What is Family Systems Theory?

Psychotherapy is a required field that allows for the exploration of individuals' mental health issues to improve their outcomes. Various counseling theories have been developed over the years to develop useful and practical approaches for addressing clients' needs. Most of these theories are secular because they are based on humanism, meaning that they advocate that individuals can adjust to difficult circumstances. Secular theories are divided into three distinct categories: behavioral, humanistic, and psychodynamic, with each of them has specific approaches to distress. Bowen's family systems theory, a subset of a humanistic approach to counseling, could be used to understand the factors that influence clients' distress. The theory is also a useful framework for understanding the relationship between clients' emotions, backgrounds, actions, thoughts, or family systems on levels of distress. Integration of a Christian worldview with the family systems theory would allow for the development of a faith-based personal theory that would, in turn, improve client outcomes.

Factors Influencing Distress 

Emotional distress is a significant mental health issue, considering that it affects all individuals despite their age, gender, or other distinctive characteristics. According to the American Psychological Association (2020), 78% of adults in the US indicate that they are experiencing emotional distress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study indicates that a further 60% of the population is overwhelmed by other issues that the nation is facing. More so, 19% of adults in this country affirm that their mental health worsened in 2020 compared to 2019. These statistics are crucial since they provide a preview of the extent to which emotional distress is a significant mental health issue. Various factors influence distress in children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly. These factors are divided into natural and human-made, which may have devastating effects on people's lives. Natural factors are those that are beyond an individual's control and which cause the loss of loved ones as well as the destruction of property. On the other hand, man-made factors may be controlled, but the victims are not in a position to avoid them, despite their adverse effects. Cook et al. (2018) note that most of the symptoms associated with emotional distress may be temporary, but for some people, most specifically children and adolescents, they may last longer.

The main factor influencing children's distress is the loss of a loved one, including parents, siblings, or friends. Such a loss creates confusion, considering that most young children are yet to develop the concept of death in terms of its meaning. Moreover, the loss of a caregiver or a parent means that a child’s living arrangement may change, an aspect that destabilizes normalcy. The other factor is surviving a disaster, an aspect that makes individuals vulnerable when they think that in case of a similar event, they may not survive (Valero-Moreno et al., 2018). In this case, they internalize these fears to the extent that they may become withdrawn as a way of coping with their situation. These factors are also evident in adults with those exposed to traumatic events such as abuse, severe accidents, combat, and assault being more prone to emotional distress. Similarly, adults who are victims of chronic poverty, discrimination, homelessness, or other social issues have a higher likelihood of developing emotional distress (Beaglehole et al., 2018). These situations usually make them vulnerable as it means that they are not able to improve their life outcomes, considering that they are powerless and disadvantaged. Another factor that influences distress is experience with significant life stressors such as divorce, sexual abuse, or domestic violence as they cause emotional stress. All these factors interfere with an individual's mental state, especially if they do not have a reliable or robust support system for easing their concerns.

Impacts of Cients’ Backgrounds, Emotions/Sensations, Thoughts, Actions, and Family/Cultural Systems Create His/Her Current Distress 

The counseling profession requires a detailed approach to ensure that there is a greater likelihood that clients will learn to deal with or be rid of emotional distress. In this case, there is a need to focus on the client's emotions, backgrounds, actions, thoughts, and family systems. Patient backgrounds or their past is one of the main focus of therapy as provides crucial insights into the current distress. According to Seligman & Reichenberg (2014), an understanding of the past sheds light on the dynamics and nature of prevailing concerns and a context of understanding them fully. Moreover, a therapist is in a better position to link present mental health issues with the events that happened before for an individualized treatment plan. This information is vital in the modern era of counseling, where there is an insistence on a holistic approach to improving outcomes. In this case, there is a need to learn about people's socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds to establish how they have contributed to distress. Seligman & Reichenberg (2014) insist that clinicians must listen to clients' stories so that they are in a position to minimize preconceptions and biases. In this way, they will be better equipped to link these experiences with the clients' distress and adopt strategies that would alleviate the condition.

Emotions and sensations play a critical role in predisposing individuals to emotional distress, depending on their handling of stressful events and situations. Individuals who have low tolerance levels are more likely to display anger, sadness, or frustration when they encounter challenges that are beyond them. In this case, there are counseling theories that have been developed to understand the impacts of various emotions on individuals’ well-being as well as strategies for improving outcomes. These theories are humanistic, meaning that they are concerned with the positive nature of humans. According to Peters & Rivas (2018), all humanistic theories, including existential, client-centered, emotion-focused therapy and Gestalt, insist on adopting a holistic approach when dealing with clients. More so, they advance the idea that every person has an inborn tendency for self-actualization in addition to having a freewill in making choices. Free will means that the clients that zone will handle are responsible for the consequences of their choices. Seligman & Reichenberg (2014) indicate that every person has a unique perception of the world, which determines one's behaviors, beliefs, relationships, and emotions. In this case, counselors need to determine how clients' dispositions have contributed to their current distress. From here, the clients may be aided in changing their perspectives to embrace positivity to improve their outcomes.

Clients' thoughts and actions are crucial aspects that determine if individuals will be predisposed to distress or deal with stressful issues. Thought-focused counseling theories are based on the tenet that thoughts are readily accessible and that clients can change them. According to Farver-Vestergaard et al. (2018), cognitive therapy is a framework through which people learn to identify, recognize and respond to dysfunctional threats capable of causing emotional distress. The framework suggests that people are prone to irrational and dysfunctional thinking, making them believe that life must go their way. When things do not go as they had hoped for, they may think that they are not qualified, or that they are incapable, thoughts that may lead to distress. Similarly, individual actions that emanate from their actions can increase the likelihood of developing emotional distress. Seligman & Reichenberg (2014) note that the action an individual takes determines the direction of his life, personal perception, and relationships with others. The actions that one takes in response to their beliefs or emotions can affect one's emotional distress levels, depending on the outcomes. Adverse outcomes such as severance of interpersonal relationships will most likely lead to the escalation of distress, especially if there is no way of rectifying these mistakes.

Family and cultural systems can create distress, considering that these aspects play a crucial role in shaping one's beliefs and perspectives. Individuals who come from supportive family or cultural systems that revolve around nurturance and positivity have better mental outcomes. On the other hand, individuals who come from broken systems that do not provide requisite support are more prone to distress. According to Erdem & Safi (2018), the family systems theory is a framework that helps individuals to find solutions to problems that a larger unit may be facing. The proponents of family systems theory advocate for clients' treatment as a family as opposed to individually to enhance better outcomes. This approach ensures that every family member understands how their behaviors contribute to the problem and what needs to be done to alleviate distress. Members who refuse to do their part are more likely to create distress for others and themselves, primarily if they are blamed for failing to show commitment to the.

Theory-Based Treatment Strategies 

Counseling theories advance the idea that it is possible to deal with mental health issues, especially if clients are willing to adhere to treatment strategies. The family system theory, which is the main focus here, aims to increase differentiation of the self, reduce anxiety, and create healthy emotional boundaries among family members. According to Lucero et al. (2018), this goal is only achieved when a therapist understands how the family system that goes back to different generations has influenced the present family dynamics. Family systems theory incorporates various treatment strategies designed to address issues that affect the functioning and health of families. One of the treatment strategies in this theory is Bowenian which is used on clients who are not ready to involve others in the process. The approach is grounded on the concepts of differentiation and triangulation. Differentiation is a strategy that trains clients to become less reactive in family relationships, while triangulation allows them to distress or vent by talking to third parties (Ponappa et al., 2017). These aspects of the Bowenian treatment strategy are helpful as they help clients to adopt alternative behaviors, which in turn improve their relationships with family members.

Therapists who choose the family systems approach as the most preferred alternative for treating patients who suffer from distress can use structural, systemic, or strategic therapies. Structural therapy aims to strengthen and adjust a family system to allow parents to assume control and set boundaries that increase the likelihood for improved interpersonal relationships. The theory advances the notion that parents have a responsibility to model acceptable behaviors for their children to enhance their mental and physical well-being. Lucero et al. (2018) note that in this form of treatment, the counselor becomes a part of the family to learn, observe and enhance its ability to nurture and strengthen relationships among members. System therapy revolves around family members' behaviors to understand the implications of unconscious communications and meanings on their relationships. In this approach, the therapist becomes a distant and neutral person, thus allowing them to explore their problems and issues. However, for a therapist to use systems therapy, MacKay (2017) indicates they ought to have addressed their family dynamics to ensure that they are fully differentiated. On the other hand, counselors may use strategic therapy, which is considered to be more direct and brief than other treatment strategies in family system theory. In this approach, a therapist will give the family in question homework that aims to change their interactions to ensure that they are favorable to all. In particular, the homework assesses and adjusts the way the members make joint decisions and communicate. Here, the therapist assumes a position of power to empower members who may not have as much authority to engage in more effective communication with the rest. In this way, all family members are empowered, an aspect that makes them ready to contribute to the well-being of the unit.

Underlying Mechanisms that Lead to Meaningful Change in Clients 

Clients seek counseling services to develop a capacity to deal with issues that are beyond their mental abilities. The various theories applied in the counseling discourse establish that individuals can deal with a myriad of social and psychological issues. However, individuals must be committed to therapy in terms of attendance and adherence to coping strategies taught in the process. Family systems theory is one of the most effective approaches used on clients who associate their mental health needs with family members. Ponappa et al. (2017) note that this theory is heralded for advocating that disturbed family relations systems are responsible for the problems that individuals face. A therapist is required to assume that for every client he or she attends to, there must be a troubled family system that requires redress to improve therapeutic outcomes. In this light, a therapist needs to understand the client's family background to establish if there are poor boundaries that have interfered with its members' relationship. This information will then become a basis for designing a treatment plan that is capable of alleviating the challenges therein.

The family system theory advances the notion that families that seek therapy are keen on finding solutions to the issues they face as a unit. These families are either blended, single-parent, multinuclear, or multi-generational associated with unique concerns, all of which need to be addressed. Nonetheless, the structure that a family adopts does not matter since all forms of family therapy are solution-focused, brief, and action-oriented. Moreover, family therapy is concerned with current interactions among the members and how they contribute, create or continue the problem they are facing. If this form of therapy leads to meaningful change in clients, therapists must create therapeutic alliances that would guide the entire process. According to Seligman & Reichenberg (2014), the relationship between clients and therapists should start even before the first session to create an alliance that promotes equality for all family members. More so, the therapist must develop a form of vigilance to be in apposition to recognize ruptures in the alliance and address them to enhance outcomes. This mechanism is essential in the treatment process as it ensures that there is a solid foundation that encourages family members to commit to the process.

A therapist who opts for the family systems approach for alleviating the issues that clients deal with understands that they have to assume different roles. According to MacKay (2017), a therapist will at times become a consultant, coach, collaborator, teacher, or model, with all these roles paving the way for facilitating change. These roles indicate that the therapist is an expert who can establish plans for behavior modification that will alleviate the specific challenges that the family in question faces. At times, a therapist may be required to act like a nonexpert who views the issues that a family faces as distressing but does not offer them solutions (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2014). Instead, he or she will collaborate with all the family members in a bid to eradicate the problems that they face as a united front. This family systems theory mechanism enhances the likelihood of leading a meaningful change in clients since family members become a part of the solution. In this case, they are more likely to implement the solutions and adhere to them since they know they are responsible for the outcomes. Clients need to feel that their contribution is valued instead of being forced to accept solutions that may have worked for other families in the past.

Key Treatment Strategies Relationship with the Intended Outcome 

The family systems theory is one of the practical approaches for treating individuals dealing with emotional distress. These individuals may have difficulties due to strained relationships with their spouses, children, or other family members. The family systems approach aims to track familiar aspects that may predispose an individual to distress and find a lasting solution. According to Erdem & Safi (2018), therapists are required to view individuals who are struggling with mental health issues as products of broken or dysfunctional family systems. From here, they can collaborate with family members to establish how their background has contributed to the problem and what needs to be done to improve outcomes. Therapists dealing with distressed clients need to align their practice with the provisions of the family systems theory, most specifically the key treatment strategies. Bowen focused on the treatment process that therapists should follow in a bid to help clients deal with their mental health issues.

Bowen therapy focuses on family patterns, especially those that relate to triangulation, family structure, and the emotions that clients present. The assessment stage, which marks the beginning of the treatment process, requires the therapist to construct a family tree with at least three generations. Majhi et al. (2018) note that the family tree is a crucial aspect of the process since it helps delineate emotional and structural relationships that define the family in question. The genogram is considered a crucial framework for establishing interactional patterns which could be fueling distress in clients. It sheds into specific and negative family patterns that include depression and substance or emotional abuse. Understanding these patterns means that a therapist will be in a better position of designing treatment strategies that align with client needs. In the case of the depression pattern, the therapist would assess its severity and the probability of other family members suffering. The other treatment strategy that would enhance the likelihood of achieving the desired outcome is self-differentiation. Seligman & Reichenberg (2014) note that the approach insists on the importance of working with parents instead of children; parents should be responsible for the problems that children face. This aspect in the treatment process has the potential of improving patient outcomes since parents develop insights that allow for a reduction in anxiety for the whole family.

Integration of Christian Worldview 

Counseling theories adopt a secular approach by advancing the notion that humans are either neutral, good or bad, depending on the theory used. However, the Christian worldview establishes that humans can be good or bad based on their choices. Despite a difference in the Christian worldview and secular theories, there is a need to integrate them in clinical practice to increase the likelihood of achieving improved outcomes. According to Tan (2003), integrating religion and spirituality into psychotherapy is increasingly becoming an area of interest in the modern mental health field. These developments are viewed as part of a health sector movement that emphasizes a positive and significant relationship between health and religion. The family systems theory has attracted varied views, especially when viewed against Christianity principles. Schnitker et al. (2017) assert that religion is of uttermost importance as it provides individuals, families, and couples with positive experiences capable of promoting healthy functioning. This statement aligns with the theory in that it emphasizes the need for positive interactions if individuals are to have better outcomes. Families are the best place to start the process, considering that how people interact or relate can determine their mental health well-being.

The Christian worldview emphasizes that marriage and, in turn, families are a divine creation, meaning that there is a need to ensure members' well-being. The creation story where God created a man and a woman and commanded them to multiply and fill the world supports this statement (Genesis 1:28). If then families are divine, there is a need to provide them with counseling to ensure that they are high-functioning and in a position to advance their God-given obligation. The family systems theory is a good fit for advancing this role since it emphasizes a holistic and collaborative approach that focuses on all family members to find solutions. Apart from initiating families, human beings have a mandate of ensuring that children and, in turn, the subsequent generations have better outcomes. The Bible advises parents to bring up their children in the right way, and even they grow older, they would not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). This teaching is advanced by the family systems theory, which views clients as products of broken families as opposed to being the cause of their distress. The theory says that families tend to fail their members by failing to lay a solid foundation that would cushion them from mental health issues. For this reason, Bowenian insisted on dealing with parents to ensure that they achieve self-differentiation in a bid to reduce their anxiety levels. Parents who have improved mental health will, in turn, be in a better position of eliciting positivity in their children, thus improving overall outcomes.

How the Christian Worldview Develops a Responsible Faith-based Eclectic Working Theory in Light of Improved Outcomes in Distressed Clients 

The Christian worldview emphasizes the centrality of families as units responsible for the overall outcomes of its members. Families, in this case, are viewed as divine, having been designed by God as frameworks for inducting members into acceptable behaviors that promote their overall wellbeing. According to Coyle (2017), the Bowen theory is acceptable since it is not encompassed in metaphysical or mythological tenets, but rather it is factual in its descriptions regarding the family. In particular, the theory describes discrete symptoms and behaviors that occur both in individuals and the system, which is a network of significant relationships. This aspect of the theory provides a crucial linkage with the Christian worldview, which allows for the development of a responsible faith-based eclectic working theory. The resultant theory ought to be rooted in the creation story, which means that Christians do not need to do not have to reject Bowen tenets since they revolve around facts. According to Schnitker et al. (2017), Bowen advocated that all clients who seek counseling services are experts of their family, which are viewed as manual for learning about themselves. Knowledge in one's family dynamics is an important element in the resultant theory as one can use this information to improve his or her functioning in relationships.

A responsible faith-based eclectic working theory incorporates insights from secular theories and aligns with Christian worldview principles. The family systems theory is a good place to begin since it advocates for a self-differentiation continuum scale. Seligman & Reichenberg (2014) note that the continuum enhances one's ability to thoughtfully responding to others' emotions and thinking and the ability to respond to challenges that one would encounter in life. This theory aligns with the Christian worldview as it indicates that humans have inner depravity that cripples their ability to manage their emotions. In this case, individuals would require the guidance of a higher power who is God in Christianity or a therapist who is well-versed with human nature. A faith-based theory has a greater likelihood of alleviating distress in clients as it focuses on ways that could improve outcomes. Clients will understand that they are responsible for seeking help to attain a high-functioning that translates to improved relationships with others. Improved relationships are crucial since they allow for the building of strong support networks that one would rely on during crises.

Biblical Principles that Inform the Faith-based Eclectic Working Theory 

The resultant faith-based theory that targets distressed clients has biblical underpinnings that highlight the need to seek help to improve families' outcomes. The main principle that guides this theory is that families and marriage are divine in that God started them. In this case, God would be pleased if families remained cohesive and supportive to guarantee their members' well-being. For this reason, the theory advocates the need to seek both spiritual and psychological assistance that includes all the members in the particular family unit. According to Noh & Chow (2019), family systems theory, as outlined by Bowen, encourages humility in that an individual will accept that he or she needs help to deal with challenges. In the same way, the theory highlights the need for individuals to accept their contribution to the problems they face as a family. The Bible in 1 John1: 18 supports this view when it asserts, "if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." This scripture indicates the need for clients to accept that they are weak and willing to accept any form of help that will improve their outcomes.

The personal working theory is a practical approach to dealing with distressed clients since it highlights individuals' inadequacies push an individual to seek help. In a way, the theory compares with the pastoral care in Christianity, where spiritual leaders attend to the congregants' needs. Seligman & Reichenberg (2014) note that Bowens' family systems theory highlights the need to get a coach who schedules visits with one's family to develop strategies for alleviating their problems. Similarly, church leaders are tasked with the responsibility of coming up with strategies that will encourage their followers who may have given up in life. A theory that combines these tenets aligned with Christianity and psychology becomes a robust framework for diagnosing clients' mental health conditions. More so, the resultant faith-based eclectic theory lets the clients understand that they are not alone in their struggle but rather have a healthy social support system they can rely on for their well-being. To this end, the theory becomes a practical framework for involving the family in finding solutions to problems that could have otherwise resulted in a crisis.

Example of a Biblical Worldview Issue that should be Addressed 

Secular counseling theories are one-sided regarding their view on human nature, with some establishing that people are either good, bad, or neutral. However, the biblical worldview has a dual perspective in that it indicates that human beings have the capacity for being extremely good or evil. This biblical view indicates that human beings are rational beings capable of making decisions depending on their understanding and predispositions. In as much as they are created in God's image, it is not automatic that they will be accepted due to their fallen nature. While this proposition is widely accepted, it fails to factor that, at times, human beings have no control of what happens in their families. The family systems theory captures this notion by advancing the idea that broken families predispose individuals to mental health issues. Family patterns that include substance or sexual abuse and violence are beyond an individual's control in as much as they interfere with their wellbeing. Nonetheless, this assumption may augur with the biblical worldviews, especially if one considers the original sin that paved the way for man's fall. Individuals are born in an inherently evil world, and there is a great likelihood of becoming maladjusted and prone to mental health issues, especially in the absence of reliable support systems.

Conclusion 

Secular counseling theories advance the idea that human beings can either be good, evil, or neutral. These theories emphasize therapists' need to focus on clients' backgrounds, actions, emotions, sensations, thoughts, actions, and family systems create when dealing with distress. Family systems theory is one of the approaches that therapists can adopt in understanding the implications of these aspects on clients' mental health conditions. The theory which establishes the need for involving all family members forms the basis of developing a personal faith-based eclectic approach. This approach relies on the Christian worldview on family systems to insist that God ordains families and marriages. In this case, there is a need to understand that families may predispose individuals to distress since they are prone to evil emanating from the original sin. A faith-based theory, in this case, advocates for the need for clients and their families to accept that they need help to deal with their issues to have better outcomes.

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