Structural Versus Strategic Family Therapies

2 pages

  • Summarize the key points of both structural family therapy and strategic family therapy.
  • Compare structural family therapy to strategic family therapy, noting the strengths and weaknesses of each.
  • Provide an example of a family in your practicum using a structural family map. Note: Be sure to maintain HIPAA regulations.
  • Recommend a specific therapy for the family, and justify your choice using the Learning Resources.Required Readings

helpfull links

McNeil, S. N., Herschberger, J. K., & Nedela, M. N. (2013). Low-income families with potential adolescent gang involvement: A structural community family therapy integration model. American Journal of Family Therapy, 41(2), 110-120. doi:10.1080/01926187.2011.649110

Méndez, N. A., Qureshi, M. E., Carnerio, R., & Hort, F. (2014). The intersection of Facebook and structural family therapy volume 1. American Journal of Family Therapy, 42(2), 167-174.  doi:10.1080/01926187.2013.794046 

Nichols, M., & Davis, S. D. (2020). The essentials of family therapy (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Chapter 4, “Bowen Family Systems Therapy” (pp. 56-71)
Chapter 5, “Strategic Family Therapy” (pp. 72-88)
Chapter 6, “Structural Family Therapy” (pp. 89-104

Nichols, M., & Tafuri, S. (2013). Techniques of structural family assessment: A qualitative analysis of how experts promote a systemic perspective. Family Process, 52(2), 207-215. doi:10.1111/famp.12025

Ryan, W. J., Conti, R. P., & Simon, G. M. (2013). Presupposition compatibility facilitates treatment fidelity in therapists learning structural family therapy. American Journal of Family Therapy, 41(5), 403-414. doi:10.1080/01926187.2012.727673 

Sheehan, A. H., & Friedlander, M. L. (2015). Therapeutic alliance and retention in brief strategic family therapy: A mixed-methods study. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 41(4), 415-427. doi:10.1111/jmft.12113

​Szapocznik, J., Muir, J. A., Duff, J. H., Schwartz, S. J., & Brown, C. H. (2015). Brief strategic family therapy: Implementing evidence-based models in community settings. Psychotherapy Research: Journal of the Society for Psychotherapy Research, 25(1), 121-133. doi:10.1080/10503307.2013.856044

TherapistAid. (2020). Genograms for psychotherapy. Retrieved from https://www.therapistaid.com/therapy-guide/genograms

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