The MRI Reflecting Team: an Integrated Approach

Abstract

The postmodern movement has opened avenues for unique, integrated approaches to therapy. Postmodernism encourages a collaborative effort by the client and therapist in resolving presenting problems. The Mental Research Institute (MRI) reflecting team exemplifies this movement toward eclectic and integrated approaches to therapy, drawing upon the clients' ability to find what will work best as a solution to their problems. This paper illustrates the integration of reflecting teams with MRI therapy.

The Reflective Model of Triadic Supervision: Defining an Emerging Modality

“…(For a detailed description of these teams' and individuals' influence on Tom Andersen's conception of reflecting teams, please see Andersen,1987. ) Use of reflecting teams has varied across settings (mental health settings [e.g., Eubanks, 2002;Lax, 1989;Shilts, Rudes, & Madigan, 1993], medical facilities [e.g., Griffith, Griffith, & Slovik, 1990;Seikkula et al, 1995;Watson, & Lee, 1993], schools [e.g., Swim, 1995], and counselor training [e.g., Cox, Bañez, & Hawley, 2003;Landis & Young, 1994]) and clinical issues (family violence [e.g., Kjellberg, Edwardsson, Niemela, & Oberg, 1995;Robinson, 1994], substance abuse [e.g., Lussardi & Miller, 1993;Nevels, 1997], psychosis [e.g., Seikkula et al, 1995], and couple and family conflict [e.g., Caesar, 1993;Reimers, 2001]). Reflecting teams appear to be quite commonplace within family and couple counseling/therapy and training contexts.…”

The Reflecting Team: A Training Method for Family Counselors

“…The RT format, if not the initial theoretical premises (Monk & Gehart, 2003), was adopted by MRI brief therapists (Eubanks, 2002), those using an integrative approach (Shilts, Rudes, & Madigan, 1991;Wright, Watson, & Bell, 1996), narrative therapists (Freedman & Combs, 1996;Griffith & Griffith, 1995;Janowksy, Dickerson, & Zimmerman, 1995;Lax, 1995), Milan systemic practitioners (Tanji, 1996;Young et al, 1989), and solution-focused therapists (Johnson, Waters, Webster, & Goldman, 1997;Lowe, & Guy, 1996;Selekman, 1995). The RT format has been used with many problems and in many settings: families experiencing violence (Kjellberg, Edwardsson, Nielela, & Oberg, 1995); families with a psychotic member (Seikkula, et al, 1995); medically marginalized persons (Griffith & Griffith, 1995); schools (Swim, 1995); managed care (Friedman, Brecher, & Mittelmeier, 1995); adolescents with severe behavior problems (Selekman, 1995); residential treatment (Nichols & Jacques, 1995); conflictual couples (de Barbaro, et al, 2008;Miller & Lax, 1988); families with young children (Lax, 1989), the deaf (Munro, Know, & Low, 2008), and stepfamilies (Berger, 2000) to list but a few.…”

“…Solution-focused therapists use RTs as an efficient way to deliver compliments to clients (Johnson et al, 1997). Using an MRI brief therapy model (Eubanks, 2002), the RT was used to deliver a pattern interruption intervention (Watzlawick, Weakland, Fisch, 1974). Although the RT format is a common thread, it serves a different purpose in each case.…”

Applying child specific knowledge in reflective dialogues: Presentation of an approach

“…The core elements of our approach are systematic use of participant observation and reflecting dialogues. Since Tom Andersen (1987) first described the use of The Reflecting Team, a series of modified and adjusted approaches have been developed (Eubanks, 2002; Fredman, Christie & Bear, 2007; Freedman & Combs, 1996; White, 1995). Ours is an adjustment of the reflecting team construct to a particular therapeutic context.…”