1. CHAPTER 10: Experiential Family Therapy
Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice
6th Edition
Samuel T. Gladding
Developed by Nathaniel N. Ivers, Wake Forest University
© (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

2. Overview Importance of Affect in Experiential Family Therapy
Major Theorists
Premises
Techniques
Roles of the Therapist
Processes
Outcomes of Experiential Family Therapy
The Uniqueness of Experiential Family Therapy

3. Experiential Family Therapy
Emerged out of the humanistic-existential psychology movement in the 1960s
Influenced heavily by Gestalt therapy, psychodrama, client-centered therapy, and the encounter group movement
Emphasizes affect.
A healthy family is one in which people openly experience life with each other in a lively manner

4. Major Theorists David Kantor Frank Duhl Bunny Duhl Virginia Satir
Carl Whitaker
Bernard Guerney
Walter Kempler
Augustus Napier
Leslie Greenberg
David Keith

5. Virginia Satir
Published her first book, Conjoint Family Therapy, in 1964
Described as a master of communication and originator of the family communications theory
Worked with more than 5,000 families, often in group family therapy
Her model of counseling is referred to as the human validation process model

6. Carl Whitaker Innovative, spontaneous, and unstructured
Main contribution was that of helping families get in contact with their absurdity
Challenged people to examine their view of reality
Since 1988, his approach has been called experiential symbolic family therapy

7. Premises of the Theory
Families are not aware of their emotions or, if aware, they suppress them
Lack of emotional awareness and express leads to emotional deadness
The resolution is to emphasize sensitivity and feeling expression among family members
Emotional expressivity can be verbal but it often is manifested affectively or behaviorally
Emphasis placed on the present
Humanistic and phenomenological in origin, and also influenced by attachment theory

8. Treatment Techniques Therapists Who Use Few Techniques: Carl Whitaker:
Redefine symptoms as efforts for growth
Model fantasy alternatives to real-life stress
Separate interpersonal stress and intrapersonal stress
Add practical bits of intervention
Augment the despair of a family member
Promote affective confrontation
Treat children like children and not like peers

9. Treatment Techniques
Therapists who use structured techniques: Virginia Satir
Modeling of effective communication
Using “I” messages
Blamer
Placater
Distractor
Computer

10. Structured Techniques Continued
Sculpting
Setting the scene
Choosing rule players
Creating a sculpture
Processing the sculpture
Choreography
Humor
Touch

11. Structured Techniques Continued
Props
Family Reconstruction
Star or explorer and Guide
Tools for family reconstruction
Family map
Family life fact chronology
Wheel or circle of influence

12. Other Experiential Techniques
Play Therapy
Filial Therapy
Family Drawings
Conjoint family drawing
Symbolic drawing of family life space
Puppet Interviews

13. Role of the Therapist Participate actively (less structured)
Facilitate or provide resources (structured)
Assist family members to discover their individuality and fid fulfilling rules for themselves
Establish an environment that communicates warmth, acceptance, respect, and hope
Help family members to clarify goals and to use their natural abilities
Likely to behave as real, authentic people

14. Process and Outcome
Family members gain awareness of their needs and feelings and share them with others
Families members become more capable of autonomy and real intimacy through awareness of feelings
Helps family members fulfill roles for themselves without an overriding concern for the needs of the family as a whole

15. Process and Outcome
The process differs for each experiential family therapist
Whitaker
Engagement
Involvement
Satir
Making contact
Chaos
Integration

16. Unique Aspects of Experiential Family Therapy
Training Programs
Research
Length of treatment
Attention to emphasizing people as well as structures within the change process