FAMILY THERAPY & APPROACH
Systems Approach to Family & Couple Therapy
Most of us are familiar with the saying “the whole is more than the sum of its parts”. Systems theory was borne from that particular concept. General systems theory is a way of looking at the entire system, its interrelated parts, and how they all work together. Although general systems theory was developed by Ludwig von Bertalanffy and is useful within many sciences; a psychiatrist named Murray Bowen M.D. further explored this concept within the context of the social sciences leading to the development of systems theory approach to family and couple therapy.
This approach examines the interdependence of familial relationships. It is believed that a family must design certain strategies and tasks to maintain the viability of the family system. These strategies although many times emerge out of creativity for survival, can sometimes be dysfunctional, harmful to the system, and no longer needed as we mature and leave our family of origin.
An important area to assess is the family lifecycle.
When families or couples come to therapy, they are usually experiencing being stuck in the middle of a lifecycle or marital developmental phase and are experiencing anxiety due to the inability to shift or move to the next phase. Stages of the family lifecycle are:
Marriage/couple/pair bonding
Families with young children
Families with school-aged children
Families with teenagers
Families with young people leaving home
Boomerang stage
Middle-aged parents
Aging family members
All of these points along the lifecycle can increase tension, stress, anxiety, and a myriad of other emotions. I am skilled both at working with you and educating you about each stage as well as help you develop healthier ways of relating in a more meaningful way.
“Life is not what it's supposed to be.
It's what it is.
The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.”
-VIRGINIA SATIR