Using psychodramatic techniques in structural family therapy

This article describes how psychodramatic techniques can be used in structural family therapy sessions. After a preliminary discussion of the therapist's spontaneity and role functions in both psychodrama and family therapy, specific action techniques are then discussed using case examples. Auxiliary Ego, Role Reversal, Double, Use of Space, Physicalization, Warm-up, Soliloquy, Surplus Reality, and Future Projection are illustrated.     

Sexual tensions in a remarried family

The remarried family is vulnerable to sexual tensions between adults and children because of the weakness of generational boundaries and because the emotional tasks confronting the new couple can result in the detouring of conflict through a child. The case presented here demonstrates the use of structural family therapy which included several therapeutic tools not usually associated with a structural approach. These included family and marital history, individual and subsystem work, education, and modeling. Unspoken sexual tensions between stepfather and stepdaughter were interwoven with the structural problems that the family was experiencing. Following three months of therapy, significant shifts were made in the family structure that resulted in clearer and more appropriate boundaries between parents and the identified patient.Appreciation is expressed by the author to David Abelson, MA, Karlotta Bartholomew, PhD, and Joellyn Ross, PhD, for their support.