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Who is recognized as a key figure in strategic family therapy?

  1. Salvador Minuchin

  2. Virginia Satir

  3. Jay Haley

  4. Carl Whitaker

The correct answer is: Jay Haley

Jay Haley is recognized as a key figure in strategic family therapy, an approach that emphasizes changing the family's interaction patterns to resolve conflicts. This therapeutic style often involves identifying and altering the strategies that the family employs in dealing with dysfunctional behaviors. Haley's work focused on understanding the underlying communications and power dynamics within families, advocating for direct interventions that promote changes in behavior and interaction. His contributions to the field also include the integration of concepts from behaviorism and brief therapy, making strategic family therapy a practical approach to address specific family issues efficiently. In this context, Haley's approach also emphasizes understanding the rules governing family dynamics and how these can be strategically altered to create more functional relationships within the family unit.