Medical Family Therapy Case Study

The medical family therapist assigned to our family when my father became ill suddenly a few years ago was a gift from God. The therapist helped not only my father however, she helped our family understand the severity of my Dad’s condition. My father had a tumor pressing down on his spinal cord which slowly started affecting his balance then eventually his ability to walk. My father before this condition probably never missed a day of work unless he scheduled it off. Furthermore, my Dad was involved in many different activities, and on the board of directors for our church and his local union. When this illness occurred the doctor immediately suggested sitting down with a counselor to discuss my father’s limitation, and the next course of

treatment. However, my Dad at first was very resistant nonetheless as time passed he was willing. The therapist was knowledgeable about my Dad’s condition. Although our book indicates it not a requirement the therapist need medical expertise to be helpful to a family dealing with a disease or chronic condition (Metcalf, 2011). My Dad’s tumor was considered a chronic condition because there was no way for them to remove the tumor due to its location. All they could do was hope that it would shrink to relieve pressure, which would allow him be more ambulatory. The therapist not only collaborated with his doctors, but, all the people involved with my dad’s care which included his home health aide, visiting nurse, and rehabilitation therapist.

Any medical meeting regarding my Dad’s care she was present. I remember the doctor thought my father would benefit from going to a rehabilitation center before going home. Yet, the doctor would not have the meeting unless the therapist was present. The medical family therapist helped the doctor articulate the benefits of the rehabilitation center. As our book indicates the family therapist is the support that the system needs when a problem enters a family and can help the family find ways to deal with and support the patient (Metcalf, 2011) All the major obstacles that my father went through with not being able to go back to the line of work he had been doing for the last 20 years. In addition to losing his Driver's license for three years she was able to help my father deal with it. The therapist even explained the feeling we were having as a family. My dad who is the sweetest man alive became very angry and combative. Therefore the family sessions we had helped us to understand what he was going through, and how to address certain

issues. The therapist established incremental goals for my Dad, and us as family members which were helpful.
Finally, what I found to be the most important component to this type of therapy is the relationship the therapist established with the family. The therapist we had was genuine, honest, and had no problem in self disclosure. The rapport she built with my father allowed him to trust her, which made the different transitions easier. Additionally the therapist was very flexible. We met in different setting, and she had no problem coming to my Dad’s home and various other places. Even after we stop meeting as a family she continued to see my Dad individually. In our reading it states flexibility is needed for the medical family therapist to not only maneuver across various systems in an individual and family but the therapist must also be flexible to the setting where therapy takes place(Metcalf, 2011). I believe the medical family therapist saved my Dad’s life.