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Family therapy theories can help guide our interactions with our family as we near the holidays.

Want to work on understanding your family history? Consider the work of Murray Bowen.

Interesting in changing the current interactions? Explore the work of Virginia Satir and Salvador Minuchin.

Stuck in an unproductive narrative with family members? Apply the forward thinking of Epston and White.

I know. You have booked your holiday vacation flights, train seats, or hotel rooms to lock in rates and are wondering how the hangout with family will go. Whether you are single or partnered, there may be tough emotional terrain for you, solo or together, to navigate. Next step? Consider what the classic family therapy theories have to offer.

Murray Bowen’s Family Systems Theory

In short, Bowen taught us that family patterns get handed down from one generation to the next. He believed that family members need to interact with each other with a combination of intellect and emotions, where intellect rules. In his eyes, members should not be overly emotionally reactive with each other and are asked to........

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