Process of Change There are many views that I will share about the process of change in and out of the therapy office. I view the process of change as a new relational experience among family members. In order to produce change family members must experience each other differently (Minuchin, 1974). In the therapy room, family members must interact with each other directly. The process of change should not be focused on the past experiences, history or biology of the family rather on the here and now (Minuchin, 1974). It is important for families to see how one member’s behavior influences the behavior of others; thus, the mechanism of change is behavioral. Moreover, using this view allows families to be present in …show more content…
According to Colapinto (1991), a functional family is a system that is constantly changing and adapting to new experiences. Therefore a healthy family functions based on the structure and the ability to be open to change (Colapinto, 1991). Hence families need some form of organization that determines how family members interact with one another. The family consists of a power hierarchy; parents and children should be at different levels. According to Gelles and Maynard (1987) children have different levels of authority. In addition Navarre (1998), states that family disfunction’s are due to enmeshment, over-involved, rigid boundaries, diffused boundaries and disengagement. A functional structure must be reorganized in order to be able to deal with problems that arise in a healthy way. Moreover, the family must be able to accommodate and transform to each others needs (Navarre, …show more content…
One of the elements of structural family therapy model is to interact with the family in order to make changes. Therefore, it is important for a therapist to become involved in the structure of the family. The therapist takes a direct stance and assumes leadership in the therapeutic process. In order to produce change the therapist has to be inducted into the family. After that the therapist can observe and assess the interaction within the family structure. By joining the therapist can see the communication patterns, coalitions and alignments; this allows the therapist to take action and influence change. Thus, by identifying the process, then the therapist can organize the family by having them interact directly with each