Roger and Tina come to therapy without their children. From an experiential therapist standpoint, the best method at this point would be to have Roger and Tina engage in emotionally focused couple’s therapy to help uncover the negative feelings they each feel toward one another. In heated moments, it is important for the therapist to intervene in the discussion and to reflect on what Roger and Tina are feeling. This will help defuse the situation and the therapist can help guide them to focus on their experience, rather than on what the other is doing wrong (Nichols, 2013). This is important so that the therapist can build a collaborative and effective bond with both parties (Swank, 2013). Discussion of specific issues in their relationship …show more content…
Since Ava is at an impressible age, it is important for her to be involved. The therapist engages the family in exchange role-playing with the use of puppets. The use of puppets is a good tool to use when dealing with younger children and it also adds the element of play into serious discussions (Pereira, 2014). The therapist will assign a role to family members and touch bases on the issue at hand. Family members will have to speak through the puppet. This will help Roger and Tina, not only better see each other’s perspective, but they will also be able to identify with Ava and any negative effects she may be experiencing. The therapist gives the Hoffmans an in- home assignment, family puppet story, another method discussed in Pereira’s Can we play too? Experiential techniques for family therapists to actively include children in sessions. As a family, they have to pick a story to share, the characters, and the ending of the …show more content…
The therapist will then proceed to ask questions such as, “How did the family decide on the story? Did one person just decide and everyone agreed? Were there different ideas another member brought up?” The goal is for the family to be able to see the process in approaching and engaging in this task (Pereira, 2014). Thompson indicated that in order to increase motivation in family therapy, it is imperative to combine family therapy with traditional play therapy techniques (2011). This allows all family members to participate in the therapeutic process and encourage fun into the family dynamics. After spending time with the Hoffmans, the therapist has a better feel for their situation and can now request that Roger and Tina take responsibility for their own lives and initiative in therapy (Smith,
Experiential Family Therapy is a therapy that encourages patients to address subconscious issues through actions, and role playing. It is a treatment that is used for a group of people in order to determine the source of problem in the family (Gurman and Kniskern, 2014). Experiential Family Therapy has its strengths and weaknesses. One of the strengths of this therapy is that, it focuses on the present and patients are able to express their emotions on what is happening to them presently. The client will have time to share everything about his/her life experiences one on one without any fears. As a result, it helps the client in the healing process because, he/she is able to express their feelings freely and come out of the problem. Therefore, in this type of therapy, the clients are deeply involved in solving their issues. It helps clients to scrutinize their individual connections and to initiate a self-discovery through therapy, on how their relationships influence their current behaviors (Gurman and Kniskern, 2014). By examining their personal relationships through experiential family therapy, family members are able to
Szapocznik, J., Schwartz, S. J., Muir, J. A., & Brown, C. H. (2012). Brief strategic family therapy. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 1(2), 134–145.
Wehrman, J. D., & Field, J. E. (2013). Play-Based Activities in Family Counseling. American Journal of Family Therapy, 41(4), 341-352. doi:10.1080/01926187.2012.704838
Substance use affects not only the individual who is using but the whole family unit. The family can be an important key factor in an individual's life when they choose to seek treatment. The family can help the individual who is addicted or they can negatively contribute to them relapsing. Family therapy is treatment that can reduce substance use and improve the family dynamics in a household. Brief Strategic Family Therapy is a common therapy used to treat substance use in families. This paper will explain why family therapy is important. It will also explain what Brief Strategic Family Therapy is and the process that families go through in it.
Conflicts within relationships are inevitable and some conflict can help strengthen a relationship; however, in marriages and families, many people fail to work through their conflict, which results in unhealthy patterns of behavior. Over time, if left unresolved, these patterns of behavior can lead to a breaking of the relationship. Furthermore, most people do not set out seeking conflict within relationships, but rather they lack the emotional maturity to move through conflict. In fact, it is not the differences between the two parties that create the conflict, but rather the emotional reaction to their differences. Therefore, an intervention is required to begin the healing process of working through conflict. Often a pastor or counselor
Rosa and Miguel are experiencing relationship problems due to developmental and financial stressors. This has created a turbulent home environment. Miguel’s verbal abuse and open hostility has Rosa emotionally overwhelmed. He is not physically abusive; however, his anger is upsetting the household. The children are also displaying emotional and physical stress related symptoms. Rosa and Miguel come from emotionally unstable homes, which has impacted their ability to communicate and manage their emotions. Due their inability to communicate in a productive manner, they have sought help to resolve their problems. Both have expressed the concern that they are repeating the harmful behavior they experienced as children. They
Ramey, Heather L, Tarulli, Donato, Frijters, Jan C, Fisher, Lianne (2009), ‘A sequential analysis of externalising in narrative therapy with children’, Contemporary Family Therapy, no. 31, 2009, pp. 262-279.
For this reason, some of the brief therapies, such as strategic family therapy or solution-focused therapy, that focus on rapid change without much attention to understanding, might be more appropriate. However, I believe these brief therapies do not give clients enough time to really parse out their problem. I am wary of counseling that limits clients’ ability to tell their stories fully, which seems like just one more way of silencing people, oppressing them, and keeping them in line. In working with my clients I want to collectively understand how problem-saturated stories developed, the cultural, familial, or biological factors that might be involved, and the availability of choices. I believe that narrative therapy is the most flexible approach in this respect because although not brief, it is efficient and seems to be effective long-term, although more research is needed, which is challenging because of the subjective nature of this approach (Madigan, 2011). In my therapy practice, I want to leave clients feeling hopeful and liberated by helping them to see the problem as separate from their identities and as only one story to choose from several, and by acknowledging the contextual factors contributing to the
Structural Family Therapy offers a framework that provides order and meaning within the family connections (Nichols, 2013). Divorce for a family is considered a significant transition for all parties involved. When counseling a family going through divorce the structural family therapist’s job is to build an alliance with the family and obtain information about the structure. The structure of the family consists of the roles, interactions, organization, and hierarchy. Family therapy yields the belief that changing the organization of the family leads to change in the individual members. The structural family therapist often will try to become part of the family to gain a perspective of their issues as whole so not to place the focus on one individual. Joining is an empathetic approach in helping families explain and break down their individual stories without uncomfortable challenge or unnecessary confrontation (Nichols, 2013). It is important to note that family dysfunction that often leads to divorce is not attributed to one individual, but the entire family system. In structural family therapy, part of dealing with the issue of divorce in the family is to focus on the interactions between all the family members both positive and negative. Through these interactions the therapist can discover where the conflicts arise, which will in turn help the therapist understand how these negative interaction affect the family. Family therapy in these cases allows for repair of long-standing interactional patterns in which divorce is just one of a series of ongoing transactions that are disruptive to the child’s development (Kaplan, 1977, p.75). The structural family therapist often has the family play out these family interactions via enactments so that he can get a firsthand look at maladaptive patterns, roles, and
While her therapist helps her with her father, the therapist unintentionally improves her relationship with her husband. At Southeastern Louisiana University’s common read, Smith explains, “I think I was able to meet him [her husband] because I cleared up a lot of silly stuff through therapy” (Smith). This confirmation allows the reader to receive a higher understanding of the effect therapy impacted Tracy K. Smith.
My theoretical approach to family therapy is very integrative as I believe families cannot be described nor treated from a single-school approach. I view humans through a humanistic and existential lens but am more technically structural and solution-based. With this integrative approach, I believe I will be the most effective in helping families grow and reach their goals.
Goldenberg, H. & Goldenberg, I. (2013). Family therapy: An overview (8th ed.). Belmont CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.
Nichols, M. P. (2010). Family therapy concepts and methods (9 ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
In our society families are the foundation of all human relationships. Therefore learning to maintain and develop healthy families are the goals of family therapist. Counselors can use the Structural Family Therapy approach in counseling hurting families. The pioneer of structural family therapy is Salvador Minuchin (Hammond & Nichols, 2014).
Nichols, M. P. (2011). The essentials of family therapy. Boston, Ma.: Allyn and Bacon. (Original work published 5th)