639 week 7 - Lecture notes 7 PDF

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Saturday, November 6, 2021!

Week 7 Whitaker’s introduction!

- Whitaker’s symbolic-experiential therapy! • grew out of Gestalt and humanistic psychology! • focus on change occurring through the growth process! • not a theory-driven approach! - an existential encounter! • therapists are encouraged to be spontaneous and “real”! • therapists focus on authentically “being” with families and their anxieties! • an existential encounter involves an authentic meeting of the therapist and client in the present!

- therapy of the absurd! • “craziness” to the approach! • reflection of the therapist’s spontaneity! • therapist reflecting back family’s absurdity! • playfulness, mimicking, challenging remarks, etc! individuation, boundaries, and early phase of therapy!

- individuation! • one of the primary goals! • “differentiation and individuation in functioning families distinguish members from one another”!

- healthy family interaction! • flexible roles! 1

• permeable boundaries! • flexible coalitions! • intimacy needs! • maintaining commitment! • resolving conflict! - session frequency and duration! • “the length of symbolic-experiential family or marital therapy is time-unlimited and could be best described as growth-oriented and intermediate in term”!

• frequency: weekly sessions to once a month! • duration: six months to two years for most families! - early phase: battle for structure! • therapists must convey that they are in charge of structure! • therapist establishes rules and working atmosphere! • therapist “wins” this battle! Whitaker’s phases of therapy, assessment, goals!

- middle phase: battle for initiative! • therapist encourages family to state the agenda for the session and determine how change is to happen!

• therapist doesn’t force an agenda for change and doesn’t work harder than family! • therapist may wait in silence for family to take initiative! • family must “win” this battle! - middle and later phases! • middle! - reorganization around the interpersonally expanded symptom! • late phase! - family and co-therapist alignment! 2

- “trial of labor”/assessment! • disorganized boundaries! - internal! - external! • coalitions to avoid conflict! - pathological triad, tetrad! • conflict! - chronic tension! - conflict avoidance! - premature closure! • role rigidity! • delegates (family scapegoat)! • pseudo-mutuality/emotional cut off! • parental empathy! - goals! • therapy focused on growth! • symptom relief! • cohesion! • creating transgenerational boundary! • growth

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