Which short-term family therapy focuses on rapidly addressing presenting problems by changing patterns of interaction?

• A. Structural Therapy
• B. Systemic Therapy
• C. Brief Strategic Therapy
• D. Narrative Therapy

Answer: (C)

Brief Strategic Therapy is designed to be short-term and highly focused on the presenting problem, with the goal of rapidly changing the way family members interact. The approach targets the patterns and sequences of interaction that keep a problem going, then uses direct interventions and concrete tasks to disrupt those patterns. By focusing on present interactions and applying targeted strategies in a limited number of sessions, it aims to produce quick, visible change in how the family functions and how the problem is experienced.

This makes it a better fit for the description than the other approaches. Structural Therapy emphasizes reorganizing family structure and boundaries, which is important but not specifically about rapid, problem-focused change in interaction patterns. Systemic Therapy looks at patterns within the family as a whole, but it’s broader and not inherently time-limited toward solving a present problem quickly. Narrative Therapy centers on re-authoring stories and meanings, which is valuable for shifting perspectives but doesn’t priority-necessarily focus on short-term disruption of interaction patterns to address a presenting issue.