What is Family Therapy?
Families can explore and express their emotions in a safe, accepting setting through family therapy. Families can talk about issues and disagreements in their relationships with a therapist in order to improve communication and come up with a solution together. This strategy avoids any sense of “ganging up” and appears to be inclusive and thoughtful of each family member. It seeks to identify each person’s strengths, build upon them during sessions, and collaborate with family members. Family therapists will encourage participation and show consideration for the various types, forms, cultures, and beliefs of families.
Family therapy doesn’t automatically solve family conflicts or make an unpleasant situation go away. But it can help the family members understand one another better, and it can provide skills to cope with challenging situations in a more effective way. It may also help the family achieve a sense of togetherness.
What issues can be resolved through family therapy?
Relationship issues, trauma, and mental illness are just a few of the issues that family therapy can help with. Here are a few instances where family therapy could be beneficial:
• When a couple or family wishes to strengthen their bond.
• When a family member is battling addiction.
• When a family member suffers from a mental illness.
• When a family member has a chronic illness or disability.
• When guardians or parents are concerned about their child’s conduct.
• When guardians or parents are divorcing and are concerned about how it will affect the family.
• When a family is dealing with trauma or loss.
• During life transitions for family members..
• If a family member suffers from a severe mental illness like schizophrenia, family therapy can help them deal with it. However, the person with schizophrenia should continue with their treatment plan, which may involve medication, one-on-one therapy, or other forms of treatment.
For instance, in the case of addiction, the person with a substance abuse disorder may attend residential treatment while the family attends family therapy. Even if that person hasn’t sought treatment on their own, the family may occasionally take part in family therapy. Any family situation that leads to stress, grief, anger, or conflict can benefit from family therapy. Family members can become closer by learning coping mechanisms and improving their understanding of one another.
Example
Let’s say that an adult son of a family suffers from depression. The family is unsure of how to best support him because they don’t understand his depression. Despite their concern for their son’s welfare, they become frustrated and angry when discussions with their son or other family members turn into arguments. Family members avoid one another, communication deteriorates, decisions are not made, and the gap widens. Family therapy can assist them in this way by: Identifying the particular difficulties and how the family is resolving them; Educating them on new ways to communicate and break harmful patterns of relationship; and establishing goals for both the family and the individual, and working toward achieving them.
TECHNIQUES Used in Family Therapy
The Genogram
A common early family therapy technique is the genogram, which paints a vivid picture of the family’s past. The genogram shows the demographics and basic structure of the family, providing a picture of three generations through symbols. The genogram contains names, dates of marriage, divorce, death, and other pertinent information. Early on in therapy, it gives the therapist and family members a wealth of information and understanding. Together with the family, the therapist creates the genogram as a diagnostic and informational tool.
Reframing
The majority of family therapists employ reframing as a way to connect with the family and provide an alternative viewpoint on issues that are being presented. Reframing specifically entails moving something from its logical class to a different one. After a date, for instance, a mother’s persistent questioning of her daughter’s behavior can be interpreted as sincere concern and care rather than as a sign of a distrustful parent. A negative can frequently be reframed as a positive through reframing.
Monitoring
Tracking is used by most family therapists. According to structural family therapists,tracking is a crucial step in the therapist’s integration process with the family. The therapist pays close attention to family stories and meticulously documents the events and their order throughout the tracking process. The family therapist can determine the series of events that maintain a system in its current state by using tracking. When creating interventions, it can be useful to consider what transpires between points A and B or C to produce D.
Techniques for Developing Communication Skills
Healthy family functioning is frequently impeded by communication patterns and procedures. In one or two family sessions, it is easy to spot poor communication techniques and systems. A range of strategies can be used to directly address improving communication skills within a family or between a couple. Among the listening strategies used in communication skill development are restatement of content, reflection of feelings, taking turns expressing feelings, and nonjudgmental brainstorming.
In certain cases, the therapist might try to teach a couple how to listen, fight fairly, or teach other family members how to communicate with adults. The family therapist is always on the lookout for problematic communication styles that could cause the system to break down.
Sculpting
Family sculpting, which was created by Duhl, Kantor, and Duhl (1973), allows for the recreation of the family system by depicting the relationships between family members at a particular point in time. By asking family members to physically arrange the family, the family therapist can use sculpting at any point during therapy. Since adolescents are allowed to express their thoughts and feelings about the family nonverbally, they frequently make excellent family sculptors. Family sculpting offers the potential for future therapeutic interventions and is a reliable diagnostic tool.
Photos of the Family
A plethora of information regarding past and present functioning can be obtained through the use of family photos. Going through the family album together is one way to use the pictures. Reactions to images and events, both spoken and unspoken, can often reveal a lot. This approach has been modified to include finding images that depict previous generations and asking participants to bring in important family photos, and talking about their motivations. The therapist can frequently gain a clearer understanding of family relationships, rituals, structure, roles, and communication patterns by discussing pictures.
The Empty Chair
Family therapy has adopted the empty chair technique, which is most frequently used by Gestalt therapists. In one situation, a partner might tell a spouse how they feel (empty chair), then pretend to be the spouse and continue the conversation. This method can be used to arrange messages for parents, kids, and absent family members.
Family Choreography
In family choreography, arrangements go beyond initial sculpting; family members are asked to position themselves as to how they see the family and then to show how they would like the family situation to be. Family members may be asked to reenact a family scene and possibly resculpt it to a preferred scenario. This technique can help a stuck family and create a lively situation.
Family Council Meetings
Family council meetings are organized to provide specific times for the family to meet and share. The therapist might prescribe counseling meetings as homework, in which case a time is set and rules are outlined. The council should encompass the entire family, and any absent members would have to abide by the decisions. The agenda may include any concerns of the family. Attacking others during this time is not acceptable. Family council meetings help provide structure for the family, encourage full family participation, and facilitate communication
Prescribing Indecision
The stress level of couples and families is often exacerbated by a faulty decision-making process. Decisions not made in these cases become problematic in themselves. When straightforward interventions fail, paradoxical interventions often can produce change or relieve symptoms of stress. Such is the case with prescribing indecision. The indecisive behavior is reframed as an example of caring or taking appropriate time on important matters affecting the family. A directive is given to not rush into anything or make hasty decisions. The couple is to follow this directive to the letter.
