Strategic Therapy and Tasks

Design of directive interventions and goals

Strategic therapy is characterized as pragmatic and goal-oriented. It assumes that change occurs through action, not just understanding.

Therefore, a fundamental part of the process is the design of tasks or directives to be carried out between sessions.

These should be specific, measurable and achievable (SMART criteria), avoiding vague mandates such as "communicate better".

A typical directive task might be to institute a ritual of "fifteen minutes of connection" daily without screens, or to agree that whoever cooks does not wash the dishes.

These interventions seek to break ingrained patterns of behavior by introducing small variations in routine.

The therapist must "sell" the task in a convincing way, ensuring the couple's commitment to perform it.

Paradoxical interventions and prescription of the symptom

When resistance to change is high, logical directives may fail. This is where paradoxical interventions come into play.

The most classic is "symptom prescription," where the couple is instructed to voluntarily perform the problem behavior they wish to eliminate.

For example, if a couple argues incessantly and chaotically, the therapist may prescribe to them, "You must have a mandatory daily 20-minute discussion at 8 PM about your problems, and you cannot stop before the time is up."

By making the symptom (fighting) a conscious obligation, its spontaneous and rebellious character is eliminated.

The couple often finds that it is difficult to argue "by decree," which paradoxically reduces the conflict or gives them a sense of control over something they felt was unmanageable.

The absurdity of the task often breaks the cycle through humor or pattern exhaustion.

Behavioral task tracking and adjustment.

Homework assignments are useless without rigorous follow-up. At the beginning of the next session, review what happened: Did they do the task? Did it work? What obstacles did they encounter? If the homework was successful, reinforce the change and discuss what they did differently.

If they didn't do it or it went wrong, it is not judged, but used as valuable diagnostic information about resistances or lack of skills. This action-review cycle allows therapy to be adjusted in real time.

If a directive task repeatedly fails, it may indicate that the problem is deeper or requires a different approach.

The process of reviewing tasks also holds the couple accountable for their own progress, reminding them that therapy happens primarily outside the office, in their daily lives.

Summary

This pragmatic goal-oriented therapy uses specific tasks to accomplish between sessions. The mandates must be measurable by seeking to break ingrained patterns through concrete variations from routine.

The prescription of the symptom obliges to voluntarily perform the problematic behavior in order to eliminate its spontaneity. This paradoxical intervention gives a sense of control over conflicts previously perceived as totally unmanageable.

Rigorous task tracking provides valuable diagnostic information about resistance or skills. It holds clients accountable for their own progress by reminding them that change happens primarily outside today.