Family therapy
Meaning
Family therapy assumes an individual’s psychiatric symptoms
are related to family in which he lives. Thus focus of treatment is not the
individual but the family.
Definition
Family therapy is an interpersonal therapeutic technique
applied to family.
Family therapies are aimed at patients, as well as their
family.
Indications
Family therapy is indicated when there is relational problem
or marital problem within the family which can occur in almost all the
psychiatric problems
·
Psychoses
·
Anxiety disorders
·
Psychosomatic disorders
·
Substance abuse
·
Child hood psychiatric problems
Components of therapy
·
Assess family structure, roles, boundaries,
resources
·
Teach communication skills
·
Teach problem solving skills
·
Write behavioral marital contract
·
Homework assignments
Types of family therapy
l . Individual family therapy-
Here each family member will have a separate single
therapist. They will work out specific issues that have been defined by
individual member
2. Conjoint
family therapy-
Here nuclear family is seen and the issues, problem raised
by the family is addressed by the therapist. The way in which family interacts
is observed and becomes focus of therapy
3. Couples
therapy-
Couple may be experiencing difficulties in marriage, and in
this therapy they are helped to work together to seek a resolution Of their
problem . examiner enables couple to find a common ground for resolving
conflict by recognizing and respecting each other similarities and differences
family pattern, partners goal, hopes, expectation, communication style are
examined in this therapy.
4. Multiple family group therapy-
Here four or five family meet weekly to deal with problems
or issue in common. It also encourages each person to reach out and form new relation
outside the group. Common problems discussed are ability or inability to
function well in the home and community, fear of talking to or relating to
others, abuse, anger, neglect, development of social skills, and
responsibilities for oneself etc
5. Multiple
impact therapy-
here several therapist will come together with the family in
community setting. This is same as multiple group therapy but is intense and
time limited. It focuses on developing skills or working together as a family
and with other families
6. Network
therapy-
Usually conducted in people's home.This includes family,
friends, neighbors, professional groups or persons. People in network generally
know each other and interact on regular basis A network includes 40-60 people.
Patient selection
·
Referred to treatment by private physicians and
agencies such as school system, welfare board, parole officers, and judges.
·
ER after a crisis in the family
·
On discharge
·
Marital problem or sibling conflict
·
Situational crisis
·
Maturational crisis
APPROACHES
Major Family Therapy Approaches
l . Object
Relations.
2. Experiential.
3. Trans-generational.
4. Structural.
5. Strategic
6. Cognitive-Behavioral.
7. Social
Constructionist
8. Narrative.
Major Family
Therapy Approaches
1. Object
Relations.
Satisfying relationship with some "object" (e.g.,
parent) is a fundamental need. Help client gain insight into early
relationships (objects from past) and how it affects current relationships
enabling individual development and fulfilling relationships.
2. Experiential:
Troubled families need a "growth experience"
derived from an intimate interpersonal experience (therapy).
By being real (authentic) and disclosing families learn to
be more honest, more expressive, and better able to achieve personal and interpersonal
growth.
3. Experiential:
Building self-esteem and learning to communicate openly are
essential goals. Helping family members probe their own world of symbolic
meanings frees them to activate innate growth processes.Example of this
approach is: Emotionally-Focused Couple Therapy
4. Transgenerational:
Thinking, feeling, and behaving are tied to the family
system. The individual's problems arise and are maintain by relationship
connections. Problems are passed from one generation to the next
Fusion - most vulnerable
Differentiation of self- least vulnerable
5. Structural:
Focused on how families are organized and what rules govern
their transactions. Pays attention to rules, roles, alignments, and boundaries.
Challenges rigid, repetitive transactions within a family, helping to
"unfreeze" them and allow family reorganization.
6. Strategic:
Assigns tasks to get family to change aspects of the system
that maintain problematic behavior.
7. Cognitive-Behavioral:
Maladaptive behaviors can be extinguished as the
contingencies of reinforcement are altered
·
Communication skills
·
Parent training skills
·
Cognitive restructuring
8. Social
Constructionist
·
Each of our perceptions is not an exact
duplication of the world, rather, a point of view seen through the limiting
lens of our assumptions about people.
·
Jointly construct new options that change past
accounts and allow new alternatives.
9. Narrative:
Our sense of reality is organized and maintained through
stories. Families present with negative, dead-end stories.
The goal is to explore alternative stories, make new
assumptions, and open up new possibilities by re-authoring stories.
The therapist's role
·
He never appears as the Almighty, official
operator, example or model for the family.
·
He collaborates with all the members of the team
involved.
·
During the first interview, the therapist looks
for the family's motivations and encourages them to avoid resistances.
·
He keeps away the risk of blames, in order to
get the best participation possible.
·
One or two sessions to structure the group
·
The family therapist sometimes gets a feeling of
intrusion or even violation of the family's intimacy.
Guidelines for therapist
l. Address the families to work together with family
therapist.
2. Orient family to
therapy process through role induction
3. Join with the
family before gathering sensitive information
5. Do home visits
6. Use problem
solving
7. Be creative and
flexible
Nurses role
·
To co-ordinate treatment
·
To pay attention to social and clinical needs of
patient and family
·
To provide optimum medication management
·
To listen to families and treat them as equal
partners
·
To explore family expectation
·
To asses family's strength, problems and goals.
·
To promote clear communication and active
listening.
·
To provide training in structured problem
solving technique.
·
To encourage family to expand social support
network
·
To encourage family to adjust their expectation
·
To provide follow up contract
COMMENTS