MFT Theories & Concepts
The concept of balance of fairness is synonymous with which theory? -
✔Contextual
Contextual family therapy, founded by Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy is based on ethical
principles of family life. According to this model, interpersonal problems result when
fairness is out of balance and one or more family members begin to feel "entitled."
Eliminating other answers: The transgenerational model focuses on differentiation of
self. Strategic is Haley's approach, conceptualizing symptoms as a metaphor for a
disordered family hierarchy. The constructivist approach is a postmodern model that
uses various narrative techniques to help families reconstruct stories about themselves.
Who is generally considered the "father of general systems theory?" -
✔Ludwig von Bertalanffy
Bertalanffy was a biologist who applied ideas about the organization and control of
systems from the natural sciences to biology and human groups. He developed the
concept of a human group as a self-regulating system, greater than the some of its
parts. In 1968 von Bertalanffy published General Systems Theory. Eliminating other
answers: Carl Sagan was an astrophysicist and author. Noam Chomsky is a linguist
known for the study of the structure of language. Milton Erickson was a psychiatrist who
developed the techniques of paradox, hypnosis, and emphasized reliance on the
strengths in the client.
In Bowen's model, performing an assessment by interviewing one partner at a time is: -
✔Method for preventing marital conflict from interfering with the assessment
process. Bowen's assessment process is designed to obtain information about the level
of differentiation of each individual family members and the strategies used by each
person to manage anxiety resulting from the lack of differentiation. Unlike the structural
model and many others, his model is less focused on seeing enactments of a problem
then it is on understanding family history as it contributes to current dynamics.
Eliminating other answers: Bowen's model does not focus on bringing secrets out in to
the open. Bowen strives to reduce conflict by coaching, not by separation. The
procedure is standard but only when needed. Answer c) is a better and more complete
description of this procedure.
A family enters therapy because the five year old is uncontrollable and has been
diagnosed as autistic. The recommended approach for treating the family is: -
✔Psychoeducational.
Psychoeducational approach educates parents about the mental illness or disorder and
teaches them skills to deal with the behaviors and emotions associated with the
particular disorder or illness. It has been demonstrated to be useful to families whose
children have been diagnosed as mentally ill. This may be due to its ability to
recommend new behaviors to family members without invoking feelings of blame for the
cause of the problem.
When first starting out with a family in therapy, it is important to: -
✔Adjust your style to the family's, paying close attention to both verbal and
nonverbal cues as you attempt to engage with each member of the family.
