Forgiving yourself for the "chips-for-dinner" days so you can return to your family refreshed and happy. 3. Permission to Rejuvenate
Similar to how a songwriter’s most vulnerable songs are often their strongest, a family’s willingness to be open about their "crazy ideas" can lead to their most profound healing. The "Big B" Connection: Discipline in Therapy
Family therapy, also known as family counseling or family systems therapy, is a type of psychological counseling that involves working with a therapist to improve communication, resolve conflicts, and strengthen relationships within a family. It is based on the idea that families are systems, and that each member plays a vital role in the overall functioning of the system.
The next time you see a couple sorting out their issues with a male-female therapist duo, remember: that was the "Big, Crazy Idea" from St. Louis. And it cured millions of families. FamilyTherapy Marilyn Masters A Crazy Idea BigB...
"The Power of Family Therapy: A Crazy Idea That Changed My Life"
This clinical observation would eventually crystallize into what critics dismissed as a “crazy idea”—the notion that most childhood behavioral, emotional, and social problems could be addressed effectively without medication. Her heresy was to suggest that the medicalization of childhood had gone too far, that ADHD was neither an unnatural condition nor an illness requiring pharmaceutical intervention.
The "crazy idea" Masters proposed was heresy: Forgiving yourself for the "chips-for-dinner" days so you
"A crazy idea" is simply giving yourself permission to do whatever is needed to rejuvenate yourself—whether that’s a long bath, a gym session, or a silent retreat.
Her central argument was radical: that children's symptoms should not be viewed as biologically determined “disorders” but as responses to relationships in their lives that could be altered with the help of a therapist. This shifted responsibility from the child’s brain chemistry to the family system—a move that some saw as blaming parents, but that Masters framed as empowering.
It wasn't perfect, but it was progress. And for Marilyn, that was all that mattered. The "Big B" Connection: Discipline in Therapy Family
What makes a "crazy idea" stick? When it works better than the sane one.
But don't just take our word for it – family therapy has been shown to be effective in countless real-life situations. Here are a few examples: