How to Coach Yourself and Others Coaching Families | Page 193

D. Normal family development
1. Marriage begins with accommodation and boundary making
2. Couples are influenced by the structure of their families of origin
3. Couples also form boundaries with their families of origin
4. The advent of children requires that the structure of the family change

E. The development of behaviour disorders
1. Family dysfunction results from stress and failure to realign the structure to cope with it.
2. Disengaged families have rigid boundaries and excessive emotional distance. They fail to mobilize to
deal with the stress.
3. Enmeshed families have diffuse boundaries and family members overreact emotionally and become
intrusively involved with one another. These actions hinder mature actions to resolve stress.
4. Subsystems in the family may be disengaged or enmeshed.
5. Power hierarchies may develop which may be weak and ineffective or rigid and arbitrary.
6. Conflict avoidance prevents effective problem solving.
7. Generational coalitions may also prevent effective problem solving.
8. Family structure may fail to adjust to family developmental processes.
9. A major change in family composition demands structural adaptation.
10. Symptoms in one family member may reflect dysfunctional structural relationships or simply
individual problems.

F. Goals of therapy
1. Changing family structure - altering boundaries and realigning subsystems
2. Symptomatic change - growth of the individual while preserving the mutual support of the family
3. Short-range goals may be developed to alleviate symptoms especially in life threatening disorders
such as anorexia nervosa, but for long-lasting effective functioning