NRNP 6650 DQ Structural and Strategic Family Therapy
NRNP 6650 DQ Structural and Strategic Family Therapy
Individuals are born into families, grow and develop in families, and live most of their lives
in families. Therefore, it makes sense that clients are best understood within the context of
the family system.
——Dr. Candice Knight, Psychotherapy for the Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurse
The family system is a social unit that is based on unique relationships and roles.
Structural and strategic therapies are important, because they offer unique insights to the
theoretical underpinnings of this system. As a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner,
a strong theoretical foundation will help you better understand the family unit and family
therapy; this understanding will, in turn, improve the effectiveness of your work with
clients.
This week, as you continue exploring family therapy, you examine structural and strategic
family therapies and their appropriateness for client families.
Learning Resources
Required Readings
McNeil, S. N., Herschberger, J. K., & Nedela, M. N. (2013). Low-income families with
potential adolescent gang involvement: A structural community family therapy integration
model. American Journal of Family Therapy, 41(2), 110-120.
doi:10.1080/01926187.2011.649110
Méndez, N. A., Qureshi, M. E., Carnerio, R., & Hort, F. (2014). The intersection of
Facebook and structural family therapy volume 1. American Journal of Family Therapy,
42(2), 167-174. doi:10.1080/01926187.2013.794046
Nichols, M., & Davis, S. D. (2020). The essentials of family therapy (7th ed.). Boston, MA:
Pearson.
Chapter 4, “Bowen Family Systems Therapy” (pp. 56-71)
Chapter 5, “Strategic Family Therapy” (pp. 72-88)
Chapter 6, “Structural Family Therapy” (pp. 89-104
Nichols, M., & Tafuri, S. (2013). Techniques of structural family assessment: A qualitative
analysis of how experts promote a systemic perspective. Family Process, 52(2), 207-215.
doi:10.1111/famp.12025
Ryan, W. J., Conti, R. P., & Simon, G. M. (2013). Presupposition compatibility facilitates
treatment fidelity in therapists learning structural family therapy. American Journal of
Family Therapy, 41(5), 403-414. doi:10.1080/01926187.2012.727673
Sheehan, A. H., & Friedlander, M. L. (2015). Therapeutic alliance and retention in brief
strategic family therapy: A mixed-methods study. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy,
41(4), 415-427. doi:10.1111/jmft.12113
Szapocznik, J., Muir, J. A., Duff, J. H., Schwartz, S. J., & Brown, C. H. (2015). Brief
strategic family therapy: Implementing evidence-based models in community settings.
Psychotherapy Research: Journal of the Society for Psychotherapy Research, 25(1), 121-
133. doi:10.1080/10503307.2013.856044
TherapistAid. (2020). Genograms for psychotherapy. Retrieved from
https://www.therapistaid.com/therapy-guide/genograms
Required Media
Psychotherapy.net (Producer). (2010). Bowenian family therapy [Video file]. Mill Valley,
CA: Author.
The approximate length of this media piece is 118 minutes.
Triangle Productions (Producer). (2001). Brief strategic therapy with couples [Video file]. La
Jolla, CA: Author.
Optional Resources
Coatsworth, J. D., Santisteban, D. A., McBride, C. K., & Szapocznik, J. (2001). Brief
strategic family therapy versus community control: Engagement, retention, and an
exploration of the moderating role of adolescent symptom severity. Family Process, 40(3),
313–332. Retrieved from http://www.familyprocess.org/family-process-journal/
Golden Triad Films (Producer). (1986). The essence of change. [Video file]. Mill Valley,
CA: Psychotherapy.net.
National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2003). Brief strategic family therapy for adolescent drug
abuse. Retrieved from https://archives.drugabuse.gov/TXManuals/BSFT/BSFTIndex.html
Navarre, S. (1998). Salvador Minuchin's structural family therapy and its application to
multicultural family systems. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 19(6), 557–570.
doi:10.1080/016128498248845
Psychotherapy.net. (Publisher). (n.d.). Satir family therapy [Video file]. [With Jean
McLendon]. United States: Psychotherapy.net.
Psychotherapy.net (Producer). (2011b). Salvador Minuchin on family therapy [Video file].
Mill Valley, CA: Author.
Radohl, T. (2011). Incorporating family into the formula: Family-directed structural
therapy for children with serious emotional disturbance. Child & Family Social Work,
16(2), 127–137. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2206.2010.00720.x
Robbins, M. S., Feaster, D. J., Horigian, V. E., Rohrbaugh, M., Shoham, V., Bachrach, K.,
… Szapocznik, J. (2011). Brief strategic family therapy versus treatment as usual: Results
of a multisite randomized trial for substance using adolescents. Journal of Consulting and
Clinical Psychology, 79(6), 713–727. doi:10.1037/a0025477
Santisteban, D. A., Suarez-Morales, L., Robbins, M. S., & Szapocznik, J. (2006). Brief
strategic family therapy: Lessons learned in efficacy research and challenges to blending
research and practice. Family Process, 45(2), 259–271. doi:10.1111/j.1545-
5300.2006.00094.x
Szapocznik, J., Schwartz, S. J., Muir, J. A., & Brown, C. H. (2012). Brief strategic family
therapy: An intervention to reduce adolescent risk behavior. Couple & Family Psychology,
1(2), 134–145. doi:10.1037/a0029002
Szapocznik, J., Zarate, M., Duff, J., & Muir, J. (2013). Brief strategic family therapy:
Engaging drug using/problem behavior adolescents and their families in treatment. Social
Work in Public Health, 28(3-4), 206–223. doi:10.1080/19371918.2013.774666
Vetere, A. (2001). Therapy matters: Structural family therapy. Child Psychology &
Psychiatry Review, 6(3), 133–139. Retrieved from
http://www.iupui.edu/~mswd/D642/multimedia/word_doc/StructuralFamilyTherapy_Vetar
e.pdf
Weaver, A., Greeno, C. G., Marcus, S. C., Fusco, R. A., Zimmerman, T., & Anderson, C.
(2013). Effects of structural family therapy on child and maternal mental health
symptomatology. Research on Social Work Practice, 23(3), 294–303.
doi:10.1177/1049731512470492