Family Systems Therapy

At its basic foundation, family systems theory holds that clients with any mental health diagnosis, addiction or substance abuse disorder, can be more effectively treated if we take their relationships with their families into consideration. The clients family system, be it functional or dysfunctional, is an important component to address when treating someone in recovery. Without information on the family history and dynamics in which an individual is a part, treatment is incomplete. While family work clinicians focus is on the family unit or system, they do not de-emphasize the importance of dealing with the internal states of the individual. Family systems approaches broaden the scope of assessment and interventions to provide best practice methods for their clients.

In assessing a clients presenting problems, a family systems oriented practitioner will be interested in a persons current living situation, life experiences and what the client sees as his/her problem. As an example, heres how therapists may initially assess from a focus on the individual versus an assessment from a family systems perspective.

Maria has come to an agency that provides services for...