As I sat and pondered how best to present my closing thoughts, it occurred to me that the family systems theory concept of the identified patient (talked about earlier) could be framed as “cake and eat it too.” Dysfunctional family systems often wish to maintain (and outwardly project) some semblance of normalcy while at the same […]

I’ve had the privilege of hearing Sir Richard Bowlby speak on at least two occasions that I can remember. One talk in particular comes to mind. Back in 2005, Sir Richard Bowlby presented a paper entitled Attachment Relationships in Later Life.[1] Sir Richard, in a candid moment, told us about the frustration his father, John […]

To briefly review, for this blog series I am using an analogy drawn from the world of family systems theory as talked about in Part 1. Specifically, I am using the concept of the identified patient to frame the DEI movement (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion). I argue that the DEI movement reaches back to such U.S. […]

As a master’s counseling student back in the 1990s I took a course in group therapy. In that course I learned about group dynamics generally. I also learned about family systems theory and family therapy more specifically. My instructor recommended a 1988 book on family therapy entitled The Family Crucible: The Intense Experience of Family […]

I think most of us can bring to memory images of ancient statues missing limbs and facial features such as noses. For me it’s the statue Venus de Milo, thought to be “Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, whose Roman counterpart was Venus” (quoting Wikipedia). Certainly limbs and even facial features were lost as the result […]