This dissertation was a beginning attempt to investigate the effects of participation in a systemic family education program on the family system.
The six week program developed for the study consisted of an initial home assessment and five one and one-half hour didactic and experiential sessions based on the key concepts of Salvador Minuchin's structural family theory. Sessions focused on the family system, the family developmental life cycle, how the family is organized, interactional patterns, and family assessment. The program was implemented with two groups, and entitled "Understanding Your Family". Participants evaluated each session for content, teaching technique, facilitator style and group process. The study includes a final home assessment and a three month telephone follow-up.
The results suggest that participation in the program changed family interactions patterns in sixteen of the nineteen participants. Changes continued at the three month telephone follow-up. Participant families tended to be enmeshed families with diffuse boundaries. Participants reported movement toward clearer boundaries as a result of participation in the program. Case studies of the subjects are presented.
The significance of an educational, versus a therapeutic approach and implications for future research are discussed.
