Joining
the process of the therapist making a connection with the family usually by demonstrating the ability to operate within the rules of the family, in order to ear the right, by membership, to offer changes in how those rules should operate
Enactment
family problematic interaction actually happens in the session, a desirable event, often instigated by the therapist in order to observe interactive rules and family structure in the session
Intensity
the level of energy behind an interaction the structural therapist believes in his or her task to regulate this up or down in order to facilitate change in the family structure in the session
Boundaries
membership of subsystems who can say what to who and when
Alliance
an informal partnership between two peers such as two parents or two siblings a good thing to structural
Coalition
an informal partnership between two family members from different subsytems a bad thing for structural
parentified child
a child who is at least partially thrust into the parent role due to vacancy to some other family dynamic
Complementarity
the idea that each family member's behavior benefits him or her in a circular way
unbalancing
the intervention of joining one side of the stuck family to break the stalemate and enable change and realignment within a family
accommodation
the process of the therapist earning the family's trust and respect by operating within the family system rules, either to join the family, to support the rules or perhaps unbalance the family
Challenging
will make judgments or give directives that can challenge the thinking or behavior of family members or family interaction
conflict induction
blocking family's conflict-avoiding strategies by the therapist introducing conflictual issues forcing the family to develop new ways of resolving conflict
detouring
dissipating spousal tension by redirecting it through a spouse-child relationship, giving the impression of couple harmony
mimesis
the therapist matches or mimes the family interactive style for joining or change
probing
the therapist probes in order to see the family response and gather information regarding how the family operates
disengagement
describes a family structure where the internal boundaries are rigid and relationship weak, while at the same time external boundaries are diffuse.
rigid boundaries
are closed boundaries between subsystems
diffuse boundaries
lack of boundaries like enmeshment
Big idea/structural
problems: result from invisible rules that govern family interaction being too rigid or too flexible
change: change rules by joining system and changing interaction rules from within