PCN 500 Grand Canyon Week 6 Discussion 1

What are the main differences between Bowenian, structural, and strategic family systems theories?

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

Bowenian, structural, and strategic family systems theories

Introduction

The field of family systems therapy is a complex one. It’s made up of several different approaches, some with specific goals, others with more general therapeutic goals. The different schools of thought within family systems all have their own ideas about how the family works and what can happen in it. Here are three major approaches to understanding how families work:

Bowenian therapy, or Bowen family systems theory, sees the family as an emotional unit.

Bowenian therapy, or Bowen family systems theory, sees the family as an emotional unit. It is also known as Bowenian and refers to a psychotherapeutic approach developed by American psychiatrist John G. Bowen and his colleague Morris E. Pavlow in the 1960s that focuses on how individuals can help themselves and their loved ones recover from trauma or other symptoms of distress by taking responsibility for their own emotions and behaviors in intimate relationships with others.

The therapy is based on the idea that each person in a family has his or her own emotional needs, which may be different from those of other family members. These needs can lead to conflict among family members if they are not met. Bowenian therapy seeks to help individuals and families deal with such conflicts in order to avoid repeating cycles of trauma, including abuse and neglect.

Structural family therapy (SFT) is built on ideas about how social structures influence behavior.

Structural family therapy (SFT) is built on ideas about how social structures influence behavior. SFT focuses on the way that families are organized and how they affect everyone in them. This type of therapy is a form of structural therapy, which focuses on the relationship between individual people and their environment.

Structural family therapy places an emphasis on the way that families are organized. This type of therapy is a form of structural therapy, which focuses on the relationship between individual people and their environment. Structural family therapy uses this model to help families understand how they interact with one another and what needs to happen for them to change.

Strategic therapy is primarily a brief therapy technique

Strategic therapy is primarily a brief therapy technique. Brief therapies are used to help people change their behavior and improve relationships with others. The idea of strategic therapy is that people can learn to change their behaviors in order to achieve goals such as being more productive at work or managing relationships better with family members. To do so, they need to set goals for themselves; these goals will guide their actions over time. The therapist works alongside the client through this process by helping them identify what they want out of life and then come up with ways of working toward those goals in an organized way (for example: taking classes at night school).

Strategic therapy is based on the idea that people can make changes in their lives if they think about what they want and then work toward it. It is a brief therapy technique that helps people set goals for themselves, identify obstacles to achieving those goals, and develop strategies to overcome those obstacles. The therapist works with clients throughout this process by helping them identify what they want out of life and then come up with ways of working toward those goals in an organized way (for example: taking classes at night school).

There are several types of family systems therapies, but all see families as a central part of the problem.

Family systems therapy is a broad category that encompasses several types of therapy. Bowenian family systems theory, which was developed by Harold B. Bowen Jr., sees the family as an emotional unit that reflects the needs and desires of its members (Bowen). According to this theory, it is important for therapists to understand their clients’ families in order to help them resolve their problems and develop healthy relationships within them.

In contrast with this approach, structural family therapy focuses on how social structures influence behavior patterns such as addiction or violence (SFT).

Conclusion

We’ve looked at three different types of family therapy, and how they differ. We hope you enjoyed learning about each one as much as we did!