Deep Comparative Analysis of Emotional Focused Couple Therapy Theory and Structural Family Therapy Theory

For this paper I have chosen two different family therapy theoretical perspectives taken from our classroom studies, as well as from the perspective of a potential family member who reaches out to a therapist for help dealing with the loss of his brother. The two models I have chosen to discuss are the Emotional Focused Couple Therapy Theory and the Structural Family Therapy Theory. I based my reasoning for these two theories off of the family’s lack of communication, dynamics of the family as well as the interaction they have among each other, and the need for intervention.

Looking at the Family from the Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT) Theory:

The best way to describe Emotional Focused Couple Therapy Theory is exactly what the Jarrett family is going through because of the loss of their son. These include, but are not limited to, lack of communication or effective communication in the Jarrett family, what each member of the family sees as a priority. For example the mother Beth keeps bringing up to her husband Calvin that the two of them should take off and go on vacation.

The scene in the movie that really stuck out for me which clearly captures the family in conflict is where the only thing that Calvin could remember from his sons Bucks funeral was how he was dressed for the funeral and his wife Beth’s only concern was what he was wearing. Bothered by the fact that she told him to change his shoes and shirt because Beth is more concerned with their appearance and what people think. What Calvin wore to his son Bucks funeral to him was irrelevant and he really didn’t think anything of it at the time but since it had been bothering him.

After the death of their son Buck the Jarrett family never really reached out to their friends or other family members to help them get through their son’s death. This was most likely due to the fact that Beth wants everyone on the outside to think everything is ok. She had always created this illusion of contentment to all their friends and family, even going as far as neglecting her family’s feelings and needs. A good example of this in the movie is when Conrad quits the swim team and keeps it to himself, and then a month later his mother finds out from a friend that Conrad quite the swim team. Conrad insists that his mother anger about his decision isn’t because he quite the swim team but because she found out from someone else and not from him.

Throughout the movie you can see just how frustrated and upset Conrad is with his mother’s behavior and how she acts towards him. Conrad is not able to communicate his frustrations and feelings towards his mother in an appropriate way so he seems to either isolate himself or ends up lashing out.

Looking at the Jarrett family from a Structural Family Therapy Theory:

The Identified Patient in the movie is the Jarrett family’s youngest son Conrad. Conrad is a high school student and had just recently returned home from a four month stay in a hospital after attempting to commit suicide. Conrad shows signs of depression as well as PSTD; he is having nightmares from the boating accident that killed his brother Buck which is in turn causing him to not be able to sleep. He blames himself for his brother death, he doesn’t have an appetite, doesn’t have hardly any to no contact with his friends, can’t concentrate in class or on his homework, and he doesn’t display a good relationship with his parents especially his mother.

When we first are introduced to Conrad’s father Calvin, he and his wife are at a play and she seems to be enjoying it and he falls asleep during it. When the two return home Calvin goes straight up to talk with his son Conrad, who is in his room, to talk with him about going to see a therapist soon. Conrad’s father shows much more concern with how he is feeling and his wellbeing that his mother Beth does.

It’s obvious from the first time we see Beth in the movie with her husband Calvin that there is a disconnect within the marriage, and a gender role reversal in the Jarrett household that is not what we traditionally think of as the caregiver. Usually it is the mother of the family who is the caregiver and more affection it one but in the Jarrett household it is the father Calvin who is more of the caregiver.

When we are first introduced to Conrad’s mother Beth she gets upset because he isn’t hungry and she without any hesitation throws his breakfast down the garbage disposal. A communication barrier between them is clearly present, as well as a subtle but noticeable passive aggressiveness hostility towards not only Conrad but also towards Calvin from Beth.

With the Jarrett family we see the pattern of a complimentary role of a tough-mother/tender-father. In the Jarrett family Calvin plays more of the traditional role that a mother usually plays which is the “expressive” role that provides not only emotional support but also tender care and love towards son Conrad. The mother Beth makes most of the decisions for the family, from buying Conrad’s clothes to what vacations her and her husband will go on, and even telling her husband what shoes and shirt to wear to their son Bucks funeral. Beth’s need for power, control and structure in the family home brings on a great deal of tension to the family.

Based on the structural model the Jarrett family shows a disengagement system in the way they confront and deal with their son Conrad’s emotional and mental issues he suffers from the loss of his brother. It is clear to me that a family therapist should begin with Beth and Calvin by helping them to recognize the need to identify Conrad as the patient. If they were to be challenged from different angles to look at Conrad’s behavioral symptoms and be able to acknowledge the patterns and rules with the family structure that are to blame for his symptoms and issues he faces. With Beth being such a control freak it will is necessary for the family to instill a new structure and patterns.

Based on my observation of the mother in this movie it is clear that she would feel like she was being ganged up on and would take on all the blame within a therapy model structure family therapy. Beth is not one to let people see her family any way but perfect and she thinks that she can fix any problem in the family herself and that going to a family therapist would be a waste of her time not to mention embarrassing. In the movie it is obvious of this when she would repeatedly say “this is my family, I don’t want to change. This is me!”

I would have them see a family therapist and have them assess the Jarrett family with a joining family session along with mapping the family’s patterns and interactions. I would have the Jarrett family meet for joining sessions during their lunch time to observe how they communicate as a family when gathered together. Then I would have the therapist work on making boundaries between Beth and her son, Conrad as well as work with the all the issues that face the Jarrett family especially between the dad and mom Calvin and Beth. This would involve restructuring of the family relationships..

In this movie we witness the differences in each family member’s emotions, feelings, and anger which have a big impact on the family’s relationships amongst themselves. Each of them has specific patterns and habits which contribute to the family dynamics. This family needs a lot of positive reconstruction, a new emotional and meaningful experience and to learn how to get use to the concept of family and wanting to spend time together as a family. The Jarrett family has a lot of negative connotations because none of them have faced their tragedies head on and have just pushed them aside and not coped with them appropriately. For Conrad his definition of family is grief and isolation, for his father it might mean failure and responsibility, for his mother it most likely means chaos and being out of control. All of these meanings for the family will have to be replaced with such feelings as; “love”, “comfort”, “safe”, “home”, and “support”. Both of these theories Family Structural Family Therapy Theory (SFT) and Emotional Focused Couple Therapy Theory (EFCT) seem most appropriate to me for the Jarrett family. There are other therapies that could be used such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. With SFT it emphasizes the structure of the family and not so much on individuals there for this system would work good for the Jarrett family since it seems to be flawed and leading to pathology in each of the family members, it is best to focus only on the restructuring of the flawed system which exist in the Jarrett family. SFT is also good for the Jarrett family because they are a disconnected family and SFT focuses on the family unit as a whole and would help them a great deal. EFCT is a great therapy for the communication barriers that exist in the Jarrett family and also would help them with the emotional disconnects that they experienced after the death of their son/brother that they obviously haven’t dealt with.

If I were to work with the Jarrett family I would personally prefer the use of a combination of methods in SFT, EFCT along with cognitive behavioral therapy model. I feel that the combination of these three would be the best for this family. In the movie the Jarrett family was portrayed as a wealthy and good educated family who had a good social foundation as well, that using the method of focusing on the positive in their lives instead of the negative. One thing I certainly would recommend intensive individual therapy as well for both Beth and Conrad. The two people in this movie who I think could adapt easily is Calvin and Conrad. Beth will have the hardest time adapting to a new family structure because she doesn’t like change.