It is important that resistance be addressed in order for treatment to have a significant impact. The process of family therapy can be directed in a variety of ways, however there are some characteristics that must be included. Proper planning is essential because if therapists do not plan properly, therapy will the unsuccessful. Employing effective interventions with couples and families can be extremely intricate given that family dynamics are interwoven with individual disposition. Resistance comes as clients attempt to control sessions or refuse to talk to each other in sessions, arrive late, insisting that one family member is the problem, or challenging the therapist’s competence (Gladding, 2011). Subsequently, if treatment is to be …show more content…
successful, family therapists have to recognize the nature of resistance and overcome it without alienating family members. The first stage of the family therapy process is called Pre-Season Planning & Tasks; in which the family makes the first initial contact with the therapist. Resistance can impact this stage is if the tone and type of speech used by the therapist is not supportive, caring and talks in a manner that conveys respect and receptivity. As a result, the family may not make or keep their appointment. Lack of building a rapport during the initial contact can cause then to reconsider their decision to attend or resist coming (Gladding, 2011). Therapist may prevent this by establishing a professional but pleasant atmosphere while gathering important information such as their name, address, phone number, and nature of their call. The second stage, Initial Session; agree the most critical of each stage.
This is due to the fact that most families suspend judgment for a few sessions in order to give the treatment a chance to work and the therapist a chance to demonstrate their competency. Resistance can impact this stage if the therapist fail to establish a sense of trust between themselves and the members of the family (Gladding, 2011).Therefore, it is essentially that the therapist develop a therapeutic alliance with the family at the initial session of therapy. Additionally, therapist can avert resistance by making the family comfortable through social exchange with each member, establishing rapport and asking each member for his/her perception of the …show more content…
family. In the next stage, Middle Phase of Treatment; emphasizes making sure that all family members are committed to and working toward a common goal.
Resistance can impact this stage by not allowing the therapists push family members as a whole to make changes and breakthroughs. Therefore, one way to address this would be to invite the uninvolved family member to be an observer of the family (Gladding, 2011). This would allow them to participate by sharing feedback on what in their opinion has transpired in their personal interaction. In addition, another way to get a resistant family member would be to use a procedure called circular questioning (Gladding, 2011). In this procedure, the disconnected family member is asked to give their synopsis about the various exchanges of other family members. In this stage resistance may be alleviated by giving a verbally reassuring the disinclined member that his presence is valued in the session. In the last stage, Termination; is the conclusion of family therapy in hopes that goal were accomplished and therapy ends. Resistance can impact this stage if the therapist does not handle this stage in an organized manner. Therefore, it is imperative that the therapist plan with the
family for a mutually pre-determined termination time, which should be open ended, in case family needs to return (Gladding, 2011). Termination, should be executed with sensitivity so that it can help families recognize their growth and development during treatment (Gladding, 2011). Furthermore, resistance to this stage can be relieved by helping families and their members identify their feelings and accomplishments. There are common problems that beginning family counselors should avoid. According to Gladding, 2011, some therapists’ downfalls are a product of not remaining balanced and overemphasizing or underemphasizing. Through overemphasizing, therapists may; pay too much attention to details, attempt to make everyone happy, come to an early or easy resolution or deal with only one member of the family (Gladding, 2011). To offset this, therapist should use redirection, by which they asks the family to be present in the process of their relationship instead of the content of it. Therefore, attention is directed to the feelings between the parties involved. Underemphasis can be as unproductive as overemphasis (Gladding, 2011). By understating and failing to apply an intervention at a planned time. For example a therapist might propose that the family’s interaction is sufficient when in fact it is just the opposite. Underemphasizing can cause crucial issues within the family to go unaddressed and prevent positive change.
Structured Family Therapy (SFT) refers the mere undesignated rules that structure how a family interacts with one another (Walsh, 2010). The family unit is composed of systems or parts, and the parts must be unified to compile a whole unit to create homeostasis (Broderick, 1993). SFT therapy is warranted when dysfunction enters the family unit, and creates a deficiency of adaption by the individual which disrupts the family structure (Boyle, 2000). The family structure is composed of major components such as: subsystems, executive authority, boundaries, rules, roles, alliances, triangles, flexibility, and communication (Walsh,
Structural therapy focuses on the family as a whole. It is concerned about how the issues effect the family relationships and connections. This theory concentrates on how well the understanding is amongst the family members and counselor. The members of the family are prompted to understand how the issues were created, where did the issues come from, when the issues started effecting their family, and what the family needs to overcome their issues. Its focus is to help others understand and improve negative behavior. The structural therapy concentrates on the interaction and boundaries of families with separating the whole family into smaller groups. The subsystems will create a clearer understanding of what issues are hurting their family environment (Gladding, S. T. 2010). The counselor is concerned about the members interaction because this reveals how strong the relationships and connections are in the home. The boundaries are important because they create an understanding that there are limits and order, and the boundaries can be diffused, rigid, or clear (Gladding, S. T. 2010). The counselor is expected to identify techniques so members can understand which boundaries are clear, positive, and healthy (Gladding, S. T. 2010).
Lastly, there is family therapy, and in my opinion the most important. This is essential for both the patient and members of their family to understand and learn how to cope with this behavior. This style of therapy will teach family members not to be co-dependent and allow the patient to take responsibility for their actions.
Within a family system, individuals were seen as a product of the family unit, rather than exclusions of the unit; this eliminated compulsions and obsessions in a family unit (Taylor, Asmundson, & Jang, 2011). Within family system therapy, the goal is to be capable of eliminating abnormalities in functions that affect all individuals and to treat or respond to the entire family; the goal is to also focus on the identified family member, reducing their extreme stress (Carr, 2000). The family system therapy searches for the balance between the independent individual performance and the function of the group (Taylor, Asmundson, & Jang,
Nichols, M. P. (2010). Family therapy concepts and methods (9 ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
“Cognitive-behavior therapy refers to those approaches inspired by the work of Albert Ellis (1962) and Aaron Beck (1976) that emphasize the need for attitude change to promote and maintain behavior modification” (Nichols, 2013, p.185). A fictitious case study will next be presented in order to describe ways in which cognitive behavioral therapy can be used to treat the family members given their presenting problems.
Miguel and Rosa have agreed to address the following issues during their treatment. First, they will develop appropriate strategies for managing anger. Second, increase their understanding of ADD and parenting techniques. Third, expand the current support network of their family. We will begin their process by implementing the Brief Strategic Family Therapy model. This therapy allows the family to address their issues collectively and individually. With this approach Miguel and Rosa will address their maladaptive behavior, by developing good communication skills and by helping them to define the family strengths. This therapy will also address Christopher’s aggressive and antisocial behavior, by coaching him in a new behavior. This style therapy along with couple’s therapy and support groups will provide Miguel and Rosa with the tools needed to promote health communication in their relationship, also with how to communicate with their
Experiential Family Therapy is a therapy that encourages patients to address subconscious issues through actions, and role playing. It is a treatment that is used for a group of people in order to determine the source of problem in the family (Gurman and Kniskern, 2014). Experiential Family Therapy has its strengths and weaknesses. One of the strengths of this therapy is that, it focuses on the present and patients are able to express their emotions on what is happening to them presently. The client will have time to share everything about his/her life experiences one on one without any fears. As a result, it helps the client in the healing process because, he/she is able to express their feelings freely and come out of the problem. Therefore, in this type of therapy, the clients are deeply involved in solving their issues. It helps clients to scrutinize their individual connections and to initiate a self-discovery through therapy, on how their relationships influence their current behaviors (Gurman and Kniskern, 2014). By examining their personal relationships through experiential family therapy, family members are able to
...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.
In our society families are the foundation of all human relationships. Therefore learning to maintain and develop healthy families are the goals of family therapist. Counselors can use the Structural Family Therapy approach in counseling hurting families. The pioneer of structural family therapy is Salvador Minuchin (Hammond & Nichols, 2014).
...ate with their therapists. “A systematic relationship between the therapists' personal reactions to the patient and the quality of their communication, diagnostic impressions, and treatment plans” (Horvath & Greenberg, ). While positive attitudes from the therapists are more likely to result in a successful treatment, negative attitudes will not develop the necessary cooperation from the clients side to successfully reach the goal of the therapy.
Furthermore, my goal is to let client fix their problems on their own through insight and guidance from the therapist. I envision a successful therapeutic process being when a client follows their goals and achieves positive outcomes in their lives. I seek to gain a therapeutic process with my clients by building rapport, trust, and helping them gain insight. When my clients are stuck and need motivation, I plan to remind them about their goals and the positive things that will come with change. If family is important to a client, informing the client about their family and their happiness may help motivate them to continue to
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,
Each member of my family have to feel like the therapist is working with them if not change will not occur. The use of family mapping will help distinguish the types of boundaries that exist among my family. With the disengagement within my family subsystems, using the enactment technique will illustrate the interaction among family members. I am close to the siblings that I grew up with and my father his siblings were very close. With that being said, I will like to see the dynamic between my aunts and uncles when they are all in the same room together after years of being apart. I chose structural family therapy because at the end of the therapy session, I want the restructuring of my family structure.
Strengthening Family Resilience Family resilience can be described as the successful coping of family members under adversity that enables support and cohesion within the family (Walsh, 2006). According to the research, resilient families typically have many of the following protective factors: positive outlook, spirituality, family member accord, flexibility, family communication, financial management, family time, shared recreation, routines and rituals, and outside support networks (Walsh, 2003). These protective factors not only serve as a function within the family structure, but are a factor in the therapeutic process. The family resilience perspective in therapy shifts away from a deficit-based lens that views struggling families as