STRUCTURAL FAMILY THERAPY OF A FAMILY WITH A HYPERACTIVE CHILD: A SINGLE-SUBJECT INVESTIGATION AND DEMONSTRATION OF A DOCTORAL STUDENT AND CHAIRPERSON CLINICAL-RESEARCH TEAM

This paper describes one single subject social work clinical dis.ertation and the collaborative process used to execute it. The dissertation examined the use of structural family therapy. The paper also discusses the formation of a clinical-research team of doctoral student and chair~. ~ team worked to resolve particular clinical and»e-Search pro ~ ~d in such dissertations.. The dissertation was based on the formal theory th~t a family is a self regulated, open, and ~omeostatic systerrl.I a symptom such as hyperactivity develop $ in a family, that symp om can serve several functions. It can ~e used to maintain the family's homeostasis and to protect fami ~ members from ~lng to deal with more central problems such as marYta ± ~culties or the expression of anger. The thesis of the dissertation Was that the symptom would only change as a result of a change in the degree to which the family was child focussed. Structural family therapy specifies that the symptom of dysfunctional behavior rests in the family rules (Minunchin, 1970, 1974; Aponte and Van Deusen, 1981). In such systems the family rules often include the bridging of intergenerational barriers and the crossing of generational lines to create triangles. The major relationship energy in such families is spent on parent child coalitions, rather than in maintaining strong marital ties. This results in the creation of child focused family. The structural family therapists seeks to alter the family's structure so that it is less child focussed. is the most important is one in which the dysfunctional performs important functions for family as a whole. The hallmark