Think Like the Test 11 - Systems, in Two Parts

What does it mean to think systemically? And how do you demonstrate systemic thought on an exam?

These questions come from a prior edition of the official handbook for the National MFT Exam. Both questions are derived from the same case vignette.

A couple has been married for 1 ½ years and have a newborn baby. They seek therapy to deal with behavioral problems involving the mother’s three children from a previous marriage. The father angrily says that the children, 9, 12, and 16, mouth back at him and do not respect their mother’s authority. The couple has started having serious fights.

The therapist decides to focus initially on the times when the father has thought that the children were respecting their mother’s authority. The purpose of this focus is to help the:

1. Parents unite the marital dyad.
2. Father accept his role as a stepparent.
3. Parents feel hopeful about the situation.
4. Mother perceive her part in the interaction.

Which of the following statements should the therapist make to help the family perceive their complaints from a systems perspective? 

1. “It is difficult to be a stepfather.”
2. “The children are having difficulty adapting to the new baby.”
3. “The marital relationship is being affected by your wife’s children.”
4. “You are experiencing a normal adjustment to becoming a stepfamily.”

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Intro/outro music: "Swampy Lands" by Adam Saban, licensed via Soundstripe.