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Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy pp 1–3Cite as

Unbalancing

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Introduction

After the therapist joins well with the family, the aim of the therapist is to reorganize the unhealthy coalitions in the family. Structural Family Therapy created unbalancing as a way for the system to change the hierarchical relationships and boundaries of the members in the family. Unbalancing allows different family members to try out new roles in the family that before seemed unattainable.

Theoretical Framework

Unbalancing can be accomplished by joining with a specific member or subsystem of the family. A therapist meeting the family members can change the power structure of the family. Unbalancing has it genesis in structural family therapy.

Rationale for the Strategy or Intervention

When a therapist enters a family, the family defers to her as an expert. Therapist needs to freely move within the family reorganizing the hierarchy and boundaries in the family. The therapist recognizes she is creating stress in the family and must support the family at the same time...

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References

  • Minuchin, S., & Fishman, H. (1981). Family therapy techniques. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Minuchin Center for the Family, Woodbury, NJ, USA

    Richard Lally

Authors
  1. Richard Lally
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Richard Lally .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Jay Lebow

  2. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Anthony Chambers

  3. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Douglas C. Breunlin

Section Editor information

  1. Iowa City, IA, USA

    David Kearns Ph.D.

  2. The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Bahareh Sahebi

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Cite this entry

Lally, R. (2018). Unbalancing. In: Lebow, J., Chambers, A., Breunlin, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_974-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_974-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Unbalancing
    Published:
    21 March 2018

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_974-2

  2. Original

    Unbalancing
    Published:
    21 December 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_974-1

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