Structural treatment approach for families in crisis. A challenge to rehabilitation

Disability is viewed as a crisis occurring within the context of the family. Its impact on family structure can be understood through the study of transactional patterns and communication of the family system. Crisis is defined as a challenge to the system for which the usual transactional patterns are ineffective. The crisis of disability provides the family system with an opportunity to modify its structure, developing new and more effective patterns of interaction. The opportunity for family development may be realized through a structural family treatment approach. The origins of this conceptualization are reviewed. Clinical material is used to exemplify aspects of family assessment and treatment.