What is Systemic Family Therapy Method?

 Family therapy focuses on the family and its members. Family therapy methods, which deal with different perspectives, focus on the family as a system. Systemic family therapy method also sees the family as an open system that can change and states that family members act within this system. So what exactly does systemic family therapy advocate and what is its place in family counseling? Let's give more detailed answers to these questions.

 

What is Milan Systemic Family Therapy?

Involving the family in a field of observation and evaluation did not happen overnight. The devastating factors of the Second World War accelerated a slow process while forming the basis for the study of the family. Milan systemic family therapy emerged with the need to apply another method instead of individual therapy in the functioning of the family. Within a team of psychiatrists, the Institute for Family Studies was established in Milan and systemic observations of the family began.

 

Milan systemic family therapy said; When it comes to family relations , it is not correct to evaluate the family member alone. The family produces its own system and as the smallest system structure, it is not independent from other upper systems. In other words, the family as a whole creates its own functioning by being influenced by other lower and upper systems. A certain form of relationship and communication emerges.

 

Milan What is Systemic Family Therapy

 

The family creates behaviors, values, moods and family identity that make sense of the system in which it lives . As in other systems, an order is ensured and situations that will overthrow the order are avoided. But, just as no system can be built over and over again without being hit, the family produces the anomie of its own system.

 

Systemic family therapy looks for the traces of the psycho-social situation experienced by the family member in the family. While searching in the family, it includes the socio-cultural processes that the family is affected by in the therapy. To give an example, the problems that may be experienced by partners with different cultural backgrounds, which are the subject of couples therapy, are at the center of systemic family therapy.

 

The relationship and communication here and the pressure created by third parties are part of the sociocultural impact. In other words, every social process that affects individual individuals can be included in therapy. Along with the society we are a part of, the family of which we are another member is another client of therapy.

 

Systemic family therapy creates a family system for itself and wants to define the family member within this system. In some psychological disorders, it is also for this reason to seek the traces of the family. A symptom seen in a family member can give a direct indication about the family system. Let's consider child development.

 

The family is always a part of the work in the child's psycho-social processes. A familial factor that will emerge in the child's developmental stages can cause serious psychological disorders. For example; lack of self-confidence, eating disorders, panic attacks, suicide, etc. This is why it is important for the family to participate in therapy in most situations that require therapy.

 

Milan systemic family therapy approaches the individual's distressing process in a humane way. With a perspective away from judgment and blame, it ensures that the individual does not see his own internal processes as his own. It tries to reveal its own potential by saying that an individual may experience psycho-social disorders within a system. In other words, systemic family therapy prefers to focus on the strengths of the client by nurturing positive psychology. Because the client is essentially a victim of the system he is influenced by, and as long as the victim gets rid of psychology, he will be able to discover his own inner strength. He will be able to remove the set in front of him and start a solution-oriented therapy process.

 

Who Is Systemic Family Therapy For?

Systemic therapy is one of the perspectives applied by family counseling. In many cases, systemic therapy is applied. First, let's take a look at how the system's family therapy works. According to this therapy method, examining the problem in depth is a waste of time after a certain process. The main thing here is to open the way for a solution.

 

The effects of the past are identified, but aspects that focus on the present and the future are revealed, such as motivation, optimism, and the individual's potential that will open the way to a solution . In short, systemic family therapy is focused on transformation and change. It focuses on social bonds, an environment of trust and self-esteem that will strengthen the individual's positivity.

 

Who Is Systemic Family Therapy For?

 

The application areas of systemic family therapy are the same as general family counseling. Family members are also called to therapy to explore the moods created by psychological disorders. At the same time, family takes part in therapy as part of the process in psycho-somatic disorders.

 

In order for some physical diseases not to adversely affect the psycho-social situation, a supportive factor is needed from other family members. Systemic family therapy also comes to the fore with its supportive aspects, especially in issues such as trauma, relationships, conflict and educational life that can be experienced due to socio-cultural factors.

 

What are the Features of Systemic Family Therapy?

We can consider the qualities that summarize systemic family therapy as follows:

 

Systemic family therapy says that individuals act-react within a system. The family system, which has a cycle, can also be rebuilt through reactions.

Systemic therapy evaluates the individual by looking at the relationship and interaction network in the family.

Systemic family therapy states that the family system is changeable and transformable.

It enables family members to raise their awareness by creating a reassuring environment in therapy.

It adopts a supportive solution perspective that paves the way for family members to feel good together.

What is the Transformational Systemic Family Therapy Model?

To understand the world, we just need to study the family; Issues such as power, intimacy, autonomy, trust and communication skills are fundamental to our way of life on earth. To change the world, it is necessary to change the family.

 

Virginia Satyr

 

Now, we continue with the model of a name that family counselor candidates and those who are already counselors know very well. Virginia Satir was a family counselor who aimed to expand family therapy to the community rather than to individual individuals. We would not be wrong if we say that it owes its popularity to its belief in the profession and the contributions it has made to the visibility of the profession. So, with which model did Satir bring family counseling and society together?

 

What is the Transformational Systemic Family Therapy Model

 

Transformational systemic family therapy, developed by Virginia Satir, designs a development-oriented process. In other words, it tries to develop the client in a way that does not depend on the system to which he belongs. At the same time, it aims at a transformation that affects the group from the individual by accepting other family members as clients. She refers to the transformation points for the family within the system to develop a healthy communication and relationship network.

 

What will transform here is to highlight patterns that help to cope instead of patterns that are destructive. Through these patterns, individuals will be able to act in a self-confident and balanced relationship network. Transformational systemic family therapy is based on the necessity of restructuring the family and argues that there is a solution extending from the individual to the family with this restructuring.

 

The model developed by Satir also includes information on what role the therapist will play in therapy. The therapist should keep clients interested in therapy by creating an environment of goodwill and trust. Since the family is a system from Satir's point of view, it should also be approached from a holistic perspective. In other words, the effectiveness of the family in the problems of the family member should definitely be examined. A symptom of an individual disappears when the system-family malfunction is eliminated. The aim of all therapy is to support the individual's self-confidence, to change communication patterns and to promote self-expression.

 

We mentioned systemic family therapy, which is one of the most common family therapy methods. If you are wondering about different topics related to family counseling, you can take a look at our blog.