2. WHAT IS "FAMILY THERAPY"? Be ye as the fingers of one hand. - Bahá 'u' llah, Hidden Words Looking at recent publications, one has the impression that family therapy is a new concoction from the psychotherapist's alchemic kitchen. It is met with diverse reactions. Some regard it suspiciously, seeing it as a deviation from traditional therapeutic methods; others praise it as an important advance in the treatment of psychoses. Still others view it as a special method for dealing with children. 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. But this kind of process has only limited application. It cannot be carried out, for instance, if the original family no longer exists, if members of the family are unwilling to start therapy, or if the tensions in the family are so great that it is impossible to gather the group under one therapeutic roof. This is why we try not to look at family therapy simply as a particular therapeutic arrangement. Instead, we interpret it as a special way of thinking, one that does …show more content…
A preventive (family) therapy, on the other hand, must of necessity be a "positive" family therapy. It doesn't just look at the areas where there is a disorder; it also considers the capabilities that exist in the individual and in the family. In its original meaning the word positive (Latin positum) refers to the factual, the given. The "givens'' are not necessarily conflicts and disorders, but can also be the capabilities that each person carries within him. In therapy we are interested primarily in man's capacity for self-help and his ability to deal with
For Bowen, the family is the unit of observation and the emphasis is put on emotional forces that are common to all families, this helps to reduce the significance of which family member is causing the problem. Bowens approach to change is understood within the context of striving to understand life’s forces, the very principal that gives coherence to Bowens approach to therapy. (Friedman, 1991). When attempting to achieve change within a client the source of the issue is less important, but rather trying to locate the systematic forces within a family as well as those that are transmitted from generation...
According to Napier and Whitaker (1978), In the Brice family, many problems were resolved since they decided to go on to therapy; however, the main problem that the therapists have not been able to solve was to convince the
Almeida, R. V., Dolan-Del, V. K., & Parker, L. (2008). Transformative family therapy: Just families in a just society. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
Nichols, M. P. (2010). Family therapy concepts and methods (9 ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
“The popularization of the term codependency among the general public through the self-help literature has had positive and negative consequences for the practice of psychotherapy. On one hand, the popular usage of the term has been helpful in raising public awareness regarding the complex interrelationships that transpire within American families. On the other hand, widespread usage of the term has resulted in misunde...
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).
In the industrial age before World War II, when individual psychotherapy was born and thrived, human beings were essentially seen as machines, with broken parts—including the mind—that could be repaired; after World War II, the dawning information technology age brought a paradigm shift in the view of human life from mechanical to relational, and communication and systems theories provided family therapy with increased validity and prominence. (White, 2009, pp. 200-201). The modern family systems theories that grew out of this paradigm viewed families narrowly as functional or dysfunctional according to the delineation of each theory. Today, postmodern theory suggests that no absolute truth governs individuals or families; instead, people are
Chapter 7, this chapter of the book is design to teach the reader about the experimental concepts in family therapy. These techniques were design to strength the families in their emotional stage. However, this concept stop being used and now part of the techniques is resurfacing when working with couples (Nichols, 2017).
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.
Narrative therapy is a family counseling approach that continues to evolve and gain popularity in the field of therapy (Chang & Nylund, 2013). Given the continued strides of narrative therapy this is a family counseling approach worthy of research. This paper will detail the beginnings of narrative therapy and those responsible for its development. Although White and Epston are the leading figures of narrative therapy many individuals with varying backgrounds and beliefs influenced their thinking (Biggs & Hinton-Bayre, 2008).
It is always a valid reminder to appreciate the achievements and failures of past therapeutic approaches and frameworks. I think it was entertaining to promote a quick fix therapy for a problem to be processed in ten sessions versus the long-term modalities. From a marketing perspective of a family, it is engaging to be able to repair the issue immediately so is that life can go on. Understandably, families came to these sessions to have a therapist resolve their single issue. In regards to longevity of the effectiveness, I do not see the value in the ability to maintain family cohesiveness, for it focuses on a single issue. Contrary to this statement, the treatments effectiveness relies on the families ability to follow through on direction
...n all family members get involved in trying to help. By the individual’s family being apart of their therapy session, it shows how much their family members care for them and want them to get help with whatever issues they may be having. This is very important because it is a sign of love and it is showing the support that they have for one another. Therapist have also found that during strategic family therapy, they can help all family members with helping to encourage each other as well as create rules and interactions that are psychological healthy for all family members who are involved. It will make it easier for the family members to all get along and understand each other. When one person in the family is having issues, the other members should take the time to talk to one another and help each other out, especially the family member who is in need of help.
The CBT theoretical formulation focuses on the whole family. “As behavior therapist shifted their attention from individuals to family relationships, they came to rely on Thibaut and Kelley’s theory of social exchange, according to which people strive to maximize rewards and minimize costs in relationships” (Nichols,
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
Banner, J. (1986). Virginia Satir's family therapy model. Individual Psychology: Journal of Adlerian Theory, Research & Practice, 42(4), 480-494.