A married couple brings their two children to counseling for behavioral problems. The 13-year-old son is smoking and skipping school, and the 16-year-old daughter is staying out past her curfew and sneaking out at night. According to family systems theory, who is the identified patient?

Choice A reason: While the son exhibits problematic behavior, family systems theory emphasizes that symptoms in one member often reflect dysfunction in the entire system. Focusing solely on him overlooks systemic dynamics. Choice B reason: The daughter also displays concerning behavior, but isolating her as the identified patient ignores the broader family context. Choice C reason: Labeling both children as identified patients is closer to systemic thinking but still implies that the problem lies only with them, rather than with the family unit. Choice D reason: Family systems theory posits that the identified patient is the person whose symptoms reflect the dysfunction of the entire family system. In this case, both children’s behaviors suggest systemic issues, making the whole family the identified patient.