Family Systems and Counseling Flashcards
7 cards from real CPCE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Family Systems and Counseling flashcards as text
In Bowen's family systems theory, what term describes the ability to separate thinking from feeling while maintaining emotional connection with others?
Answer: Differentiation of self
Differentiation of self is Bowen's central concept referring to a person's ability to maintain a clear sense of self while remaining emotionally connected to the family.
Salvador Minuchin is most associated with which approach to family therapy?
Answer: Structural family therapy
Minuchin developed structural family therapy, which focuses on family organization, subsystems, and the nature of boundaries.
In family systems theory, a genogram is primarily used to:
Answer: Map multigenerational family patterns and relationships
A genogram is a pictorial diagram that maps family relationships, roles, and recurring patterns across at least three generations.
In Bowen's theory, triangulation occurs when:
Answer: A third person is drawn into a dyadic conflict to reduce tension
Triangulation is the process by which a third person is brought into an anxious two-person relationship to stabilize and reduce tension in the dyad.
In structural family therapy, boundaries that are overly rigid and limit communication between family subsystems are associated with:
Answer: Disengagement
Disengaged families have overly rigid boundaries that restrict communication and emotional connection between family members and subsystems.
The concept of 'identified patient' (IP) in family therapy refers to:
Answer: The family member whose symptoms are seen as the family's problem, masking systemic dysfunction
The identified patient is the family member labeled as 'the problem,' but family therapists understand this as a symptom of broader systemic dysfunction.
According to Carter and McGoldrick's family life cycle model, which stage centers on the task of accepting exits from and entries into the family system?
Answer: Launching children and moving on
The 'Launching children and moving on' stage involves accepting adult children's departure and the possible entry of new partners and grandchildren into the family system.