MFT Family Therapy Models 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which family therapy model would most likely use 'tracking,' 'mimesis,' and 'enactment' as primary techniques?
- Narrative Therapy
- Structural Family Therapy (Correct answer)
- Bowen Family Systems Therapy
- Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
Correct answer: Structural Family Therapy
Structural Family Therapy uses tracking (following the family's content), mimesis (adopting their style), and enactment (having the family demonstrate problems in session).
Question 2: The 'do more of what works' principle is a hallmark of which therapeutic approach?
- Strategic Family Therapy
- Experiential Family Therapy
- Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (Correct answer)
- Intergenerational Family Therapy
Correct answer: Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy emphasizes identifying and amplifying existing exceptions and solutions rather than analyzing problems.
Question 3: Jay Haley's Strategic Family Therapy is most influenced by the work of:
- Murray Bowen
- Carl Whitaker
- Milton Erickson (Correct answer)
- Salvador Minuchin
Correct answer: Milton Erickson
Jay Haley was heavily influenced by Milton Erickson's hypnotherapeutic techniques and indirect communication strategies, which he applied to family systems.
Question 4: A couple therapist using Gottman Method Therapy notices a husband frequently withdrawing during conflict. This behavior is called:
- Contempt
- Defensiveness
- Stonewalling (Correct answer)
- Criticism
Correct answer: Stonewalling
Stonewalling occurs when one partner withdraws from interaction, often as a response to physiological flooding during conflict.
Question 5: In Experiential Family Therapy (Satir's model), 'sculpting' is a technique used to:
- Diagram family alliances using paper and pencil
- Physically arrange family members in space to represent relationship dynamics (Correct answer)
- Assign homework tasks that mirror family patterns
- Reframe the identified patient's symptoms as meaningful communication
Correct answer: Physically arrange family members in space to represent relationship dynamics
Sculpting involves placing family members in physical positions that represent their emotional relationships and communication patterns.
Question 6: Which family therapy model is most associated with the use of 'paradoxical injunctions' and 'prescribing the symptom'?
- Structural Family Therapy
- Strategic Family Therapy (Correct answer)
- Narrative Therapy
- Contextual Family Therapy
Correct answer: Strategic Family Therapy
Strategic Family Therapy uses paradoxical techniques such as prescribing the symptom to disrupt homeostasis and create change through resistance.
Question 7: The concept of 'equifinality' in family systems theory means:
- All families eventually reach the same outcome regardless of starting conditions
- Different starting points can lead to the same end result (Correct answer)
- Equal treatment of all family members is required for therapeutic success
- Family therapy and individual therapy produce equivalent outcomes
Correct answer: Different starting points can lead to the same end result
Equifinality is a systems principle stating that the same end state can be reached from different initial conditions through different pathways.
MFT Family Therapy Models 3
Which family therapy model would most likely use 'tracking,' 'mimesis,' and 'enactment' as primary techniques?