ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of understanding families function, the development of symptoms in individuals, the resolution of symptoms and the process of change. It also discusses outline of five of the most prominent family therapy approaches available. The chapter talks about some of the most influential family therapy approaches. Murray Bowen's Natural Systems Theory is perhaps the most comprehensive theory of individual and family functioning, utilizing an evolutionary perspective to discuss how differentiation of self is related to anxiety and symptom expression. Satir's Human Process Validation Movement addresses how family members cope with crises through problematic communicational stances. Symbolic-Experiential family therapy attempts to challenge family members to shed their prescribed roles and to gain access to the full continuum of their humanness. The Mental Research Institute (MRI) Brief Therapy Model focuses on the failed solution attempts of families; ways in which they tried to solve an initial problem which only perpetuated and maintained the symptom.
