Family Systems Therapy by Amber Hill

Client Profile Name: Julia Childs Age: 21 Years Old Sex: Female Health Status: • Julia is in poor health, she is anorexic and has recently been prescribed anti-depressants for her depression. She is presently in treatment for addiction to cocaine and Percocets at Rideauwood Addiction Centre. Education : • Julia dropped out of high school when she was sixteen to move to Toronto with her boyfriend Joey, who was 23 at that time. Occupation: • Julia is unemployed and presently trying to focus on her sobriety so that she will be able to get custody of her daughter, Jesse again. • Her goals are to finish high school, go to college for dental hygiene and obtain stable employment in that field.

Life History Julia’s story Born and raised in suburban Kanata with her Italian parents and two older sisters. She excelled in school with a straight-A average, until her sixteenth year where she quit high school to move to Toronto with boyfriend Joey. Her extended family lived nearby her entire childhood including aunts, uncles and paternal grandparents.

Life History Julia’s story Presently, she remains close to her sisters, but the rest of her family has not spoken to her since she was eighteen when she gave birth to her daughter Jesse. Due to the stress of new parenthood and underlying addiction, the couple began to party constantly. This led to frequently going out to bars and leaving the child unattended. Eventually the lifestyle resulted in addiction to cocaine and Percocet. Within six months, Joey was arrested and sentenced to two years in prison and CAS took baby Jesse into custody.

Life History Julia’s story Julia moved to Ottawa without her daughter in hopes of establishing a relationship and support from her family. Since moving back here, she has successfully checked herself into and completed a six-week long detoxification program. Currently seeking addictions counseling three times per week, as well as attending NA meetings two times per week.

Presenting Problems Underlying Problems Short-term goals • Addictions • Depression • Anorexia Underlying Problems • Emotionally cut off from family, low self-esteem, lack of education Short-term goals • Successful first year recovery without relapse • Re-establish contact with family • Part-time employment to be able to go to Toronto or twice/mo. visitation to her daughter Long-term goals • Gain custody of her daughter • Complete her GED, go to college for dental hygeine • Gain stable employment

Suggested Interventions Born and raised in suburban Kanata with her Italian parents and two older sisters. Plan of Action

Family Systems Therapy Introduction • Also known as Bowman Family Systems Theory • Is a theory of human behaviour that views the family as an emotional unit • Uses systems thinking to describe interactions within the family • Family members solicit each other’s attention, approval and support • Therefore reacting to each other’s needs, expectations and distress • Family members become interdependant upon each other • Heightened tension leads to conflict

Family Systems Therapy History • Psychiatrist Murray Bowen originated this therapy in the 1940s • According to Bowen: “Human relationships are driven by two counterbalancing life forces, individuality and togetherness” • His knowledge and implementation of how emotional systems operate in one’s family/work and social settings help explore effective options to solve problems

Family Systems Therapy Bowen’s eight concepts Systems theory describes how families as a multigenerational network of relationships, shapes individuality and togetherness by using the six interlocking concepts: • Differentiation of Self • Emotional Triangles • Nuclear Family Emotional Process • Multigenerational Transmission • Sibling Position • Emotional Cutoff • Societal Emotional Process • Family Projection Process

Family Systems Therapy Therapy’s focus • To increase the ability to distinguish between thinking and feeling Thus; • Learning to use that ability to resolve relationship problems • Primary mechanism of change is to lower anxiety and increase self focus

Family Systems Therapy Assessment Begins with: Description and history presenting problem History of nuclear family courtship, marriage, dates, and any childrearing Important events are noted and later checked for their relationship to the family life cycle Evaluation of spousal births, sibling’s positions and any facts about each’s childhood is recorded A genogram is created Once recorded; Genogram: Our diagrams listing family members and their emotional relationships including conflicts, cutoffs and triangles

Family Systems Therapy After evaluation documented and genogram created, therapy begins with: Letting each family member tell their perception of the story To understand how a family operates and how they got there is the most important technique Designed to slow people down, diminish anxiety and start people thinking of how they participate in the problem Primarily designed with the intention of moving people out of triangles For example: Writing letters, addressing unresolved issues to family members while editing out emotional reactivity Technique used to encourage non-reactive observations and make clear statements of one’s opinions without the threat of being attacked and upsetting others Process questioning Assigning tasks “I” statements

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