Bowenian Family Therapy Worksheet

Bowenian Family Therapy Worksheet

The Bowen family theory is a theoretical postulate that maintains significance in relationship and couples counseling. This model views the family as a unilateral unit and uses systems thinking in describing individual interactions within the family. The concepts described under Bowen’s family model provide a groundwork for understanding and identifying interruptive repetitive patterns of behavioral exchanges among family members. Therapeutic modalities using Bowen’s approach focus not only on an individual presenting with a behavioral perturbation but also on the family in its entirety.

Background of the Couple

Mr. Kenny is a 55-year-old Caucasian male living with his wife, Mrs. Wendy, to whom he has been married for 25 years. They have two children, Becky, aged 21, and Ann, aged 19. The couple is presenting for a therapy session with complaints of a dysfunctional family. He complains that her wife is no longer listening to him and that she is trying to woe their children away from him. Mrs. Wendy, on the other hand, says that her husband has considerably changed over the past few months and is no longer giving her any attention. She adds that he drinks alcohol frequently and shouts at her whenever he is drunk. The tension the couples has been a back-and-forth issue over the past two years and had once prompted them to see a therapist. Their problems were, however, resolved but only temporarily. The tension between the couple seems to be taking a toll on their children. Their elder daughter recently relocated to a nearby neighborhood to live with her boyfriend, claiming that staying at home and watching her parents fight makes her anxious. The younger sister is also affected by the turmoil within the family as she keeps herself locked in her room most of the time and rarely joins the family in joint events such as dinner. Mr. Kenny lives with his family in an affluent neighborhood close to most extended family members.

Assume you work with couples from a Bowenian perspective and a majority of your work is done through teletherapy. Give a one-page background on your couple and then develop a handout/worksheet you can give to clients that explains your approach and allows them to consider some of these ideas outside of therapy. This handout explains a couple of differentiations and specific interventions for them to do at home between sessions. The intervention will be designed to help clients increase their levels of differentiation, which will help them connect without being so reactive. Follow these guidelines in designing the brochure/handout (Note: Brochures/handouts should be readable and can include lists, bullets, or graphics rather than complete paragraphs):

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Explain/define differentiation in lay terminology so that it is clear to your client.
Provide a brief discussion of the Bowen approach to working with relationships.

Bowenian Family Therapy Worksheet

Describe at least one intervention designed to increase differentiation in relationships that couples can do at home, in between sessions (you can use one in the research or be creative, as long as it connects to the Bowen model goals).
Discuss the role that extended family can play in the current relationship (strengths and challenges)
Create a section that embraces cultural differences that might exist around the idea of differentiation and extended family expectations.
Provide a brief summary of teletherapy and what clients should expect from this setting.
(Remember, this worksheet/handout will be used with clients; thus, make sure you explain the concepts and give direction in clear and simple language, but also appropriately cited.)