Which statement best describes a focus of Strategic Family Therapy?

Which statement best describes a focus of Strategic Family Therapy?

• A. Parental power and hierarchical family relationships
• B. Dream interpretation
• C. Exploring unconscious motives
• D. Individual therapy only

Answer: (A)

Strategic Family Therapy emphasizes the structure of the family and the distribution of power, especially parental authority, within the family system. The idea is that who holds power and how roles are enforced shape how family members interact and solve problems. Therapists intervene with targeted directives, reframing, and tasks designed to alter interaction patterns and disrupt unhelpful cycles, thereby promoting healthier communication and problem-solving. Dream interpretation and exploring unconscious motives come from psychodynamic approaches and focus more on individuals’ inner motives than on changing family structure, which is why they aren’t the primary focus here. The strategy centers on the family as a system rather than on individual therapy alone.

Strategic Family Therapy emphasizes the structure of the family and the distribution of power, especially parental authority, within the family system. The idea is that who holds power and how roles are enforced shape how family members interact and solve problems. Therapists intervene with targeted directives, reframing, and tasks designed to alter interaction patterns and disrupt unhelpful cycles, thereby promoting healthier communication and problem-solving. Dream interpretation and exploring unconscious motives come from psychodynamic approaches and focus more on individuals’ inner motives than on changing family structure, which is why they aren’t the primary focus here. The strategy centers on the family as a system rather than on individual therapy alone.