Week 5: Overview Of Experiential And Structural Family Model ✓ Solved

Week 5: Overview Experiential and Structural Models of Fami

Week 5: Overview Experiential and Structural Models of Family Therapy. Prepare a case study and discussion that addresses the following: 1. Background information and socio-cultural considerations. 2. Assessment (methods consistent with experiential and/or structural theory). 3. Treatment plan with 3 treatment goals following logical problem solving. 4. Interventions consistent with chosen theory/theories; include collateral stakeholders as appropriate. 5. Discuss future research needed.

Paper For Above Instructions

Introduction

This case study applies both experiential and structural family therapy frameworks to a representative family presenting with adolescent acting-out, parent–child conflict, and communication breakdown. The paper provides background and socio-cultural context, an assessment aligned with experiential and structural models, a three-goal treatment plan, specific theory-consistent interventions (including collateral stakeholders), and suggestions for future research.

Case Background and Socio-cultural Considerations

Family: The López family consists of Carlos (40) and María (38), their son Miguel (15), and Miguel’s maternal grandmother, Rosa (63), who lives nearby and frequently provides childcare. The family recently immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico and works in service and construction jobs. Miguel has recently begun skipping school, arguing with his parents, and was found shoplifting. Parents report high stress, limited social supports, and intergenerational expectations about respect and family obligation.

Socio-cultural considerations: The family’s immigration history, economic strain, collectivist cultural values, and intergenerational caregiving shape interactional patterns and symptom expression (e.g., somatic complaints, deference to elders). Cultural humility requires integrating cultural meaning into assessment and treatment and coordinating with bilingual or bicultural supports (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013).

Assessment: Experiential and Structural Lenses

Structural assessment (Minuchinian techniques): Conduct a session map of family interactions, delineate subsystems (parental, parental–adolescent, extended family), assess boundaries (e.g., enmeshment between Miguel and grandmother; disengagement between parents regarding discipline), and identify coalitions, power hierarchies, and transactional patterns that maintain Miguel’s acting-out (Minuchin, 1974; Minuchin & Fishman, 1981). Use enactment tasks in-session to observe real-time patterns and to generate hypotheses about rules organizing behavior (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013).

Experiential assessment: Attend to emotional tone, affective processes, and blocked growth opportunities. Use experiential techniques such as family sculpting and evocative tasks to surface unexpressed feelings, defensive communication styles (placating, blaming, irrelevance), and the family’s capacity for emotional expression and repair (Satir, 1967; Napier & Whitaker, 1978). Observe therapist–family resonance and utilize therapist self-awareness (self-of-the-therapist) to catalyze growth (Whitaker as cited in Napier & Whitaker, 1978).

Treatment Plan and Goals

Overall treatment approach: An integrated plan that combines structural interventions (to reorganize boundaries and hierarchies) with experiential work (to activate emotion, develop congruent communication, and promote individual and relational growth) offers complementary pathways to change (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013).

  1. Goal 1: Stabilize family structure—clarify roles and strengthen parental hierarchy. Rationale: Reduce maladaptive coalitions and diffuse parenting by establishing consistent parental leadership and clearer boundaries between grandparent caregiving and parental authority (Minuchin, 1974).
  2. Goal 2: Increase emotional expression and secure attachment-related responsiveness between parents and adolescent. Rationale: Enhance Miguel’s ability to express needs and reduce acting-out by promoting secure emotional bonds and corrective interpersonal experiences (Johnson & Greenberg, 1988; Bowlby, 1969).
  3. Goal 3: Improve communication skills and coping strategies to manage stressors (school, acculturation, economic strain). Rationale: Teach concrete communication and problem-solving tools while attending to cultural strengths and community resources (Satir, 1967; Nichols & Schwartz, 2006).

Interventions (Theory-Consistent and Stakeholder Inclusion)

Structural interventions

  • Joining and accommodation: Therapist initially aligns empathically with family values (e.g., respect for elders, family solidarity) to gain credibility and access interactional patterns (Minuchin, 1974).
  • Enactments and mapping: Elicit in-session enactments of a typical conflict (e.g., Miguel arriving home late) to observe and then restructure transactional patterns. Use mapping to illustrate subsystems and boundaries and to make implicit rules explicit (Minuchin & Fishman, 1981).
  • Boundary making and unbalancing: Intervene to strengthen parental coalition (e.g., support parents to present united limit-setting) and to reduce excessive grandmother–adolescent enmeshment that undermines parental authority (Minuchin, 1974).

Experiential interventions

  • Family sculpting and role-play: Use sculpting to externalize relationships and highlight felt intrapsychic and relational positions; follow with guided experiential processing to elicit feelings behind behaviors (Satir, 1967; Napier & Whitaker, 1978).
  • Emotionally focused tasks: Facilitate emotionally corrective interactions where Miguel articulates vulnerabilities and parents respond with empathic validation to reframe behavior as attachment signaling rather than defiance (Johnson, 2004; Greenberg & Johnson, 1988).
  • Therapist self-disclosure and modeling: Use appropriate, culturally attuned self-of-the-therapist disclosures to model congruent communication and to invite reciprocal openness (Whitaker; Satir).

Collateral stakeholders and systems

  • School counselor: Coordinate academic support and attendance interventions; share behavioral plans consistent with family goals.
  • Primary care/pediatrician or adolescent mental health specialist: Rule out medical contributors and coordinate when pharmacotherapy or psychiatric assessment is appropriate.
  • Extended family/community supports: Engage grandmother and other relatives in boundary negotiations and culturally congruent parenting strategies; include bilingual or community advocates when needed.

Monitoring Progress and Termination

Use measurable indicators (school attendance, reduction in shoplifting incidents, observed parental collaboration, and self-report measures of family cohesion and emotional responsiveness). Gradually shift from directive restructuring to consolidation of experiential gains and relapse prevention, preparing family for termination by reviewing progress and rehearsing new routines (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013).

Future Research Directions

1) Efficacy of integrated experiential-structural models: RCTs comparing integrated protocols to single-model treatments to identify additive or synergistic effects. 2) Cultural adaptations: Research examining how structural boundary work and experiential emotional activation function across diverse cultural groups, with attention to collectivist norms and intergenerational caregiving patterns. 3) Mechanisms of change: Studies using process measures and biomarkers (e.g., physiological regulation, neuroimaging) to test whether emotional processing or structural reorganization better predicts symptom improvement (Johnson & Greenberg, 1988; Soothing the Threatened Brain literature). 4) Implementation science: Evaluating training methods for clinicians to competently integrate self-of-the-therapist experiential skills with directive structural techniques in community settings.

Conclusion

Combining experiential and structural approaches offers a coherent and culturally sensitive framework for addressing the López family’s presenting problems. Structural techniques target the organization and rules that sustain maladaptive interactions, while experiential methods open access to emotion, self-awareness, and corrective relational experiences. Coordinated stakeholder involvement and targeted research on integration and cultural adaptation will strengthen evidence-based practice for diverse families.

References

  • Goldenberg, H., & Goldenberg, I. (2013). Family Therapy: An Overview (8th ed.). Brooks/Cole.
  • Minuchin, S. (1974). Families and Family Therapy. Harvard University Press.
  • Minuchin, S., & Fishman, H. C. (1981). Family Therapy Techniques. Harvard University Press.
  • Napier, A. Y., & Whitaker, C. A. (1978). The Family Crucible. Harper & Row.
  • Satir, V. (1967). Conjoint Family Therapy. Science and Behavior Books.
  • Johnson, S. M. (2004). The Practice of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy: Creating Connection. Brunner-Routledge.
  • Greenberg, L. S., & Johnson, S. M. (1988). Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples. Guilford Press.
  • Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and Loss: Volume I. Attachment. Basic Books.
  • Nichols, M. P., & Schwartz, R. C. (2006). Family Therapy: Concepts and Methods (7th ed.). Allyn & Bacon.
  • Kempler, W. (1976). The Family Behind the Symptom: Gestalt Family Therapy Perspectives. (Representative works on Gestalt family approaches.)

Related Assignments