Definition of Strategic Family Therapy

Strategic family therapy helps families use their resources to solve problems.

Strategic family therapy is a family-oriented that involves a patient's daily family environment as a major part of treatment. Pressure from family, society and peers can create rifts in even the strongest families creating dysfunction. The goal is to fix the problem creating disruption and preserving the family unit no matter what.

Haley Model

Jay Haley and Salvador Minuchin are considered the pioneers of strategic family therapy. In the 1950s and 1960s, Haley and other therapists began experimenting with alternative models of working with families that relied on solution-focused techniques. The solution-focused approach was favored over traditional psychoanalysis.
The therapy is based on the idea that people don't develop problems in isolation. Strategic therapy implements techniques that meet the specific need of a family and their interaction.

Behavior Problems

Children between the ages eight and 17 are vulnerable to developing behavior problems. When this happens it can throw family dynamics into a state of chaos. Strategic family therapy is a solution-oriented approach. They focus on getting to the root of the problem rather than what caused it. The therapist works on helping their clients turn their lives around by creating a carefully planned strategy, execution and monitoring progress. The therapy is based on five stages: identify problems that can be solved, establish goals, create interventions that meet these objectives, analyze the responses, and examine the results. The therapy emphasis is on the social situation not the individual. Solving problems, meeting family goals and help change a person's dysfunctional behavior.

Family Interaction

Strategic family therapy considers the family unit as a system. Families function just like any other system. They naturally establish rules and interactions that affect every member. When the affected family member's problems are recognized and addressed, the entire family becomes part of the solution process. The idea behind this method is that the family has the most influence on a person's life.

Therapy

All the family members participate within a safe, therapeutic setting. The therapist attempts to recreate typical family interactions and conversation through provocative questioning techniques so that the problems can be presented and addressed accordingly. It also give family members a chance to see how their interactions and responses can contribute to a dysfunctional situation. The therapy works on helping families discover their unique ability to solve their problems using internal resources they weren't aware they had.

Who Does it Help?

All families face challenges. ADD/ADHD, depression and substance abuse are a few of examples of issues that can affect a family unit. If a child were dealing with any of the previous issues and had become estranged from the family, the therapist would bring everyone together in a clinical setting to watch how they interact. Then he could work closely with everyone in the family to implement and execute solutions to help correct the dysfunctional behavior.

Strategic Family Therapists

If you have considered a career as a family therapist, you may be interested in working as a strategic family therapist. A master's degree or PhD in a counseling specialty like marriage and family therapy (MFT) is required. Each state has specific licensing requirements. You will also need to participate in additional coursework and certification for the strategic family therapy model.

References

• All Psychology Careers