Family Systems Therapy in Los Angeles

You know what holds the city of Los Angeles together? Your family. Yes, families are the fundamental units of the society - healthy families mean healthy societies. But when families break apart, even the city can feel the void.

Family systems therapy in Los Angeles considers the family a unit and focuses on resolving conflicts and tensions to unite families and lay the foundation for a lasting, positive change.

Family systems therapy was developed in the 1950s by Murray Bowen. This psychotherapy is based on the understanding that problematic thinking, emotional, and behavioral patterns often begin in the family. So, when the family comes together as a healthy unit, every member of the family can begin to heal.

Linda Whiteside, Clinical Supervisor at the NuView Treatment Center, says, “Unlike other traditional therapies, family systems therapy is centered on the family rather than one person. In doing so, it incorporates generational, community, social, and cultural factors that affect you as well as your family.”

Murray Bowen based family systems therapy on eight interlocking concepts, which are as follows:

Triangles

It is a three-person relationship system that becomes the “molecular unit” of the family. This dynamic can impact other members of the family as well.

Differentiation Of The Self

It emphasizes the need to develop an independent personality while still remaining connected with the family. With a poor differentiation of the self, you can become too dependent or engage in people-pleasing behaviors that are not healthy for you. Whereas, with a healthy differentiated self, you are realistically dependent on your family.

Nuclear Family Emotional Process

It refers to the commonly occurring emotional patterns within a nuclear family. The four main emotional patterns are marital conflict, dysfunction in a spouse, impairments among children, and emotional distance.

Family Projection Process

Parents can project their fears and anxieties onto their children, who can then project their fears and anxieties onto others. For instance, a parent may view their child out of the fear that something is wrong with them -> the parent interprets the behavior of the child as confirming their fear -> the parent treats the child as if something is wrong with them.

The Multi-Generational Transmission Process

Generational differences occur among family members. Small levels of differentiation, like those between parents and children, can snowball into greater levels of differentiation between family members over generations.

Emotional Cutoff

Unresolved conflicts can lead to distance among family members, and they can become emotionally cut off from each other.

Sibling Position

Birth order can affect each child, siblings, and even parents. The birth order typically looks something like this: firstborn, middleborn, and lastborn. Older children can become more of leaders, while younger children become followers. Neither of these characteristics is better than the other, but they become harmonious.

Societal Emotional Process

Family does not exist in isolation but as part of the wider society. Therefore, societal and cultural factors can impact each family member as well as the family as a whole.

Therapies based on the ideals of family systems therapy, as developed by Bowen, use a variety of therapeutic modalities to resolve family conflicts and bring family members together:

Psychoeducation

It educates family members regarding the intricate connection between family health and personal mental health to foster empathy and understanding among family members.

Structural Family Therapy

A unique family systems intervention, it identifies the structure of a given family to enhance communication patterns among family members.

Strategic Family Therapy

It sees the individual in the family and designs personalized approaches to identify and change the unique challenges and needs of each member.

Couples Therapy

Unresolved conflicts between couples, like parents, can have wide-ranging effects on the family. Improving communication between couples improves the family dynamic as a whole.

Intergenerational Family Therapy

Families identify how maladaptive patterns passed on from one generation to the next affect family members to improve them.

Narrative Therapy

You develop a story of your life to rewrite maladaptive patterns and foster self-worth and resilience.

Family systems therapy offers a wide range of benefits, such as:

• Open and positive communication patterns, as the therapy identifies and changes the non-productive ones.
• As open and positive communication patterns are developed, they lead to better connections and togetherness among family members.
• Improved family dynamics, where family members come together to create an environment conducive to better mental health and stronger relationships.

Los Angeles is one of the biggest and best cities in the U.S., yet it is also a fact that over a million struggle with a substance use disorder. 33% of the time, it overlaps with a mental health condition.

Linda Whiteside informs, “At NuView’s Los Angeles facility, we notice that when we integrate family systems therapy into treating substance use and co-occurring mental health conditions, our clients fare better when compared to only one-on-one therapy sessions. In fact, the success rates for family systems therapy are very high - as nearly 65% report meaningful change and reduction in the severity of their systems.”

We integrate family systems therapy into broader recovery options for substance use and mental health, such as partial hospitalization programs and intensive outpatient programs, so that you can heal with your family and loved ones right beside you for a lasting change and healthier relationships.

If you think family systems therapy can benefit you and your family, please reach out to NuView today! Our licensed therapists with advanced training in family systems therapy identify you and your family’s unique dynamics to tailor the therapeutic experience for your needs and goals.

We create a safe, open environment where each of you can voice your thoughts and emotions, understand one another, come together, heal, and move toward becoming a unit.

Please connect with us at (323) 307-7997 to begin healing as a family - together!

1. How does family systems therapy differ from other therapies?

Family systems therapy is focused on the person as well as the family, whereas other therapies typically focus on one person.

2. Who can benefit from family systems therapy?

Anyone within a family dynamic can benefit from family systems therapy, even if they are not experiencing symptoms themselves.

3. Can family systems therapy work if one family member is resistant?

Yes, a change in even one part of the family system can positively impact the entire family.

4. Is family systems therapy effective for adult persons, and not just parents and children?

Yes. Adult siblings, partners, and multigenerational families can all benefit from this approach.

5. Can family systems therapy be combined with virtual or hybrid treatment options in Los Angeles?

Yes, treatment centers like NuView integrate family systems therapy with in-person, virtual, or hybrid care for greater ease and efficacy.