HIV: A Psychosomatic Disorder

Abstract

Despite the ever-changing dynamic of families that have teens across generations, Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT), a specialty of psychotherapy, has maintained its broader influence on the lives of not only teens, but the family at large. Psychosomatic illnesses that largely affect teens have been one of the many causes of change within family systems. In this paper, Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) is defined as a psychosomatic illness and the scope of the disease is narrowed to its effect on at-risk youth and their families.Structural Family Therapy (SFT) is one of the many approaches to family therapy and this paper gives a detailed description of the model's context in treating at-risk teens and families affected by this disease under the constraints of a practicing clinician. This paper also takes an in-depth look at SFT as a preferred therapeutic approach and how it can be implemented in therapy to foster change,consideringits limitations and strengthsworking with this diverse population.