Family Emotions: The Helicopter Parents

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)
Normal families contain self-actualized individuals. Children in the family are able to be open and creative, and parents do not have too much control over the children that growth is not a possibility (Nichols, 2014, p. 132). Immediately from this information, I am aware that my family is not normal. I believe that my parents are “helicopter parents”. They hover over me and my brother, and this does not allow for us to be ourselves and to grow. Virginia Satir is given kudos to experiential family therapy, and believer that there were four dishonest ways those persons may communicate: blaming, placating, being irrelevant, and being super reasonable (Nichols, 2014, p. 132). In my dysfunctional family of four, I believe that each of us has played these roles. To be transparent, I believe that I frequently play the role of the blamer, bl...

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...ncourage emotions to be present in the family is something that I believe my family in particular could benefit from. Many black families do not encourage emotional freedom. Without much research, experience tells me that as a result of black history and the danger it was to express your emotions in times of slavery or even the Civil Rights Movement has continued in family bloodlines throughout generations. It is no surprise that the little boy in the therapy session struggles with displaying his emotions like my family. This therapy is the first that I envision forcing the black family to grow.

Works Cited

Nichols, M. P. (2014). Essentials of Family Therapy. College of William and Mary: Pearson
Education Canada.
Stoppa, T., & Turner, Y., (26, February, 2014). Experiential Family Therapy. Psychology of
Family. Eastern University, St. David’s, Pennsylvania.