APPLYING THE DEVELOPMENTAL FAMILY-THERAPY MODEL TO ISSUES OF MIGRATING FAMILIES

Migration creates a substantial amount of stress for relocating famili es. Families lose the predictability of familiar surroundings and they often find themselves without the support systems that existed in the ir previous homes. Especially, they experience tensions between the pr imary values of the old and new cultures. This stress and the absence of support can lead to developmental problems for both the adults and children in the family. Developmental family therapy has grown out of individual and family developmental theories (Erickson, 1963; Duvall, 1977; Carter & McGoldrick, 1989; Steinglass, Bennett, Wolin, & Reiss, 1987). This model assumes that problems develop when family patterns b lock normal development of the family and its members. Family therapy then assists families to make changes in those dysfunctional patterns in order to promote the normal growth of the members. Developmental Fa mily Therapy can help families successfully manage the transition betw een cultures. This paper first examines the impact of migration on fam ilies from a developmental viewpoint. Next, it identifies family thera py strategies helpful to families in that transition.