Family Systems In 15 Minutes

Oliver Drakeford LMFT CGP
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

15 Minutes of Family Systems is the audio version of the Family Systems H.I.T. newsletter. Each episode covers one concept from structural and systemic therapy and makes it session-ready. My goal is to turn theory into something practical for you to use in your next session. For licensed therapists, associates, and trainees and graduate level students new to family therapy. Hosted by Oliver Drakeford, LMFT and Certified Group Psychotherapist. Find out more about me at www.OliverDrakefordTherapy.com and Subscribe the newsletter here https://www.mypeoplepatterns.com/newsletters/family-systems-h-i-t-newsletter/subscribe

  1. 3d ago

    Family Therapists Beware: The Most Dangerous Dynamic In Romantic Relationships?

    This is a video about particular pattern in family dynamics that can turn toxic and is extremely challenging, I call it the Bonnie and Clyde effect and white it's been documented and written about, it's quite rare, but super challenging to work with. In this episode, we xplore family systems therapy to identify the unwritten rules and power plays that control your most important relationships.Many couples and families operate on unspoken agreements that repeat over generations. These sequences often function as power plays, keeping individuals stuck in predictable cycles. By applying concepts from family systems therapy, you can begin to see how these invisible frameworks shape your daily interactions.This discussion offers practical counseling advice for analyzing your own relationship patterns. I introduce a specific rule to help you stop letting personal thoughts and feelings dictate your actions in the heat of the moment. Understanding these family dynamics allows you to step out of the loop and respond with greater clarity.Subscribe for weekly clinical breakdowns, and let me know in the comments if you have a specific case you want to explore next.

  2. Sep 29

    When and How To Use Paradoxical Interventions

    Learn when to use paradoxical interventions effectively in your practice. This video breaks down the clinical application of this approach using a real family systems therapy case study.We start with a 15-year-old client presenting with recurring physical symptoms that mimic epilepsy, despite clear medical tests. By examining this clinical case study, we can look at how symptoms function within a family unit rather than just treating the individual. This approach helps therapists identify the underlying dynamics that maintain behaviors.Understanding these therapeutic techniques allows clinicians to move beyond symptom management and address the systemic structure of the family. If you are looking to integrate family systems therapy into your work, this analysis provides a clear framework for application.Join the Family Systems Collective to access the handout and training resources here: https://www.skool.com/family-systems-collective-7929/about Find my full course in Family Systems Therapy here : https://www.oliverdrakefordtherapy.com/training/family-therapy-training-online

  3. Sep 22

    Circular Questioning Workshop from The Family Systems Collective

    In this second installment of the Circular Questioning Workshop, we delve into the practical applications of Family Systems Theory, a concept that has been widely studied and applied in the field of family therapy. Circular Questioning is a technique used to explore the complex dynamics within family systems, and by understanding the theory behind it, therapists and individuals can gain valuable insights into the collective patterns and behaviors that shape family relationships. Get access to the PDF and handout that accompanies this when you join The Family Systems Collective here: https://www.skool.com/family-systems-collective-7929/aboutBy making Family Systems Theory more accessible and practical, this workshop aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how circular questioning can be used to facilitate positive change and growth within families. The workshop will explore the key principles of Family Systems Theory and demonstrate how circular questioning can be used to identify and address underlying issues, ultimately leading to more effective communication and stronger family bonds. Whether you are a therapist, counselor, or simply interested in learning more about family dynamics, this workshop is designed to provide you with the knowledge and tools needed to apply Family Systems Theory in a practical and meaningful way.0:00 The Four Pillars of Therapeutic Questioning2:38 Mastering Linear and Strategic Questions4:41 Reflective Questions for Future Possibilities5:26 The Core of Circular Questioning7:18 Eight Categories of Circular Inquiry19:32 Applying Circular Questions to Real Cases

  4. Sep 15

    Five Reasons Consequences Fail (and how to help parents set them)

    Most families who come in for therapy are dealing with teens or tweens who are acting out — and often, parents have already given up on consequences because "nothing works." In this episode, I break down why consequences fail when a family's hierarchy has flipped, and how to help parents think about limit-setting differently when a teenager has more power in the household than they should. You'll learn the five reasons consequences stop working in an inverted hierarchy: The consequence isn't heard as a consequence — it lands as a challenge to be defendedThe consequence is too far away in time to matter to a teen brainTeens are loophole thinkers who find the gaps in how rules are writtenThe game changes halfway through the argument (switch tracking)Parents give up their power to someone else instead of holding it themselvesPlus: what an inverted hierarchy actually is, why teens who seem to want power often don't really want it, and why handing authority to another parent, a doctor, or a treatment center can backfire. Grab the free companion PDF on setting consequences — and join Oliver's consultation groups — by joining the Family Systems Collective for free. https://www.skool.com/family-systems-collective-7929/about Find out more about me here: https://www.oliverdrakefordtherapy.com/family-counselor/parent-coaching-los-angeles

  5. Sep 3

    Family Therapy Consultation Groups

    Graduate school taught us systems theory. Then we sat with a real family and discovered the theory doesn't tell you what to say when the room erupts. And once you're licensed, supervision disappears, and you carry your hardest families alone.https://www.skool.com/family-systems-collective-7929/about I'm Oliver Drakeford, LMFT and Certified Group Psychotherapist. As Clinical Director of a residential program built around family systems therapy, my job for years was sitting with therapists and their stuck family cases. Twice a month we meet for live case consultation using a seven-step sequence: frame your question, describe a recent moment, map the family's organization, build hypotheses, choose one next test, anticipate the family's response, then report back and revise. Along the way we work on systems theory, systems thinking, and systemic processes like parallel process. No family cases yet? Bring your individual clients. Systems show up everywhere. 8 seats per cohort. More about me here

  6. Aug 25

    Family Therapy Models : Drawing The Line w Oliver Drakeford & Dr Ben Edwards

    How do family therapy models change the way we understand a teenager who is lying, failing school, and becoming the focus of an entire family?Get more family systems theory, training and resources in my free online Skool Community here https://www.skool.com/family-systems-collective-7929/aboutIn this episode of Drawing the Line, Oliver Drakeford, LMFT, talks with Dr. Ben Edwards, a Los Angeles therapist and professor of family systems theory. Using a family case vignette, they move beyond the idea that the teenager is simply “the problem” and ask what her symptoms may be communicating about divorce, co-parenting, emotional distance, parental overinvolvement, and a family struggling to reorganize after a major change.One central idea in the episode: divorce may end a marriage, but it does not end the family system or the parenting relationship.The discussion draws from family systems theory, structural family therapy, and contextual family therapy. Topics include the identified patient, triangulation, circular causality, loyalty binds, family life-cycle transitions, parental hierarchy, unbalancing, paradoxical interventions, and the ways schools can unintentionally reinforce a child-focused explanation of the problem.Oliver and Ben also discuss who should attend the first family therapy session, what therapists notice when a family enters the room, and how a child’s symptoms can pull disconnected parents back into the same room. Oliver introduces two parts of his GLANCE framework—negativity and centrality—to show how a problem can become the organizing focus of family life.This conversation is for therapists, trainees, students, and anyone interested in seeing family therapy models applied to a practical clinical case.CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction00:54 The 5P family case presentation01:03 The presenting problem01:53 Triangulation after divorce03:28 Divorce reorganizes the family system04:02 Family life-cycle transitions and nodal events05:33 Moving beyond “fix the child” thinking06:23 How schools can become part of the triangle08:03 The identified patient and self-blame09:30 Overinvolved and disengaged parenting patterns10:46 Circular causality and loyalty binds12:39 Paradoxical interventions with parents13:43 Who should attend family therapy?17:21 What therapists observe in the first session20:19 Negativity and centrality in the GLANCE framework21:30 Power within the family22:46 How a teenager’s symptoms can organize the family24:21 What a teenager’s lying may communicate25:25 Final thoughts Find out more about Dr Edwards here https://www.benedwardsphd.com/ and me, Oliver Drakeford here: https://www.oliverdrakefordtherapy.com/family-counselor/family-therapy-los-angeles-weho This video is intended for education and professional discussion. It is not a substitute for therapy, clinical supervision, or individualized mental health care.#FamilyTherapyModels #FamilySystemsTheory #StructuralFamilyTherapy

    Family Therapy Models : Drawing The Line w Oliver Drakeford & Dr Ben Edwards

  7. Aug 11

    Circular Questions: Forward Facing Questions That Make Change

    Most of the questions therapists ask families point backward: What happened? When did it start? What have you tried already? Those questions are useful. But when an entire session stays focused on the past, a family may hear an unintended message: you are stuck because of what has already happened. In this episode of Family Systems in 15 Minutes, Oliver Drakeford, LMFT, looks at how family therapy models can use circular future-questioning to help families think beyond their current roles, beliefs, and patterns. Oliver organizes circular questions into three zones: the past, the present, and the future. Questions about the past establish a timeline and help identify what changed when the problem began. Questions about the present reveal the beliefs and relationship patterns that may be keeping the problem in place. Questions about the future give family members more room to discuss hopes, fears, consequences, and possibilities that may feel too risky to name directly. The episode introduces six types of future-focused circular questions using the acronym FUTURE: F — Forecast: What happens if the current pattern continues? U — Unfreeze: Who will be the first to notice when change begins? T — Transfer: Would you carry this family role or response into your own future family? U — Unlock: What would happen if the family’s usual roles were reversed? R — Rehearse: How will the family handle an upcoming transition? E — Evaluate: Has the family faced something similar before, and will the same response work again? You’ll hear sample questions for each category, guidance on when to use them, and examples of how one well-timed question can help a family see that the future has not been decided yet. This episode is for family therapists, trainees, and clinicians looking for practical circular questioning techniques they can use in their next family therapy session. To receive the accompanying handout, sign up for the Family Systems Hint newsletter and look for the edition on future-oriented circular questions. You can also learn more about the Family Systems Collective, Oliver’s online community for therapists interested in family systems theory. Oliver Drakeford is a licensed marriage and family therapist in Los Angeles. New episodes of 15 Minutes of Family Systems every week. ⁠⁠⁠Read the newsletter or subscribe using⁠⁠⁠ the link below. https://www.mypeoplepatterns.com/newsletters/family-systems-h-i-t-newsletter/subscribe Join the new free F⁠⁠⁠amily Therapy Community ⁠⁠⁠here https://www.skool.com/family-systems-collective-7929/about

  8. Aug 4

    Creating A Hypothesis In Family Therapy: The Free Tool I Created

    In this episode, I explore systemic case formulation in family therapy and why therapists can get stuck when we rely on simple, linear explanations of who or what is causing the problem. I look at how family systems therapy helps us move beyond the identified patient and begin seeing the relational patterns surrounding a symptom. I break down how I map a behavioral loop in couples and family therapy, including the triggers, responses, attempted solutions, and resets that keep a problem going. I also explain how circular questions can uncover the parts of the sequence we have not yet seen. Finally, I introduce a new AI-assisted family therapy case formulation tool I created to help therapists visualize systemic patterns, identify gaps in their assessment, and generate ideas for circular questions. It is practical, slightly nerdy, and designed to help turn family systems theory into something you can use in your next session. Join the free Family Systems Collective to try the tool, share ideas, and connect with other systems-minded therapists: https://www.skool.com/family-systems-collective-7929/about

    Creating A Hypothesis In Family Therapy: The Free Tool I Created
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About

15 Minutes of Family Systems is the audio version of the Family Systems H.I.T. newsletter. Each episode covers one concept from structural and systemic therapy and makes it session-ready. My goal is to turn theory into something practical for you to use in your next session. For licensed therapists, associates, and trainees and graduate level students new to family therapy. Hosted by Oliver Drakeford, LMFT and Certified Group Psychotherapist. Find out more about me at www.OliverDrakefordTherapy.com and Subscribe the newsletter here https://www.mypeoplepatterns.com/newsletters/family-systems-h-i-t-newsletter/subscribe

Information

  • Creator
    Oliver Drakeford LMFT CGP
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Oliver Drakeford LMFT CGP
  • Show Website
    Family Systems In 15 Minutes

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