Lindsay Mims Experiential Family Therapies Theoretical Formulations: Within Experiential Family Therapies there are three formulations

or approaches used (two traditional and one more recent). 1) The Stair Growth Model, which focuses on family communication using warmth and support. 2) SymbolicExperiential Therapy, which focuses on symbolic meanings and emotional exchanges within the family using a balance of warmth and confrontation to promote change. The most recently developed is the 3) Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) which is the leading evidence-based approach to couples therapy that uses experiential, systemic, and attachment theories.

Theory Behavioral/Cognitive-Behavioral Couple and Family Therapies Within Behavioral and CognitiveBehavioral Couple and Family Therapies there are five that are the most influential. 1) Behavioral Family Therapy, which focuses on parent training. 2) Cognitive-Behavioral Family Therapy, which was developed by serveral therapists to integrate cognitive elements into therapy with couples and families. 3) Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy, which is an enhanced version of Behavioral Couples Therapy, but had a humanistic component emphasizing acceptance of one's partner in attempt to improve long-term outcomes. 4) Gottman Method Couples Therapy, which is a scientifically based approach to couples therapy based on research on the key differences between happy and unhappy marriages. 5) Functional Family Therapy, which is an empirically supported treatment for working with troubled teens and their families.

Solution-Based Therapies Within Solution-Based Therapies there are three main strands of practice which share more similarities than differences. 1) Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), which focuses on the future with minimal discussion of the presenting problem or the past and use small steps as targets in the direction of the solution. 2) Solution-Oriented Therapy, which incorporates a similar future orientation while drawing more directly from language techniques used in Ericksonian trance and also uses more interventions that draw from the past and present to identify potential solutions. 3) Solution-Oriented Ericksonian Hypnosis, strength oriented trance developed by Milton Erickson.

Normal Family Development:

Some or all of the following within a family system; the martyr, the victim or helpess one, the rescuer, the good child/parent, the bad child/parent.

This can be any structure from a Popular among clients, insurance couple or family, to a delinquent companies, and county mental teenager and their family. The health agencies. Functional Family Therapy is specific to delinquent teens and their families, while other therapy approaches are more geared towards others. Communication problems is one of the most common ways of developing a behavior that needs correcting, especially amongst couples. These issues usually come from extensive periods of time having this, or other, behavior reinforced in whatever way. Limitation of time is often a factor when using this approach. This is often used in situations with addicts, mental health patients, etc. so the behavior disorder is more than likely something the client has struggled with for a long time or even their life, and will probably struggle with it for much more of their life as well. The situation isn't always as severe though and the behavior issue was caused by a crisis that was recently presented.

Development of Behavior Disorders:

1) Power Struggles, these can be within the family and couple or with extended family members. 2) Parental Conflicts, these can involve parents disagreeing about how to parent and care for children. 3) Lack of Validation, the family openly expresses little emotional support or validation. 4) Lack of Intimacy, there is minimal sharing of significant person information and one's emotional life. Symptoms develop when dysfunctional structures and processes persist over time. The persistence of dysfunction can occur over generations, with offspring feeling obligated to adhere to family myths and legacies or to make up for prior losses.

Goals of Therapy:

The main goal of Satir's model is transformation (to achieve optimal realization of a person's full potential), this breaks down into relational, family, or systemic goals and individual goals. In symbolic-experiential therapy the main goals are to increase family cohesion, promote personal growth, and expand the family's symbolic world. EFT goals include creating secure attachment for both partners, developing a new interaction pattern that nurture and support each partner, and increasing direct expression of emotions, especially those related to attachment needs.

Goals depend on the specific needs of the family or couple, but generally deal with changing a specific behavior or thought pattern. All goals are stated in behavioral and measurable terms. Therapist should use their authoritative role to identify goals that are agreeable to all parties involved.

The main goal is for therapists to help clients identify their preferred solution by talking about the problem, exceptions, and desired outcomes, and wortk with the client to take small, active steps in the general direction each week. Goals are stated in positive, observable terms. Positive goal descriptions emphasize what the client is going to be doing rather than focusing on symptom reduction, which is typical in the medical model and cognitivebehavioral therapies. Observable descriptions include clear, specific behavioral indicators of the desired change.

Conditions for Behavior Change:

Satir believed that people naturally strive towards growth and created a six stage model detailing the stages a family may go through when moving towards change (second-order change). 1) Status Quo, a state of homeostasis including one or more symptomatic members. 2) Introduction of Foreign Element, the system becomes unbalanced due to a life crisis, tragedy, or therapeutic intervention. 3) Chaos, new perspective creates a "positive feedback loop" that throws the system into chaos; this is generally uncomfortable and the family will work to regain its homeostasis which may not be possible. 4) Integration of New Possibilities, the family will eventually interpret the new information in a meaningful way. 5) Practice, system develops a new set of interaction patterns based on the new information. 6) New Status Quo, state of new

The main way CBFT conditions a client is through the use of operant conditioning. Interventions based on operant conditioning used to modify human behavior, whether one's own behavior or another's behavior. The essential principle is to reward behavior in the direction of the desired behavior using small, incremental steps which is called shaping behavior. Operant conditioning can use positive or negative reinforcement or punishment depending on the behavior and desired outcome.

Change can occur when the problem has been identified and a goal has been set by listening for exceptions and examples. The client's motivation is a strong factor as well because when using these therapies there is usually a more smaller amount of time for the change to occur than with most other types of theories or therapies.

Therapy (Assessment & Techniques):

Assessment and intervention target the emotional exchanges between family members and significant others in relation to the presenting problem.

Obtain a detailed behavioral and/or cognitive assesment of baseline functioning, including the frequency, duration, and context of problem behaviors and thoughts. Target behaviors and thoughts for change. Therapists educate clients on their irrational thoughts and dysfunctional patterns. Interventions are designed to replace dysfunctional behaviors an thoughts with more productive ones.

Assessing client strengths is one of the key practices in solution-based therapies and may include family support, positive relationships, and religious faith. Therapist listens for exceptions and examples of what works when clients are talking, if listening closely clients often spontaneously offer these up. These provide clues to what works and therefore what clients need to do more frequently.

Evaluating Therapy Theory & Results:

Although there is little research on the effectiveness of the outcome of the tradition experiential family therapies, the type of therapeutic relationship defined within this therapy have 30% of therapeutic outcome attributed to it. EFT on the other hand has much more research. It is shown to have a 70-73% recovery rate in 10 to 12 sessions, with 90% of all couples showing significant improvement.

CBFT therapies are some of the best researched approaches in family therapy. CBFT therapists often change their approaches based on the latest research. For example, because research indicates that a nonjudgemental therapeutic alliance is crucial, CBFT therapists have become increasingly attentive to this aspect of therapy.

In 2000, the first critical review of solution-focused outcome research was published and listed 15 controlled studies. Of the 5 well controlled studies, 4 of them showed that solution-focused therapy was better than both treatment as usual and no treatment as usual. The other 10 studies were not as well controlled, but all supported the effectiveness of solution-focused therapy. In 2007, in an introduction of the Journal of Family Psychotherapy three key practical and philosophical challenges to establishing solutionfocused therapy as an evidencebased approach were identified.