building a supportive family network.
Common Techniques Used in Structural Family Therapy
- Enactment — This technique allows the therapist to observe interactions and guide the family toward more positive behaviors.
- Restructuring — Restructuring involves changing the family’s hierarchy and interaction patterns. The therapist might encourage a parent to take on a more authoritative role or help siblings establish healthier ways of relating to each other.
- Boundary Setting — Therapists work with families to establish clear, appropriate boundaries between subsystems, like helping parents set limits with their children.
- Joining and Accommodating — This technique helps the therapist gain the family’s trust and understand their dynamics from within.
Call Us Today for Family Therapy in Tacoma!
At Thrive Counseling Center, we’re proud to offer structural family therapy to families in Tacoma, Kent, and Federal Way. Our skilled therapists are here to help you build a healthier, more supportive environment where everyone in your family can thrive.
Call us today to learn more about how we can help you!