Family Dynamics Affecting Child & Families - RonaldMah

Ronald Mah, M.A., Ph.D.
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist,
Consultant/Trainer/Author
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Family Dynamics Affecting Child & Families

Workshops-Consulting > Siblings Adol Fam


Family Dynamics and Emotional & Mental Health
Affecting Children, Parents, and Families


FORMAT:
Lecture and Discussion- Participants are encouraged to make the workshop more relevant to their concerns by asking questions.

DESCRIPTION:
Children may present very difficult and challenging behavior that comes not from their own volition, learning issues (and disabilities), temperament, peer pressure, developmental challenges, and so forth, but from coming from and living in difficult family situations.  This training borrows from family therapy theory for an overview of how family dynamics affect children, their parents, and the overall family.

FAMILY OF ORIGIN THEORY- Individuals bring prior experiences (usually from their families of origin) into their own nuclear families.  These expectations if unacknowledged can act as "scripts" that can cause parents to enforce and repeat negative patterns of behavior.

STRUCTURAL THEORY- If a family has a logical consistent structure with appropriate roles for each member, appropriately permeable boundaries, healthy alignments within the family, and clear open communication channels, then the family will tend to be healthy.

STRATEGIC THEORY- Negative behavior within a family happens in a sequence of behaviors that cycle over and over.  Positive behavior results when members of a family can chose to or be lead to interrupt the toxic hierarchy of behaviors.

COMMUNICATION THEORY- Healthy families communicate to each other in ways that validate and build each others self-esteem.  Poor communication leads to self-esteem loss and subsequent negative behaviors in attempts to compensate.  

INDICATORS for FAMILY of ORIGIN ISSUES
THE "X" FACTORS-
Making Sense out of Nonsense (Logic out of Illogic)
 When it doesn't seem to make sense; illogical
 "How could s/he think/do that?"
1 + 1 + 1 = 8 !?
1 + 1 + 1 + "X" = 8

PSEUDO-MATURITY- Children taking on pseudo-adult roles

RIGIDITY OF ROLES- despite pain needed to maintain roles

ILLOGICAL VALUES

PREPONDERANCE OF IMPLICIT RULES

INCORRECT AND/OR ILLOGICAL PERCEPTION

When "Or else what?" is answered with "Because!"

INDICATORS for STRATEGIC FAMILY ISSUES
CYCLICAL BEHAVIOR PATTERNS

"STUCK" PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR

STEREOTYPED PERCEPTION / LACK OF PERCEPTUAL  FLEXIBILITY

PRESENCE OF UNACKNOWLEDGED IMPLICIT VALUES

AUTHORITARIAN/AUTHORITATIVE CULTURAL/SOCIAL  TRADITIONS OR PATTERNS

Indicators For Paradoxical Interventions
EXTREMELY "STUCK" PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR

LACK OF COGNITIVE INSIGHT

EXTREME CONTROLLING BEHAVIOR

AGE APPROPRIATENESS

INDICATORS for STRUCTURAL FAMILY ISSUES
INEFFECTIVE HIERARCHY OF AUTHORITY

INAPPROPRIATE/INEFFECTIVE POWER

POORLY DEFINED ROLES

POOR CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION

RIGID OR ENMESHED BOUNDARIES

INAPPROPRIATE COALITIONS
Triangulation, Detouring

AUTHORITARIAN/AUTHORITATIVE CULTURAL/SOCIAL TRADITIONS OR PATTERNS

Family Situations Indicating Structural Therapy
• Physical, Emotional, & Sexual Abuse; Drug Abuse
• Blended Families, Step-families, Non-biological Adults or children in the household; Foster Homes
• Extended Family Homes-3 generation families; Aunts, Uncles, & Cousins in the household


INDICATORS for COMMUNICATION ISSUES
BLOCKED OR INAPPROPRIATE EXPRESSION OF  FEELINGS

COVERT COMMUNICATION

CLOSED COMMUNICATION

DYSFUNCTIONAL RULES & RITUALS

SECRETS

LOW SELF-ESTEEM

GAMES:
 Rescue, Coalition, Lethal

STANCES:
 Victim, Blamer, Computer, Distractor, Scapegoat, Superior


ADDRESS:
3056 Castro Valley Blvd., #82
Castro Valley, CA 94546
Ronald Mah, M.A., Ph.D.
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, MFT32136
CONTACT INFORMATION:
office: (510) 582-5788
fax: (510) 889-6553
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