Symbolic-Experiential Family Therapy Flashcards

Symbolic-Experiential Therapy may be referred to as absurd given its unrecognizable structure, spontaneous process, and therapist transparency.

Therapy of the absurd involves humor, playfulness, and silliness. Absurdity is used to perturb the system in a compassionate and caring way.

Therapist focuses primarily on the family’s emotional system rather than their behavioral interactions. When they get a sense of boundaries or triangles, they focus on the emotional exchange between parties rather than on their actions. Therapists “feel” their way through the system.

• Permeable boundaries within the family and larger systems
• Role flexibility
• Flexible alliances and coalitions
• Generation gap
• Gender
• Transgenerational mandates
• “Ghosts”

• Differentiation and individuation
• Tolerance of conflict
• Conflict resolution and problem solving
• Sexuality
• Loyalty and commitment
• Parental empathy
• Playfulness, creativity, and humor
• Cultural adaptations
• Symbolic process

Should be won by the therapist, who sets the boundaries and limits for therapy. Therapists need to win this battle because they are responsible for setting up a program for change.

Used by the therapist to ensure that the following necessary structure for change is in place:

• The necessary people attend therapy
• Therapy occurs frequently enough to produce progress
• The session content and process will produce change

This battle needs to be won by the client and is often summarized as: therapists should never work harder than their clients.

During the initial assessment phase, the therapist observes how the family responds to the therapist’s interventions and interactions. During this phase, the therapist tries to understand each person’s preferred family roles, beliefs about life, values within relationships, developmental and family histories, and interactional patterns.

Symbolic-experiential therapists strive to be authentic and genuine and, arguably, are the most authentic of family therapists. They are fully themselves and do not hide this from their clients. If they are bored, they show it; if they are annoyed, they express it. If they see an elephant in the middle of the room, they say something. In the end, being authentic at this level is primarily for the benefit of the client: to model the type of authenticity the therapist wants the client to develop and to create an environment in which the client can do this.

Experiential therapists use spontaneity and fun toward several ends. First, by being playful, therapists build a strong therapeutic relationship that allows them to directly and honestly confront clients without encountering resistance. The use of humor and play often goes against common stereotypes about therapists and therapy, which are based primarily on psychodynamic therapies.

The therapist relies primarily on the in-the-moment authentic encounters with the client to directly experience who the other is in a holistic way.

The therapeutic process in symbolic-experiential therapy stimulates mutual growth: the therapist and the client grow together through their authentic encounter with each other.

Breaks family out of rigid interaction patterns.

Emphasis is placed on understanding present moment emotions and interactions, as they are happening in the therapy session.

As ineffective efforts toward growth.

People don’t know how to allow personal autonomy while also being intimately connected with others.