What is Family Systems Therapy (FST)?

Family systems therapy (FST) was developed by Dr Murray Bowen in the 1950s. This therapy views individuals in the context of their family relationships and suggests that family dynamics play a significant role in shaping a person’s behaviours and emotions.

How does Family Systems Therapy work?

As the name suggests, FST works with the family unit, not just the individual. This work is usually centred around improving communication, reducing conflicts, encouraging emotional resilience, and strengthening relationships. There are four key principles of FST: 

• Interconnectedness: This explores how each person’s behaviour, impacts others within the family unit. For example, if one member of the family was struggling with persistent low mood, this may stem from parental conflict, or their mood could add to parental conflict. However, this is not about targeting individual difficulties, it is about understanding how to improve the family unit wholistically.
• Homeostasis: This principle is about maintaining the balance in the family dynamic through identifying family members take on too many, too little, or the incorrect roles within the household, and shifting this to more suitable roles. 
• Differentiation of Self: This centres around the idea that each member of the family is their own person who can act independently. It emphasises the importance of emotional connections with others in the family to be well-managed through building skills to reduce emotional reactivity and improve communication skills. 
• Generational Patterns: This explores how patterns of behaviour are passed down from one generation to the next (e.g., emotional reactivity, communication styles, or conflict resolution styles) with the aim of changing them to be more adaptive. 

Family meetings are one part of Family System Therapy concepts, and working with a family systems therapist they involve working together to identify behavioural patterns, improve communication and explore the roles of each family member.

What is FST used for? 

Family Systems Therapy (FST) can be beneficial for a range of family types including couples and small or large families. Working together as a family unit, and psychologist, FST can help to enhance relationships between family members, improve communication, foster emotional healing, break negative cycles which may be generational, and support individuals within the family as well. Additionally, FST can be beneficial for a range of family challenges such as parenting, marital issues, substance use or addiction, dealing with and healing from loss or family trauma, and a range of other mental health concerns.  

Conclusion

Family systems therapy (FST) can benefit a range of families in a range of situations. This form of therapy focuses on the family wholistically by focusing on relationships between family members and recognising the interplay between individual behaviours and collective dynamics. Whether dealing with conflict, trauma, or seeking to enhance family bonds, FST may provide an effective way to foster positive change within the family.

You can find out more about FST here: https://www.thefsi.com.au/

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Connect with one of our fully trained Family Systems Therapists.