Structural family therapy with families from diverse backgrounds with an adolescent involved in the mental health system

• Main Author: Roberts, Petra
• Format: Others
• Language: en; en_US
• Published: 2007
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1993/1183

Manitoba is described as one of the most multicultural provinces in Canada with a population that consists of approximately 110 different ethnic groups. This practicum report describes the use of structural family therapy with eleven families in which the adolescent is involved in the mental health system. These families came from a variety of racial, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds. The majority are immigrants. The report reviews the history of psychiatry and mental illness in Europe and North America and the literature on culture, race, ethnicity and family therapy. Three case examples are used to illustrate the use and utility of the structural family therapy model with racially and ethnically diverse populations. The clinical intervention is evaluated through the use of FAM-III and a client satisfaction questionnaire. Conclusions reached as a result of this practicum intervention suggest that the structural model with its problem solving model and a focus on change is aptly suited for Manitoba's diverse population.