Assignment: Structural Versus Strategic Family Therapies NRNP 6650

Assignment: Structural Versus Strategic Family Therapies NRNP 6650

Assignment: Structural Versus Strategic Family Therapies NRNP 6650

Assignment: Structural Versus Strategic Family Therapies
Although structural therapy and strategic therapy are both used in family therapy, these
therapeutic approaches have many differences in theory and application. As you assess
families and develop treatment plans, you must consider these differences and their
potential impact on clients. For this Assignment, as you compare structural and strategic
family therapy, consider which therapeutic approach you might use with your own client
families.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
 Compare structural family therapy to strategic family therapy
 Create structural family maps
 Justify recommendations for family therapy
To prepare:
 Review this week’s Learning Resources and reflect on the insights they provide on
structural and strategic family therapies.
 Refer to TherapistAid (2020) in this week’s Learning Resources for guidance on
creating a structural family map.

The Assignment
In a 2- to 3-page paper, address the following:
 Summarize the key points of both structural family therapy and strategic family
therapy.
 Compare structural family therapy to strategic family therapy, noting the strengths
and weaknesses of each.
 Provide an example of a family in your practicum using a structural family map.
Note: Be sure to maintain HIPAA regulations.
 Recommend a specific therapy for the family, and justify your choice using the
Learning Resources.

Note: The College of Nursing requires that all papers submitted include a title page,
introduction, summary, and references. The sample paper provided by the Walden Writing
Center provides examples of those required elements (available at
http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/57.htm). All papers submitted must use this formatting.

By Day 7
Submit your Assignment.
Submission and Grading Information
To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:
 Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK4Assgn+last
name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
 Click the Week 4 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the
Assignment.
 Click the Week 4 Assignment link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for
grading criteria from this area.
 Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the
document you saved as “WK4Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and
click Open.
 If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to
submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.
 Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.
Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:
Week 4 Assignment Rubric

Check Your Assignment Draft for Authenticity

To check your Assignment draft for authenticity:
Submit your Week 4 Assignment draft and review the originality report.

Submit Your Assignment by Day 7

To submit your Assignment:
Week 4 Assignment

 

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