The conventional view of family therapy is a narrow one. According to this view, therapy treats an entire group - at least father, mother, and child - not just an individual patient. In the therapeutic situation, these family members present a major component of their everyday life.
I really like that this form of therapy does not focus on problem talk, but instead focuses on solution talk. However, the true focus is all about change and the resources needed to make that change. The emphasis is on the client’s, “unique, subjective perspective or self-constructed narrative, as contrasted with an objective or consensual reality” (Norcross, p. 406). Thi...
While Solution-focused therapy is a combination of ideas from other theories, such as cognitive, communication, and crisis intervention. “It’s focus is of helping clients identify and amplify their strengths and resources toward the goal of finding solutions to presenting problems (Walsh, 2013).”
Practicing and researching solution-focused family therapy is growing and becoming more prevalent in the helping profession (Gingerich, Kim, Geert, Stams, & Macdonald, 2012; Kim & Franklin, 2015). As such, solution-focused family therapy is now considered an evidence-based therapeutic approach for all helping professionals. Additionally, solution-focused family therapy is proven to be flexible and portable to a range of therapeutic settings including behavioral health and community counseling clinics, school counseling, alcohol and drug treatment facilities, and coaching. While, solution-focused family therapy is greatly recognized as a useful evidence-based approach, there is a lack of research on the process
Strategic family therapy is when the therapist initiated most of what happens during a therapy session and designs an approach for each problem that comes up. To be a successful strategic therapist a person should identify problems that can be solved, set goals for the course of therapy, design interventions or tools to meet those goals, and take client’s responses into consideration. Strategic family therapy is really a combination of a few family therapy models Strategic family therapy developed from the communications theory which evolved from MRI (mental research institute)’s brief therapy, Haley’s Strategic model, and the Milan Team’s systemic model. Strategic therapy uses all of these methods together to help the progression of therapy and to bring about change. Strategic family therapy has a few different types such as a model from Jay Haley, MRI (mental research institute), and The Milan Team. Each of these models has different concepts, strengths, and weaknesses that make strategic family therapy a truly diverse type of family therapy.
In the SFT model, the therapist takes an active directional stance (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013, p. 273). This creatively active approach allows the therapist to become part of the family system in order to unbalance and change the family’s structure and perspective, and is especially effective with difficult families (Seligman, 2004, pp. 245-246). However, therapeutic change is a delicate process and must occur in a trusting therapeutic relationship: too little involvement on the part of the therapist, and the family’s structural status quo will continue to be maintained; too much direction before the family is ready can cause a premature termination of therapy (Vetere, 2001, p. 135).
In family therapy sessions, therapists encounter unique dilemmas when only one partner enters into therapy because only one viewpoint of the problem is provided (American Psychological Association, 2002). This is what presents itself for us today. A husband has asked for help in protecting himself and his children from his wife’s outbursts. His family consists of his wife of 11 years, Angelina; his son, John, age nine; and his delicate daughter, Jackie, age seven. Since this client is reserved and uncomfortable within the therapy session as demonstrated by his folded arms and leaning back in his chair away from the therapist, the therapist will begin by using client-centered, therapy-based questions (Rogers, 1946). Post-modern family therapy will incorporate various styles of therapy depending on what a therapist determines is most helpful at any one point during the therapy process (Nichols, 2008). Combining client-centered and experiential therapies would be a logical pairing in this situation (Elliott & Freire, 2007). We will examine the initial interview.
Experiential family therapy is one that believes the root cause of the problems in the families is a result of emotional suppression. This theory is focused on freedom experiencing emotions in the here-and-now. Experiential family therapists believe clients should seek self-fulfillment and focus on individual’s roles in the family rather than on the family as a whole. In order to promote growth, the individual and family must both grow. Once families are emotionally healthy, healthy attachments can then be made. I am drawn to this approach because of its focus on the individual. I believe that if individuals are healthy, family roles will become clearer and the system as a whole will become healthier. It is similar to when a spoiled piece of fruit makes it into a fruit salad, the entire salad is then ruined; however, if the entire salad is healthy, everyone will enjoy it. (Nichols, 2014, p. 130-132)
The therapist would work to sense the triangles that are currently formed between family members. Also find understanding of the family by use of role reversals along with challenging the family with putting universal principles at odds with the family’s beliefs. By creating unbalance with warmth and support, the therapist looks to increase family cohesion and harmony. The therapist will also investigate the family dynamic by allowing them to express and name the symbolic interactions that are shared so that can be uncovered and understood. Once the family’s symbolic and real curative factors are addressed, the therapist can push for growth and maturity in the family. Because the family is seen as individuals in a family unit for example established
People using problem-focused strategies try to deal with the cause of their problem. They fix this by looking out for information on the situation and acquiring new abilities to cope the problem. Problem-focused coping is intended at altering or reducing the cause of the stress. Problem- based coping is the category of coping strategies that change stressful circumstances.
...ersatile and positive orientated framework. By looking at the person and their story, I assert that a comprehensive view of the client can be reached. The empowerment and positive nature of the solution-focused modality undoubtedly generates results. However, I do no think these positive results could be reach without some traditional base as appoint of reference. While this will serve as my main counseling format, I am aware that I will need to be versed with other counseling and testing techniques.
Seligman, L., & Reichenberg, L. W., (2010). Solution-focused brief therapy. In J. Johnston (Ed.), Theories of counseling and psychotherapy: systems, strategies, and skills.Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education
Therefore, Experiential Family Therapy is a non-traditional therapy. According to Goldberg and Goldberg (2012), another weakness is that, the clinicians who use Experiential Family Therapy only focus on the family members’ experiences to come out with an outcome on the problem. Another weakness is that, in Experiential Family Therapy, the therapist pushes the clients to confront their issues, and does not offer a solution. In this therapy, the client is pressed to confront heir issues and find answers to their problems, instead of helping them to find solutions for their current
Goldenberg, H. & Goldenberg, I. (2013). Family therapy: An overview (8th ed.). Belmont CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.
Structural family therapist have exemplified within the context relational therapies that uncovers stressors in relationship between individuals (Vetere, 2001). Structural family therapy has been known to be called “interventive approach” because of the “intensity” to encourage clients to change (Hammond & Nichols, 2014).