Family Therapy
Family therapy views person’s symptoms as taking place in larger context family. Without understanding that larger group and complex, dynamic interactions that take place and how those interactions were formed, it may not be as easy to help identified patient ( person with “problem” that everyone else in family is concerned about).
Just as particular department in business organization may suffer because problems in another department, person with depression may be responding to larger family issues. Example, depressed adolescent’s symptoms may be related to her parents’ marital problems. But if therapist only saw depressed teen, they may not share greater family problems that could be an important part their depression.
Family Cure is psychotherapy style where cognitive, behavior or interpersonal Family Cure may be employed. However, it is most often used with interpersonal Cure.
Some special techniques family Cure include:
- Genogram — Genogram is family tree constructed by therapist. It looks at past relationships and events and what impact these have on person’s current emotional technique.
- Systemic Interpretation — Views depression as symptom problem in larger family.
Example, 16-year-old Billy’s getting into trouble in school and staying out at night are viewed as unconscious attempts to shore up his parents’ failing marriage. It is noted in sessions that only time his parents get long and work together as team is when they are dealing with Billy’s problems.
- Communication Training — Dysfunctional communication patterns within family are identified and corrected. People are taught how to listen, ask questions and respond non-defensively.
Family therapy takes cooperation and willingness to participate on part all family members. Single holdout or someone who “doesn’t see point it” could make family therapy little less effective. Even if only part family can attend, family therapy can be very powerful therapeutic modality that can lead to more lasting and quicker changes than individual psychotherapy alone.
While not as often practiced as individual psychotherapy, family therapy can be especially effective with children, as often the problems are inter-related with what is going on in family at moment. Child’s problems rarely exist in vacuum, so how family reacts to child is important.
Family therapy can seem particularly scary as families don’t want to “air their dirty laundry” in front others. All families keep “family secrets” that aren’t generally shared outside family. Family therapy may shed light on some unwanted areas in family, which can be threatening to particular family members who may feel vulnerable or attacked.
Family therapy is generally conducted in safe and supportive environment once week in therapist’s office. Look therapist who has specific family therapy training, specialization, and experience (more than 5 years is preferred, but usually more, better). While it’s not everyone, family therapy may be psychotherapy modality worth trying.