Scholars who have studied the history of family therapy note that family therapy developed in part as a rejection and reaction against depth-psychotherapy. Especially during the 1960’s and 1970’s marital and family therapy, as a field, tended to ignore depth psychology and at times even denigrated it (Nicholas & Schwartz, 2001). So how it is then that you should find an article on family and systems therapy on a web page devoted to depth-psychotherapy? There are two reasons: 1) Not all family therapists reject the theories which underlie depth-psychotherapy, and 2) understanding the individual in the context of a system of relationships adds breadth to depth-psychotherapy work.

Like most other models of therapy, family therapy’s roots can be traced back to the psychoanalytic work of Sigmund Freud and his attempt to understand human consciousness. In fact, many of the pioneers of family therapy were psychoanalytically trained. In much the same way that Freud’s theory has been added too and adapted to form the other various models of individual therapy covered on www.Depth-Psychotherapy-Network.com, there are various models of family therapy which incorporate depth-psychology theories. Both the Bowenian Family Systems Therapy (named after Murray Bowen a pioneer in family systems therapy) and the Psychoanalytic Family Therapy models evolved directly from psychoanalytic principles and practice, with the later being influenced by object relations psychology and self-psychology. Additionally, Experiential Family Therapy includes influences from the humanistic and existential theories of depth-psychology.

These three schools (the Bowenian, the psychoanalytic, and the experiential) could all be considered depth-psychology influenced approaches to family therapy. Narrative Family Therapy is a fourth, more recent approach to family therapy, which has been influenced by depth-psychology theory and corresponds with practice of constructivist psychotherapy.

Psychoanalytic theory and the other models of depth-psychotherapy that have grown from Freud’s initial theory, emphasize the critical importance of the relationships we form with our mother, father, and other family members in terms of their influence on our personality development. While individual approaches to depth psychotherapy emphasizes what is going on within the individual, family therapy shifts the focus to include what is going on between individuals. This includes both the spoken and unspoken aspects of communication. In individual depth psychotherapy a primary goal is helping the client gain insight or awareness of how their internal thoughts and feelings influence their behavior. Likewise, depth-influenced family therapist work to bring the family to an awareness of how each individual’s (perhaps unconscious) concerns influence the behavior of the family, and how the behavior of the family in turn influences each individual. By integrating these two areas of focus, what is going on within the individual and what is going on around the individual, family therapies models which incorporate depth-psychology provide both breadth and depth to understanding the individual and his/her family.

References

Nichols, M. P., & Schwartz, R. C. (2001). Family therapy: Concepts and methods, (5 th ed.). Boston:      Allyn and Bacon.

How to Correctly Reference this Article in APA Style:

Grimes, C. S. M. (2005). Family and systems depth approaches to psychotherapy. Retreived from The      Depth Psychotherapy website: http://www.depth-psychotherapy-Network.com/Student_Section/
     Orientation_Overviews/Family_and_Systems_Depth_Approaches/Grimes_1.htm

Author Bio

Christopher S. M. Grimes is a psychological resident and staff therapist at Diakonos, Inc., a independent mental health clnic in Independence, Missouri. He holds a Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology from the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology. Additionally, Dr. Grimes holds a Master of Arts in Psychology from the Forest Institute and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Religious Studies from Southwest Baptist University. Dr. Grimes has training in both individual and marital/family therapy.  Dr. Grimes serves on the Board of Editors for the Depth-Psychotherapy-Network, and is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Christian Association for Psychological Studies, and the International Society for Existential Psychology and Psychotherapy.