The Craft of Family Therapy

Cover
Endorsement
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of contents
Prologue
Acknowledgments
Part I Concepts and Practice of the Craft
	1 The Craft of Family Therapy
		The Family Therapist Pouch
			Basic Principles
				Joining is the Essential Element
				All Families that Come to Therapy are “Wrong” in their Assumptions
				The Family’s Certainty is the Enemy of Change
			Techniques
				Challenging the Family’s Certainty
				Exploring Alternatives
				Using the Content of Family Communication to Access the Process of Family Dynamics
				Using Humor and Metaphoric Language in Therapy
				Introducing Specific Topics at Different Levels
			Working with Subsystems
				The Individual as a Subsystem: Unwrapping the Identities of Family Members
				Utilizing Subsystems for the Expansion of Understanding and the Possibility of Change
				Unbalancing Subsystems: Promoting and Challenging Different Units
			The Self of the Therapist
				Choosing the Distance from which to Function
				Owning Expertise when Working with Families
				The Greatest Tool the Therapist Can Use Is the Self
		The Purpose of Tools
			Segue
	2 Symptoms: Challenge to the Concept that the Symptom is Located in One Family Member
		The Case
			Deconstruction of the System: Externalization
		What Can We Learn?
			Who Were the Menottis, When They Came for Therapy, and How and Why Did They Change?
			Loretta and Margherita
			Carlo
			How Can We Explain the Changes Among Members of the Family During Therapy?
			Loretta
			Margherita
			Carlo
			Sophia and Maria
			Therapist
	3 Unwrapping Family Member Identities
		Layers of Identity
			The Interview
		What Can We Learn?
	4 Deconstructing Family Organization: Exploring Subsystems
		Family Therapy: A Case Analysis
			The First Session
				Couple as Parents: Parental Subsystem
				IP: Individual Subsystem: Therapist and Whitney (Summary of Discussion)
				Family System: Parents Observing Child
				Family Subsystem: Child Observing Parents
				Parent Subsystem: Father Observing Whitney
				Child and Mother Subsystem
				Therapist and Father as Observers of Mother and Daughter
				Therapist Recruits Father as Healer of His Wife
				Therapist and IP as Observers of Mother
				Couple Subsystem: Boundary Making
				Parent Subsystem
				Mother and her Family of Origin
			Coda to the First Session
				How the Therapist Functions
				How Techniques are Used
				How the Family is Organized
			Prelude to the Second Session
			The Second Session
				Extended Family Subsystem: Mother and her Family of Origin
				Past Lenses as a Template for Adult Relationships
				Mother and Ex-Husband
				Husband Family of Origin
				Forming the Stepfamily
				Stepfather–Daughter Developmental Bonding
				Subsystem of Mother, Daughter, and Biological Father
				Subsystem of Therapist and Richard as Co-Therapist
				Current Family System
			Exploring Family Organization: Implications of the Case
	5 The Therapist’s Style
		What Did We Learn from All of This?
		Therapeutic Style
	6 Utilizing the Family Therapist’s Pouch
		The Case: Dialog and Analysis
			Mother–Daughter Subsystem
			Mother–Daughter–Father Subsystem
			The Whole Family
			Mother–Daughter Dyad
			Separating the Parental Subsystem into Individual Units in Relation to the Daughter
			Sister–Brother Dyad
		What Can We Learn?
		What is the Territory that the Family Covered in the Session?
Part II Teaching and Learning the Craft
	7 Angela and the Way to Ask Questions
		The Supervisory Session: Dialogues and Commentary
			What Can We Learn?
	8 Olivia and Becoming a Supernanny
		Discussion: Student and Supervisor
		What Can We Learn?
	9 Learning from My Mistakes
		Look at Your Left Foot
		The Rodriguez Family
		Conclusion
		What Can We Learn?
			The Therapist
			Externalizing the Symptom
			Layers of Identity
			Family Organization
			Two Families with Similar Family Organization (Commentary by Minuchin)
	10 Too Close for Comfort
		The Couple and the Reactive Therapist
		Session One: Roseann’s Interview
			Getting Connected … Too Connected
			At the Center of the Conflict
			Backing Out but Staying in
		Session Two: Minuchin’s Interview
			Connected Yet Unconnected
		What Can We Learn?
			Externalizing the Symptom
			Layers of Identity
			Family Organization
			Reflection (Commentary by Minuchin)
	11 Six Lessons From Dr. Minuchin
		The Wilson Family
		Lesson One: Increase the Complexity of Your Voice
		Lesson Two: Intervene at the Level of Relationship
		Lesson Three: Carry Messages that are Sometimes Uncomfortable
		Lesson Four: Be Comfortable that You Are an Uncertain Expert
		Lesson Five: The Beginning of Wisdom in Family Therapy is Complementarity
		Lesson Six: Becoming Mary Poppins
	12 Minuchin and the Wilsons
		What Can We Learn?
			Externalizing the Problem
			Layers of Identity
			Family Organization
Part III Extending the Craft of Family Therapy
	13 Ten Things I Learned from Dr. Salvador Minuchin
		Lesson One: The Family’s Certainty Is the Enemy of Change
		Lesson Two: People Are Richer than They Think
		Lesson Three: Challenge Comes From a Place of Connection
		Lesson Four: Don’t Believe What People Say, Rather What They Do
		Lesson Five: When People Are Being Observed, Their Actions Slow Down
		Lesson Six: The Therapist Is an Uncertain Expert
		Lesson Seven: You Cannot Change Yourself, Only Someone Else
		Lesson Eight: Therapy Is About Helping People in Belonging
		Lesson Nine: Family Members Have Multiple Relational Identities
		Lesson Ten: The Therapist Needs to Introduce Novelty
		Minuchin the Homunculus
		Note
	14 Sage Advice from Salvador Minuchin
		The Neophyte Therapist
		Voices of Mentors
		Minuchin’s Voice: An Introduction
		The Therapeutic Chameleon
		Expectations for this Chapter
			Minuchin’s Caution: It is Risky to be in the Hot Seat in Front of Your Supervisees
		The Teacher Becomes the Student
		The Couple
		The Supervisor and the Failed Enactment
			Note: Enactments, When Done Properly, Can Serve to Deconstruct the Symptom
			Note: Connecting with the Family can Aid in Unwrapping Family Identities
		A Final Lesson: A Note on Grief and Depression
	15 A Therapy of Hope and Strength
		Focus on Strengths
		Available Alternatives
		Family Members as Healers of One Another
		Family Members as Co-Therapists
		Providing a Voice for the IP
		Highlighting Client Competency
		Novelty
		Conclusion
	16 Honing One’s Craft in a Changing Field
		Transformation of the Family Therapy Field
			Postmodernism and Systemic Family Therapy
			Being Systemic
			Widening the Lens
			Honing Your Craft
		Deconstructing Minuchin
		Note
References
Index