Strategic Family Therapy

Strategic family therapy is a modality of family therapy that focuses on problem-solving in relationship dynamics, using behavioral solutions to facilitate change in the family. There are three prominent models: the Mental Research Institute approach, the teachings of Jay Haley and Cloe Madanes, and the Milan Systemic Model developed by Mara Selvini Palazzoli, Gianfranco Cecchin, Luigi Boscolo and Giuliana Prata. The approach emphasizes constant communication within a family system, distinguishing the content a message reports from the relational pattern its delivery commands, which over time develops into the family rules that organize family interactions.