The word ‘family’ defines a group of individuals united by blood, or by marital, adoptive or other intimate ties (APA). As Winston Churchill stated, “ There is no doubt that it is around the family and the home that all the greatest virtues are created, strengthened and maintained”. The primary source of your personal development is your family. The family in which one grows up plays a role in their mental health. You may have been confronted with a lack of communication, misunderstandings, disagreements, and so on among family members right? This may lead to disruption in the family structure. Family therapy/counselling could help with this. So first of all let’s see what is family therapy and what are the different types of approaches to resolving issues.
Family therapy is a structured type of psychotherapy that aims to minimize distress and conflict in a family by enhancing the family interaction system thus improving the health and functioning of a family. Some of the common issues we see in family therapy sessions are communication problems, anger, and financial distress.
And some other issues are:
The theory behind this therapy was developed by Dr. Murray Bowen. According to Bowen’s theory, differentiation of the self is the key to emotional independence and ultimately conflict resolution. Therefore, one of the main goals of Bowenian therapy is to help foster self-differentiation among family members. This therapy helps to reshape conflict, set healthy boundaries between members, make you understand your family pattern, and teach individuals to differentiate.
The most relevant beginning of this therapy was due to the anthropologist, Gregory Bateson and his team at Palo Alto Hospital. The therapy focuses on relationships between a group of individuals, rather than just on an individual’s thoughts and feelings. They examine how a cohesive social unit is established and how its members interact with one another to meet. Through this therapy, it helps individuals improve impulse control, develop appropriate social skills and make them understand how family dynamics influence their actions.
This therapy was developed by Salvador Minuchin. The therapy looks at the structure of a family unit enhances interactions among family members and advocates changes in the rules that govern how the family functions. Through this therapy, it helps families impacted by trauma, single-parent families, divorces and their children, and intergenerational families.
It was developed by Don Jackson along with a colleague. The therapy focuses on changing how family members interact with one another. For that they use cognitive restructuring (Beck) to modify the way family members view one other, which changes the impact between them, thus allowing them to interact in a new way. Through this therapy, it helps improve family cohesiveness, communication and parenting behaviours.
It was developed by Michael White and David Epston. The therapy focuses on how all people construct internal stories of their lives, reducing and compressing the variety of lived experiences into controlling themes influenced by family, culture, and society. Through this therapy, it allows people to use their voice for good, assisting people in becoming experts in their own lives and living in a way that reflects their goals and values.
The term ‘ psychoeducation’ was first employed by Anderson et al. Psychoeducation is a combination of cognitive-behavioural treatment, group therapy, and education. The primary goal is to educate clients and families about all aspects of the condition and its treatment so that they can work with mental health experts for a better overall outcome.
Family counselling services can be beneficial for a variety of reasons. Some of the common benefits are:
Moreover, a study reported that family therapy is best for treating Anorexia Nervosa in adolescents (Blessitt et.al,2015)
By asking questions to the therapist it can reduce your anxiety regarding the therapy and also helps the therapist to design appropriate treatments for you. The question commonly asked by the client could be, What to expect in the session?
The therapist could then provide the background of the approach and also may reduce your fear preoccupied with the therapy and calm you. During the first session, you can expect your therapist to ask you a lot of questions.
Some of the common questions are:
Thus, you have learnt that family therapy can help families overcome conflict, enhance communication and, and work together to achieve mutual goals. And also it could make your family acquire the adaptive qualities of a healthy family.
