Slide 1:

Goodevening everyone, now that we’re done with the theoretical concepts,
and the treatment process, I will now present to you how we utilized the
Bowen Family Systems Theory in conceptualizing a case.
This is about the case of the Barret Family, before presenting the problem,
let me introduce to you each member of the family and some of their
characteristics. There are 4 members of the family, the parents and their 2
daughters.
Slide 2:
The younger daughter is Tanya Barret. She’s 16 years old, standing 5’3”,
female, an incoming 4th year High School student, she currently lives with
her parents, and with the way she presents herself, she looks shy, has pale
skin, and is skinny. She’s currently undergoing medical treatment to gain
weight because she’s suffering from Anorexia Nervosa. She also has Low
Level of Differentiation according to the DSI-R.
Slide 3:
Next is the older sister of Tanya, Roslyn Barret. She’s 18 years old,
standing 5’4”, female, and an incoming sophomore college student
pursuing a medical degree. She presents herself well and she seemed to
be a good communicator and is confident with herself. Before the family
therapy, she was not anymore living with her parents, as she moved out
closer to the university where she studies. She also has Low Level of
Differentiation just like Tanya.
Slide 4:
For the head of the household, Mr. Wilson Barret, he’s 43 years old,
standing 5’8”, and is currently working as a Corporate Manager in a big
company. He presents himself very well, confident, dominant, and with a
commanding tone. He also scored Low in DSI-R just like her 2 daughters.
Slide 5:
And now her wife, Mrs. Emma Barret, 39 years old, standing 5’4”, and a
former Nurse. She presents herself as a very caring mother and wife. She
also seemed to be too concerned about what’s happening with their family.
All of them scored Low in the Differentiation of Self Inventory. Which makes
them emotionally reactive to one another.
Slide 6:
Now, let me read to you the presenting problem.
*read the slide*
Slide 7:
*read the slide*
Slide 8:
*read the slide*
Each of the children, to varying degrees, appeared to be triangled into their
parents' emotional issues. And Tanya seemed to be the most affected and
stuck in a symptom-focused dance with her parents' neediness. Roslyn on
the other hand, has withdrawn herself by moving out of their home,
because of the parental conflicts she also had experienced.
Now let us delve deeply to the relevant history, where it all began.
Before the family therapy took place, Tanya has actually had an individual
therapy for her Anorexia Nervosa, however, upon further analysis of the
case, her Individual Therapist referred Tanya and her family to a Family
Therapist because of the family factors that surrounds the case.
*read the slide*
During the intake interview conducted by the family therapist, she noted the
nuclear family emotional processes of some members of the family.
Here are those. *read the slide*
Slide 11:
And now for the conceptualization,
For the predisposing factor, upon examining the relevant history, We
believe that the early experience of Tanya being compared to Roslyn
greatly contributes for her to be very vulnerable in having symptoms. We
also believe that the sibling position contributed since Roslyn was the
eldest daughter and she was the one to be perceived as the model to her
younger daughter, Tanya.
For the internal factors, since all members have low level of differentiation,
each of them is very emotionally reactive to one another and it contributes
on how they’re all vulnerable to conflicts with each other.
We have also noted the history of Unhealthy Triangles in the 3 rd family
generation, the parents of Mr. and Mrs. Barret, let me present to you now
their Genogram.
Slide 12:
As you can see here, starting with the parents of Mr. Wilson Barret, his dad
was a soldier, and is emotionally distant with all his children including Mr.
Wilson. On the other hand, their mother, Mrs. Vanya Barret was an
authoritative parent who is very strict and gives corporal punishments to
Mr. Wilson, and Ms. Angel. But we can also observe that there is a
favoritism within their family as Mrs. Vanya favors Helena Barret most of
the time. Those experiences of having emotionally distant father, and
authoritative mother, could also be a factor, why Mr. Barret was also
emotionally distant to Tanya, and shows favoritism towards Roslyn.
On the side of Mrs. Emma Barret’s Parents, Mr. Timothy and Mrs. Keanna,
they were both controlling parents and they always impose their values and
beliefs to Emma and Patricia. That would later translate as the parenting
style of Emma to her two daughters, Tanya and Roslyn. These problematic
experiences of both Mr. Wilson, and Mrs. Emma might contribute largely on
how they now do the parenting for Tanya, and Roslyn.
Slide 13:
For the Precipitating Factors, the recent events that triggered most of the
current conflicts are the following:
*read the slide*
Slide 14:
For the Perpetuating Factors, what maintains the problem within the family
was the family projection process of how both Tanya and Roslyn would
always experience being the 3rd person in the triangle of Mr. and Mrs.
Barret’s conflicts. The continuous unhealthy triangles in the family, how
each member emotionally reacts with one another because of the
differentiation of self, and how the multigenerational transmission process
was yet to end.
Slide 15:
For the protective factors, *read the slide*
Slide 16:
This is the whole picture of how we conceptualized the problem,
considering all the theories mentioned in the Bowen’s Family Systems
Perspective, our diagnosis of the Problem is “Emotional Distance”. This is
what both Roslyn and Tanya showed as they both slowly withdraw to their
family due to the unhealthy triangles, and the alternative diagnosis is Child
Impairment, as Tanya suffered Chronic Anxiety because of how the family
operates.