Although I wouldn’t have considered myself a family systems theory advocate prior to taking this course, I have becoming increasingly fond of the perspective. I do not believe you can work with a client, either individually or in the context of family therapy, without attempting to understand the systems (family, work, community, church, and other relevant social systems) that exert influence on and ultimately play a role in the decision making of an individual. Regardless of whether I intend to work specifically as a family systems therapist, I think a foundation in family systems theory is needed in order to ethically and adequately treat individuals. It’s even more important when working with couples or families, but I believe that is implicitly implied when you apply it to the individual. As an aside, this is a great entry point for our earlier conversation about multiculturalism. Culture is, by definition, is a bidirectional system that both exerts influence on, and is influenced by, our clients. So, since we have all agreed previously that culture is a consideration we need to account for when providing mental health services, we are by default systems theory advocates (even if it is on a macro level).
