When Is A Family Enmeshed Or Just Close? The Tool You Need To Know For Sure

Enmeshment is one of the most overused words in family systems therapy and one of the least precise. Fun fact: Minuchin used it two different ways in the same book, and we have been carrying that confusion ever since. There is also some research on how much family closeness therapists think is normal that I found genuinely uncomfortable to read.So this episode is about telling healthy closeness apart from the kind of control that actually needs treating. I share the model I now use for it, which has a name for a family type most of us see regularly and have never had a word for, plus a three-question check to run before you say the word enmeshed out loud. The full matrix, the session observation guide and the checklist are free for subscribers, link below.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/subscribeJoin the new free F⁠⁠amily Therapy Community ⁠⁠here https://www.skool.com/family-systems-collective-7929/aboutMore about me: ⁠⁠www.OliverDrakefordTherapy.com