Characteristics of Individual and Systems Approach
L. Michele Henline
Rio Solado Community College
June 15, 2002
The systems approach places the primary emphasis
on the relationships among members, rather than on the individual dynamics
of each member. It focuses on the family patterns of behavior and
reactions between members. The therapist wants to observe the family
communication patterns develop. By observing the family interact
with one another, a different level of information is perceived.
The systemic process allows and encourages family members to communicate
with each other. The therapist gently directs a member to express
his feelings to another member. By allowing this, others will join
into the conversation allowing the therapist to note the reactions of all
members when one is talking. This adds in gaining information about
family relationships.
The therapist then can help the family to broaden
their view of the problem to include everyone as part of he solution.
This way the family can see the picture without the therapist making an
issue of it. This approach will also affect the family on an out-of-awareness
level than a conscious, intellectual one. The therapist will focus
on am individual, two or three members or may even step back to see the
family as a whole. By using flexibility a richer exploration and
discoveries are possible for the family.
The systems orients approach is a brief model meant
to accomplish certain goals within five to ten one-hour family sessions.
Therapy is geared to get into the family quickly, work with several goals,
and then detach from the family.
One advantage to brief therapy is a family with
chemical dependency, (CD), issues are more likely to enter and remain in
brief therapy rather than an extended type therapy. Brief therapy
also allows more members to be treated more economically.
There are some disadvantages also. Family recovery is a long-time
process, which will require the family to become involved in other support
systems such as AA or NA. They are encouraged to return in the future
for an occasional follow-up or crisis family session if needed. The
other disadvantage is it is limited to problem solving and is not an in-depth,
analytic growth model.
The individually oriented approach focuses on the individual
dynamics of each family member. The therapist concentrates on each
member’s behavior, feelings, and communication as they are expressed to
the therapist rather than to each other. The therapist may ask each
member to relate their interpretation of the incident and express their
individual feelings about the incident.
The therapist remains in the center of the
communication flow and focuses on the interaction of each member, one at
a time. Feelings are elicited from a member while the family listens.
The therapist watches only the person talking. Interruptions are
not allowed. This focus is on one individual member at a time.
The individually oriented approach works well in treatment that is
more extended rather than the brief therapy model because it has a focus
on each individual member separately. However, again, the systems
oriented and brief therapy is the preferred model for families with CD
issues.
