Family Therapy

Presenting Problem

George and Jennifer Lopez have been raising their two grandchildren for the past two years. Shakira (age 10) and Mateo (13) were orphaned two years ago when their parents (the Lopez’s daughter Jane and son-in-law Bill) were killed in an automobile accident. Bill was driving home with Jane from a party where he had been drinking heavily. George and Jennifer also have another younger daughter and older son who help out often, but are not in a position to have Shakira and Mateo live with them. George retired eight years ago from a position with the post office, and Jennifer was a homemaker but now supplements their income by cleaning apartments.

Approximately two months ago, George suffered a stroke, which left him with considerable impairment. He currently has some speech impairment and is partially paralyzed on one side. It is not clear how fully he will recover, but the expectation is that there will be some residual impairment. It is also unclear how he will be able to manage as the home has two stories, and the only bathroom is on the second floor. He was residing at a rehab facility, where he progressed well and only had to stay for about a month.

Prior to George’s stroke, Mateo was beginning to get into trouble at school. He is hanging out with a “bad crowd” of neighborhood boys. According to Jennifer, since Mateo started hanging out with this group his behavior and personality have changed. Mateo’s grades have slipped and he is short tempered and argumentative at home and at school. Last week, Mateo got into a fist fight with another classmate was suspended from school for 3 days. His sister Shakira has presented no problems at school, although her teachers have noted that she is an overachiever and very hard on herself.

Last week Jennifer was called to attend a meeting with the school principal and social worker. When asked if there was anything going on at home, she burst into tears and it took several moments before she could compose herself.

The Lopez family has been referred to Copeland Demuth and Greenawalt Counseling Services for family therapy by the school social worker. The objective of these sessions is to discuss and further identify the precipitating factors that brought the family to the attention of the social worker and principal. The social worker at Copeland Demuth and Greenawalt will also want to identify and discuss other presenting problems and other current stressors.

George

George worked for the U.S. Postal Service his entire life. Even though it was hard work, George loved working for the postal service because it gave him a sense of security and allowed him to provide for his wife and children. His was very close with Jane and her death was especially hard on him. George and Jane both were the middle child growing up and could relate to one another. They also both shared the same interests particularly their love of baseball. George and Jane would always watch the Phillies together and Jane played softball in high school. George is concerned about Mateo and was trying his best to reach out to him before the stroke. Mateo is a very good baseball player and George is worried that he will soon lose interest in the game. He thinks Mateo could earn a college scholarship if he continues to play.

Jennifer

Jennifer has always been able to handle things with determination and task-oriented focus. These are the same coping skills that she used when raising her own children and now her grandchildren. However, Mateo’s suspension from school and George’s stroke has burdened her beyond her ability to cope. Jennifer has become weepy, unable to focus, and unable to make decisions. She had difficulty explaining to Mateo and Shakira what was happening to their grandfather. Jennifer has always been much closer to her son and younger daughter than she was with Jane. Jane often clashed with her mother growing up. Jennifer often finds herself very angry with Jane because she died. She never liked Bill and always told Jane she should break up with him. Jane did not listen and because of Bill she is gone and Jennifer feels she is left cleaning up the pieces. She also worries that Mateo’s behavior continues that he will have no future and eventually wind up in prison. She does not want him to end up like the “guys on the street corner”.

Mateo

Mateo is a nice boy but is very angry and upset about his current situation. He misses his old life with his parents and sister. He doesn’t like living with his grandparents and feels they don’t understand him. He often finds living with his grandparents is embarrassing and he doesn’t like that he is different from his other classmates. Mateo especially misses his father Bill because he was very close to him. Mateo feels like George is trying to replace his father. He resents the fact that George attempts to participate in the same activities that Mateo used to do with his father. One of their biggest arguments is about Eagles games on Sunday. George wants to watch with Mateo and Mateo refuses because he used to watch the Eagles with his father. Instead Mateo will either listen to the game on the radio in his room or go over to his cousin’s house to watch. Mateo also feels like George keeps pushing baseball and the pressure of a scholarship on him. He doesn’t understand why his grandparents can’t just leave him alone. Mateo likes his new friends because they are different like him and don’t have “perfect families” like his other friends.

Shakira

Shakira is a kind girl who is nice to all of her classmates and tries to get along with everyone. She is an over achiever who always tries to excel at everything. She misses her mother terribly and still has a hard time accepting that she is gone. Jane feels she has to put on a brave face because she does not want to burden or worry her grandparents. She worries about her grandparents because she knows they are stressed about Mateo. She never speaks about her mother to anyone or shows any emotion regarding her passing. She only allows herself to cry when she is alone at night trying to sleep. She also inherited her bother and mother’s love of baseball and plays on the neighborhood little league team.

Theoretical Framework: Family Systems Theory

I will be using the Murry Bowen’s Family Systems Theory to evaluate the Lopez Family. Bowen’s family systems theory is based on the view that the family is an emotional unit. The theory uses systems thinking to describe the interactions and relationships within the family. Given that families are deeply emotionally connected,