Structural-Strategic Family Counseling: A Case Study in Elementary School Counseling.

Only recently has the issue of school counselors conducting family counseling within schools become comprehensively addressed in the school counseling literature (Davis, 1999; Fine, 1992; Fine & Carlson, 1992; Hinkle, 1993; Hinkle & Wells, 1995; Nicoll, 1992). Recognizing the need for family counseling by school counselors has largely been influenced through an understanding that school children belong to a much larger social system that includes an interfacing of both family and school (Fine & Carlson, 1992; Hinkle & Wells, 1995). For school children belonging in two such social systems it becomes necessary for school counselors to recognize that problem behavior in school children may not be idiosyncratic, but rather a manifestation of dysfunctional family patterns and interactions (Fine, 1992; Fine & Carlson, 1992; Hinkle, 1993; Hinkle & Wells, 1995). Thus, to treat the school child without consideration of potential familial influence on the problem behavior may result in ineffective treatment strategies. Although many theories exist concerning specific family counseling approaches, additional specific examples of successful school-based family counseling case interventions are needed for school counselors interested in conducting family counseling. The school-based family counseling case presented here utilizes a combination of both structural and strategic interventions. Thus, the purpose of this article is to (a) give a brief overview of structural and strategic approaches to family counseling, (b) detail a case study combining structural and strategic approaches to family counseling in the schools conducted by the school counselor, and (c) discuss the implications for family counseling in the schools by school counselors. Structural and Strategic Family Counseling A Brief Overview The integrated overview of structural and strategic approaches to family counseling is largely taken and condensed from the works of the following: Minuchin (1974); Nichols and Schwartz (1998) who have provided excellent overviews on several family counseling approaches; Haley (1986, 1987); Madanes (1981, 1984); Fine and Carlson (1992) who have edited an excellent book concerning family-school interventions; and Hinkle and Wells (1995) who have written a useful book for school counselors wanting to incorporate school-based family counseling in their schools. The overview in no way can delineate all there is to know in conceptualizing families and their children concerning dysfunctional interaction patterns. Thus, a reading of references cited in this article is strongly recommended for school counselors interested in effectively increasing their repertoire of counseling skills. This overview simply helps provide a framework for understanding the application of a structural-strategic family counseling model in the school-based family counseling case study presented. Structural Family Counseling Structural family counseling is one of many methods for conducting family counseling. Developed by Minuchin (1974), structural family counseling can be described as a therapy based on a framework that is directed towards changing the organization of a family through analyzing the process of family interactions. Minuchin identified three essential components of structural family theory: (a) family structure, (b) subsystems within the family, and (c) boundaries. Family structure is thought of as the organized patterns in which families interact. Family interactions are largely governed by transactions within the family, often involving a group of covert rules, which govern those transactions. Within the family structure, often there is a hierarchical structure, with adults and children having differing degrees of authority and power. Subsystems differentiate family members who come together to perform various family functions. All members of the family belong in at least one subsystem. …