Counseling Techniques Used in Family Therapy

Counseling Techniques Used in Family Therapy Family therapy has always been an important branch of psychotherapy that focuses on initiating a considerable change and facilitate development within a family that has strayed away from a healthy level of functioning. On average a family therapy session ranges from about 50-55 minutes and accommodates about 5 to 20 members depending on the nature of the problem and who the problem involves. The more important part of family therapy isn’t the time, or the number of people involved but the framework of therapy and the family members perspective toward problem solving. There are many different types of family therapy and they all differ in terms of functionality. Here are a few counseling techniques that family therapy includes: Strategic Therapy Strategic therapy encompasses concepts borrowed from a number of other psychotherapy practices and uses five different parts to target issues and solve them. These five parts are: • • • • •

Brief social stage Problem identification Interaction Goal setting Task setting

Structural Therapy Salvador Minuchin is the pioneer of structural family therapy and this therapy is based on five specific principles which are: 1. The marriage and family therapist analyzes and focuses on the dynamic and interaction between two people instead of focusing on one person’s behavior or psyche.

2. This type of therapy focuses on matrix of identity and it is based on how family members interact 3. It understands the structure of the family through social interactions 4. It terms a family as ‘well-functioning’ based on how members respond to one another and how they adapt to each other’s needs 5. The structural family therapist guides the family out of unhealthy environments that curb growth and restructures it according to the family’s needs Systemic Therapy Systemic therapy is also called family systems therapy and comes from the derivation of pure family therapy that is currently a prevalent trend. This type of therapy specifically targets family problems that find its roots in social situations or a linguistically influenced/affected reality or situation.

http://www.tanuchoksi.in/

Transgenerational Therapy This type of therapy tries to bridge the gap between multiple generations that fall under the umbrella of one family. The therapist tries to understand a common problem from the perspective of different generations and bring them together to solve it. It also targets problems that may arise in the future so that they can be addressed before they draw a wedge between the family. The family therapist aims to understand how individuals of different age groups perceive one problem and breaks the problem and perspectives down to a common ground for a better grasp.

Narrative Therapy In narrative therapy, a relationship advisor or family therapist encourages individuals to find their own self and be their own person independant from the trials of a family. This encourages individuals to conquer problems using their own skill set and also encourages individuals to identify themselves so that they can effortlessly navigate their way through life. The primary objective of narrative therapy is to help individuals become the narrator of their own lives and decide their journey themselves without it being contingent on anybody else.

http://www.tanuchoksi.in/