Family therapy- an indispensable tool in a situation where the family is under threat of destruction. This can happen in the life of any person, and you don’t even have to be guilty. Many note that everyday life is filled with conflicts, and people cannot come to the mutual understanding that was so characteristic of the first time. Family therapy helps to find a common language, cope with problems together and avoid the collapse of the social unit.
Well, I do not!
This is exactly what many people think when they find themselves in difficult situations. family relations, if friends and relatives suggest seeking help from a specialist. For some unknown reason, family therapy seems scary, even embarrassing. The opinion is completely wrong. Systemic family therapy helps to cope with numerous difficulties, get rid of understatement and the burden of problems. With the help of a doctor specializing in this issue, you can finally understand the way of thinking loved one, establish contact with him and restore peace in the house.
Families facing difficult life situations often need help. Many people are closed by nature, they simply cannot afford to separate emotional condition even with a loved one. Systemic family therapy comes to the rescue, allows you to form productive dialogue. A timely visit to a specialist is a way to preserve marriage ties and prevent family destruction. Systemic family therapy - modern approach, actively developed by psychologists and psychotherapists around the world. The accumulated experience shows: this is a truly successful method of solving the problem of mutual understanding between family members.
Features of the situation
The Institute of Family Therapy was developed as a response from specialists to increasingly frequent cases of crisis in relationships between loved ones. Observation of the cells of society gave an idea of the most typical reactions person in crisis:
- distrust of others;
- ridicule;
- skeptical perception of the interlocutor.
Family therapy techniques are based on the following postulate: the interlocutor simply does not realize that a loved one is trying to convey such a reaction to him. Many in the current situation simply do not understand that relationships can be saved, restored, returned to their former glory.
general information
How does a modern Family Therapy Center work? This is a place within whose walls reception is carried out only professional psychologists and psychotherapists. The task of specialists is to prevent possible problems in the near future, working on situations that have already happened in order to understand the behavior of all participants and the reasons for what happened. Doctors help people understand what led to the crisis, what factors provoked it and stimulated the development of the situation. Family psychology and family therapy are effective measure preventing emotional disruptions, from which, unfortunately, no family is immune, especially in quite difficult social conditions modernity.
By turning to specialists for help, you can restore relationships with loved ones. There are several large clinics working in this direction. People who attended the Minuchin School of Family Therapy evaluate the results of the course positively; there are good reviews about Schwartz and some other authors of unique approaches.
How it works?
The Institute of Integrative Family Therapy provides interested individuals with relevant, useful, practical information in the following areas:
- the family system, the essence of the social unit;
- the ability to recognize oneself as part of a family;
- formation of a sustainable productive dialogue with difficult-to-communicate objects;
- restoration of understanding between loved ones;
- ways to achieve harmony in the family;
- methods of understanding others.
The Institute of Integrative Family Therapy helps to cope with fears associated with getting to the bottom of complex, controversial situations. Success is achievable only by blocking the superficial approach and delving into the essence of the factors that provoked the conflict situation. All problems, as psychologists assure, can be solved, and many patients, having completed a specific course, are surprised, looking back: how did they not understand before that building productive relationships is so simple?
What to pay attention to?
Integrative family therapy helps to identify, formulate, and establish the boundaries of relationships. This is in equally relevant both for the problem of “fathers and children” and for the relationship between parents. As part of the course, the psychologist helps clients find common topics and realize the extent to which they are important and capable of determining the future. At the level of sisters and brothers, a specialized approach will help create pleasant relationships and eliminate harshness and conflict in the perception of another person. Many note that only with the help of a psychotherapist were they able to realize the intimacy of a relationship with a loved one. Wherein important role In systemic family therapy of subpersonalities, the fact of joint participation and awareness of the interest of all parties in communication in a positive result plays a role.
The psychologist’s task is to allow the client to understand that the family does not support extra people, everyone is needed, everyone is needed. Thanks to this, it becomes easier to mutually overcome disagreements that have arisen. When identifying betrayal, a psychotherapist will help analyze the painful situation. The task of family members is to understand that maintaining events in the current situation will not provide any benefit; in order to move forward and develop relationships, it is necessary to overcome this difficulty. Often, the most modern family therapy of subpersonalities, developed by a prominent figure - Richard Schwartz, comes to the benefit.
Equality and respect
Family therapy helps:
- achieve equal status for all family members;
- eliminate the situation of the appearance of a “scapegoat”, including preventing such a position for yourself;
- help each other within the family (you also need to learn this!);
- reformat relationships in such a way that the future is as prosperous as possible;
- realize the importance of family and the values associated with it.
Basic techniques
Currently, family art therapy is popular; psychodrama, affiliation, play, and observation are no less relevant. The specific method is chosen taking into account the situation. Many experts positively evaluate Schwartz's approach: systemic family therapy of subpersonalities. By the way, the author even published a fairly popular book based on his work, written in a simple and in clear language, without using specific terms. If it is not possible to take the course family psychotherapy, you can start by studying this work and applying its postulates in reality, gradually developing the situation and, perhaps, leading those close to you to understand the need for external intervention - psychotherapeutic advice.
Accession
This approach involves the inclusion of the doctor in family relationships: the psychologist becomes full participant. This allows you to understand the essence of what is happening between people and take measures to eliminate conflict situation. This model belongs to the category of role-playing games and includes several successive stages:
- Description of the problem by family members, which helps the psychologist determine the most active, dominant participant.
- Collecting information about the position of each member, formulating a primary conclusion on the situation, confirming the existence of a problem.
- Debriefing first with clients, then with the participation of the therapist.
As noted in psychotherapeutic practice, with this approach to solving a problem, the second step, associated with formulating conclusions, is often the most difficult. Many session visitors categorically disagree with the doctor’s opinion, and difficulties in mutual relationships do not allow them to reach an agreed position in the group of clients. By turning a stranger into a family member, it becomes easier to understand what the problem is, to find positive sides interaction, develop a strategy to strengthen them, formulate a line of behavior in relation to difficult situation. At the stage of summing up, the psychotherapist controls that the problem is solved not under the orders of one of the group, but working together all participants. Only combining efforts and showing the interest of everyone allows us to get a truly productive result.
Summing up
The final stage of the role-playing game, which involves the addition of another family member, is the development of alternative solutions to the current circumstances. Under the supervision of a psychotherapist, participants role-play a specific situation, each explaining what he will do, how he will behave, and how he will react to the actions of others. During the game, everyone participating has the right to stop others, correct their actions and express their vision.
The psychologist must give " homework": work through, discuss what is understood during the session, do specific things and not perform certain actions. At the same time, it is monitored that all members of the visiting group take an active part - this condition is one of the key ones for family therapy.
Observation and processing
With this method of work, the psychotherapist carefully observes the interaction of clients within the group: how people listen and react to information coming from the interlocutor. The data obtained in this way is used to formulate conclusions and draw up a program of recommendations for improving the atmosphere in the house.
Reconstruction involves paying special attention to important positive aspects of family relationships. A psychotherapist helps you understand the benefits pleasant moments interactions, provokes a desire to work on their development.
Technicians
Techniques are means the use of which helps to adjust the structure of interaction between family members. Sherman and Fredman, in their works generally recognized as applicable in practice, formulated the following list of ways to influence the situation:
- sociometry;
- behavioral strategies;
- paradoxical approaches;
- using the power of imagination.
How about more details?
Sociometry is the most widely used approach at present. The prevalence of the method is due to the versatility of its application. Psychotherapists who have mastered this option of influencing clients can cope with any family difficulties, placing emphasis on the strongest aspects of the relationship.
They involve searching for the cause of a complex, conflict situation. The therapist's job is to help clients adjust their behavior so that the relationship becomes healthier. It is believed that this method is one of the most effective.
Techniques based on paradox show rapid positive effect, and clients get the impression that the problem has resolved itself. But for a psychologist, mastering the approach is not easy; its application is also associated with certain difficulties. Finally, the use of imagination involves art therapy and work with associations.
Historical moments
Family therapy is a fairly young method that is currently actively developing. It was first used after World War II. The authors were America's leading psychotherapists. It is now recognized that approaches need to be developed and improved. The peculiarity of psychotherapeutic methods is that the doctor simultaneously works with a group of visitors, influencing the family as a whole. The Germans were the first to recognize this technique, then the method received the approval of the Austrians and was adopted into service in Sweden.
Nowadays, family therapy is actively used in different countries world, it is recognized as economical, effective, having long-term result. From year to year, more and more new proposals regarding possible ways and approaches, new dependencies and facts are discovered, and ways of influencing people that are fundamentally different from those previously used are explored.
Not everything is so clear
While some see family therapy as the future of society, others are firmly convinced that this option is not suitable for permanent use. The peculiarity is the absence of its own concepts and unique theories accepted by wide circles. What is written in key works for the direction and what is observed in practice often diverges. It is noted that family therapy is largely heuristic.
Curious moments
The duration of the course of family therapy in the most simple cases- only a couple of weeks, but there are situations when medical assistance was needed for years. This is largely determined by the carrier of the symptom and the presence of mental disorders, as well as the activity interpersonal conflicts. IN different cases clients in varying degrees motivated to achieve success, this also plays an important role. As a rule, classes begin with one or two sessions weekly, then the frequency is reduced to once every two weeks, then once every three weeks.
The main stages of the therapeutic course indicated in the works of Justitskis, Eidemiller:
- diagnostics;
- elimination of a conflict situation;
- reconstruction;
- support.
The most important thing is to start right
Diagnosis involves typing the identified problems. The psychotherapist's task is to pay attention to personal qualities all participants in the process. The psychiatrist formulates hypotheses and seeks justification for them. At the same time, therapy is distinguished by the presence of a diagnostic component at all stages of interaction between the doctor and clients: this is the only way to choose truly effective methods of influencing people.
When interacting with family members, the doctor must take into account that the information received from one participant may not coincide with the vision of another person. You need to be able to correlate the information received, form your own unique impression, question and control the behavior of the arriving group. The task of the psychotherapist is to look at the situation from the position of each family member in order to understand and understand their point of perception and help them reach a resolution to the conflict situation.
What's next?
After an initial acquaintance with the situation, you can begin a deeper analysis of the current circumstances. The psychotherapist meets with the family, identifies the source of the conflict situation, and sorts out emotional reaction everyone interested is looking for ways to eliminate the consequences. As part of the work process, it is necessary to create a productive dialogue between the client and the doctor, otherwise the event will not lead to success.
The task of the psychotherapist is to help all participants in the situation establish mutually understandable contact, when each family member is able to perceive and understand the information presented by others. The doctor becomes an intermediary, helping to select the amount of data that this moment can perceive all sides of a conflict situation, his task is to control the very fact of transmission, to ensure that the information was heard and understood. The psychotherapeutic session is aimed at working with non-verbal information components. As a rule, the doctor asks the client to express contradictory data with gestures, asking him to be tolerant and sensitive to others. The most widely used is non-directive technology, which helps to verbalize relationships that are not realized by family members. Additionally, the doctor can develop unique influence techniques to help clients establish a constructive dialogue.
Continuing work
Only deep penetration into the family conflict makes it possible to make a course of systemic therapy truly effective. This requires organizing group discussions with the participation of not only a specific family, but also other people who find themselves in a similar situation. Correct formation of groups allows for role-playing training, teaching clients to discuss, adhering to the rules of constructive dialogue.
When clients have acquired a sufficient amount of empathic skills, the doctor thinks through and implements a course to consolidate the information received. This helps to adjust the range of behavioral reactions and communication skills, thereby increasing the quality of everyday life. family life.
From the point of view of a number of psychiatrists of the second half of the twentieth century, this disease develops with complex dominant-subordinate relationships in the family.
G. Bateson et al. (1956) and T. Lidz et al. (1957) believed that parents of patients with schizophrenia are cold, strive to dominate and often provoke conflicts and quarrels in the family.
G. Bateson (1978) wrote about the phenomenon of mutually exclusive coercion (“ double bond"), often found in the family of a person with schizophrenia.
Relations between the parents of a patient with schizophrenia in most cases are of a conflictual nature, at the same time they are quite confusing, and, despite the tension in family relations, divorces are a relatively rare occurrence here.
IN In families that include people with schizophrenia, distorted communications almost always occur, peculiar interactions: positive and negative coalition, ignoring position.
With a positive coalition, the strategy of controlling behavior, the patient’s condition, and continuing the course of therapy dominates. At negative type The leading coalitions are attitudes of denial of the disease, a rejecting position in relation to diagnosis mental disorder, treatment, help from other family members. With an ignoring position, a cold, indifferent attitude and rejection of the mentally ill relative are noted. In this case, contacts between family members often have a formal connotation. Relationships in the family are usually characterized by polarity, both in relation to the patient and to problems associated with accepting the fact of the presence of the disease, developing correct behavior, and understanding the need for long-term therapy (Kuleshova N.A., 2005).
Many psychotherapists believe that it is worth regulate the time of communication between family members of a person with schizophrenia between themselves.
Families of patients with schizophrenia, from the point of view of even the patients themselves, are quite hierarchical and closed. This is facilitated by: the desire to outwardly present the family as prosperous and the over-involvement of loved ones, most often the mother, in the life of the patient (Dolnykova A.A. et al., 2007).
It is absolutely clear that family members of a person with schizophrenia may suffer from various mental disorders. These can be schizophrenia spectrum disorders, as well as neurotic, affective and psychosomatic disorders. Possible relatives of a person with schizophrenia personality disorders, alcoholism, drug addiction. In connection with the above, parallel treatment of relatives of a person suffering from schizophrenia is almost always necessary.
The attitude towards the patient in the family circle is often complex nature, on the one hand, close people show excessive pity, on the other hand, they do not notice mental disorders that are clear to someone else’s eye.
Psychoeducation plays an important role in the process of providing assistance to the family of a patient with schizophrenia.its members.
Most people have a vague idea about clinical manifestations and features of the course of schizophrenia.
The patient’s relatives have even less information about drug and especially psychotherapeutic treatment and forms of psychosocial assistance for schizophrenia.
Often the patient rejects the diagnosis of schizophrenia, considers it frightening, hopeless, and erroneous.
A similar attitude towards the disease may also occur among the patient’s family members. In addition, the very meaning of the diagnosis remains hidden from the patient and his environment. Usually there is an excessive exaggeration of the danger of schizophrenia, fear of this mental disorder. We also encounter misdiagnosis of the disease, especially as a consequence of excessive expansion of the boundaries of schizophrenia, ignoring research data nervous system, the results obtained with psychological assessment the patient's condition.
Often, the stigma of a diagnosis prevents its revision, even if the characteristics of the course of the disease exclude a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
Family therapy is of particular importance at the stage of the first psychotic episode. During this period, the reaction of the patient with schizophrenia and his relatives to the diagnosis of the disease is extremely acute. They are experiencing severe stress, being in a traumatic situation, hidden family conflicts may intensify during this period. Lack of understanding about the disease and the features of its treatment often aggravates the state of stress among the patient’s family members. It is necessary to mitigate this reaction by forming an adequate attitude towards the disease, emphasizing the need for its long-term therapy, as well as the importance of following a daily routine, correct alternation work and rest.
The patient's relatives can help Negative influence on the state of a patient with schizophrenia, if they are emotionally expressive, violently express their feelings, picky, aggressive or hostile towards the patient, do not understand his actions and statements.
With a certain degree of convention, one should assume that the family of a patient with schizophrenia is just as affected by the disease as he is. At the same time, the family can also be a source for the patient social support, therefore its members should be maximally involved in the treatment and rehabilitation process.
In some cases, the psychotherapist is faced with the desire to place responsibility for the microclimate in the family on or with closed relationships between the patient’s family members. Often, from the very beginning of therapy, the patient’s relatives and the patient himself strive for separate communication with the specialist, mistakenly believing that in in this case the conversation will be more frank, and psychotherapy will be more effective. At similar situation the psychotherapist should pay attention to strengthening the trusting relationship between the patient and his relatives.
The patient can manipulate family members and the psychotherapist, demanding that information about the psychotherapy process be withheld from relatives, insisting on frequent changes psychotherapist. In such cases, it is important to clarify Negative consequences such tactics complicate the process of psychotherapy and reduce the level of its effectiveness. In our opinion, even if the patient resists, without his approval, the psychotherapist has the right to inform the patient’s family members about the progress of the psychotherapy process, provided they maintain medical confidentiality.
It is especially relevant to work with family members at the stage of formation of remission, immediately after stopping a relapse of schizophrenia or when it is threatened.
Our experience has shown the effectiveness of parallel therapy for the patient’s relatives already at the stage of relieving the psychotic episode.
Family therapy for schizophrenia is especially relevant for families of patients young, however, it requires special training of personnel.
In some cases, family members of a person with schizophrenia are characterized by a tendency to self-blame and search for the causes of the disease. Often relatives overestimate the possibilities of therapy and blame the doctor for its failure.
Families of patients with schizophrenia show excessive emotional expressiveness, especially on the mother’s side (hostility, nervousness), avoidance of solving the father’s family problems, excessive criticism of the patient on his part.
Excessive “expressiveness of emotions” of family members of a patient with schizophrenia (expressed emotion) affects the frequency of relapses of this mental disorder. The patient’s immediate environment affects the course of the disease. Frequent criticism, hostility, excessive involvement of one family member in personal life another and the lack of warmth - all this contributes to the occurrence of relapse of schizophrenia (Brown G., Birley J., 1968). Vivid expression of emotions is a fairly stable phenomenon, usually reflecting the usual style of communication in the family (Miklowitz D. et al., 1984). Moreover, this phenomenon is reproducible transculturally and reflects the difference in the course of schizophrenia between industrialized and developing countries(Barrelet L., et.al., 1988). According to H. Grunebaum (1986), deviant behavior parents is an additional stressor for a patient with schizophrenia, creating in him the cognitive dissonance and contributing to increased psychopathological symptoms, which in turn increase emotional expression in parents, thereby completing a vicious circle.
Rigidity and pseudo-solidarity - common signs family of a patient with schizophrenia (Eidemiller E.G., 1978).
The relationship between a mother and a child suffering from schizophrenia is usually very close, the relationship with the father is often close, less often distant. Psychiatrists have noticed that a patient with schizophrenia usually only child in the family (Ispolatova E.N., Denisenko M.A., Sofronov I.P., 2005).
Most experts are confident that the “mother of a schizophrenic” is usually the leader of the family, often endowed with paranoid character traits (Lichko A.E., 1985).
The emotional intensity of the relationship with the mother, who usually dominates the family and overly cares for the patient, is a typical phenomenon, while the patient strives to escape from this care, and the mother either feels sorry for him or shows irritability, complaining about the lack of personal life.
More than 80% of mothers of patients with schizophrenia avoid discussing the problems of the disease even with loved ones, reproach themselves for it, fear for the fate of the patient after their death, and see the main manifestations of the disease in everyday helplessness, isolation, and absent-mindedness of patients. Moreover, 40% of mothers believe that doctors general practice neglect the complaints of their loved ones, 45% do not find understanding from psychiatrists, 70% strive to be heard when choosing treatment, need information about the disease and its treatment, benefits for families and want to see their doctor often. 85% of mothers accept the fact of mental illness and see the benefit of treatment mainly in the rare placement of the patient in a hospital. These mothers believe that patients need useful leisure time, employment and learning skills independent living(Levina N.B., Lyubov E.B., 2006).
The patient's aggression towards the mother is often a consequence of the overprotection that the latter shows. The patient often demonstrates ambivalent attitude towards the mother, on the one hand, excessive dependence on her, on the other - hostility.
On the part of the patient’s father, we most often encountered detachment, “flight to work,” into the “autonomous world of hobbies,” while the patient strives to gain his father’s attention and spend more time with him. The coldness of brothers and sisters, their detached position towards the problems of a patient with schizophrenia is a frequent picture in his family.
Among the tasks of family therapy for schizophrenia is the correction of family members’ expectations regarding the prognosis of the disease, the patient’s social and labor status, and the effectiveness of treatment.
It is necessary to correct the point of view of relatives of patients regarding the fatal attitude towards hereditary burden of schizophrenia.
Members of such a family are shocked by the diagnosis of the disease, often try to shift responsibility for the results of treatment to the doctor, distrusting psychotherapeutic methods of influence and avoiding family therapy. However, the psychotherapist, showing sufficient persistence, must strive for psychotherapeutic work with the patient’s family.
In many countries, it is considered extremely important to maintain frequent contact with the patient's family from the first moments of diagnosis of schizophrenia. So, in particular, the Norwegian Psychiatric Association, recommends interacting with the patient’s relatives by telephone within three days after the patient’s hospitalization. The association also recommends not starting to treat the patient with medications for one to two weeks after identifying the diagnosis, in order to be able to clarify the diagnosis and make more required assessment patient status. Assessing the status in the dynamics of the treatment process is also considered an important component of the latter.
Family therapy in the presence of a patient with schizophrenia requires a certain flexibility of the psychotherapist. It is difficult to give any specific prescription here, but most often family psychotherapy begins with individual meetings psychotherapist with each family member separately. Such tactics can be especially recommended for novice psychotherapists.
Traditionally, family therapy begins with diagnosing the family system, determining its type, period of development, assessing intrafamily relationships, clarifying role behavior family members.
When working with family members of a person with schizophrenia, psychotherapists try to adhere to the “concept of expressed emotions.”
When “treating the family,” the following are appropriate: “bifocal therapy,” structural family therapy that delineates the boundaries between generations. Most therapists speak negatively about systemic and analytical therapy for the family of a patient with schizophrenia.
Treatment options for the family of a person with schizophrenia:
- Group cognitive-behavioral therapy for patients and their relatives during the hospital stay, including elements of psychoeducation, coping training and training in medication management skills.
- Behavioral family therapy sessions at home.
- Outpatient psychodynamic groups.
- A combination of group and individual therapy for family members aimed at reducing the severity of emotional expression.
- Discussion club for patients and their relatives.
Popular Behavioral family therapy techniques, developing the skills of proper communication in the family, and paradoxical forms of family therapy, as if leaving in the shadows true intentions psychotherapist.
Efficiency has been tested numerous times problem-oriented family therapy patient with schizophrenia, including specially developed techniques. Problem-oriented therapy partly overlaps with sociotherapy and psychoeducation. Typically, problem-oriented therapy involves teaching families mutual support skills and the ability to help themselves. A psychotherapist working within the framework of problem-focused therapy may consider different strategies problem solving through role-playing games.
You can work with groups of family members using " colloquial forms psychotherapy", providing for relatives of patients necessary information. Such groups can function without patients. The effectiveness of such groups in terms of emotional relief for family members has been noted. However, these forms of assistance to relatives of patients with schizophrenia cannot be an alternative to full-fledged family therapy.
The family of a person with schizophrenia should be integrated into the wider social network help for people suffering from this mental disorder.
When a family collapses, every day is marked by quarrels, conflicts and mutual misunderstanding. Mutual language can be found through a tool such as systemic family therapy.
You shouldn’t be afraid or embarrassed about this - perhaps the cause of the problems was the difficulties that you had to endure, or some kind of understatement that people cannot throw out at each other. To prevent collapse family values and marriage, psychologists have developed family therapy techniques that successfully solve many problems.
Therapy is the salvation of the family
The reaction to this method of helping families in crisis varies: distrust, skepticism or laughter. The problem is that people do not fully understand its meaning and do not allow the idea that it can save the family.
Family psychotherapy is an unusual direction of therapy that is aimed at preventing problems and “working on mistakes” in relationships between family members. Family psychology is designed to prevent any emotional disruption in the family.
By resorting to her help, patients gradually begin to establish relationships, namely:
- To understand more deeply such a concept as the family system, comprehending its essence.
- There is a realization that you are part of the family. Establishing relationships with “problematic” relatives and restoring mutual understanding.
- Family harmony sets in, all family members understand each other.
- The fear of a thorough analysis of problems disappears, discarding superficial approach on the way to harmony. Problems will be solvable, and surprise will set in: “Why didn’t we do this before?”
- Clarification of relationships with parents - mom and dad. How close are you, what is your communication based on? Understand how this affects existing relationships and future relationships.
- Restoring pleasant relationships with siblings.
- There is a knowledge of the intimate side of your relationship. Together, what is important, you are looking for answers to the questions: where is the former passion? Where has the fire and thrill of former feelings gone?
- There cannot be a “third wheel” in a family. Everyone is needed, necessary. This is what family therapy helps us understand.
- If there is a fact of treason, then it is necessary to analyze all its aspects. This topic is extremely painful, but leaving everything as it is will not move you forward.
- Find out each stage of a relationship, understand what stage you are at now, rethinking what you have gone through together and what awaits you.
- It is extremely useful for children to learn to speak with their children “as equals.”
- Do not remain an eternal, irremovable “scapegoat” for all sins and do not endow anyone with such a “gift”.
- Once again, become each other’s support in everything.
- Acquire knowledge that will help make the future of your family prosperous.
- Realize with all your heart and soul: family is a support, people who will always be there, no matter what.
Family Healing Ways
Attachment method. The therapist “enters” the family, becoming its full-fledged and full-fledged member. The specialist delves into the essence of family life, doing everything possible to guide everyone, including himself.
The structure of the role-playing game looks like this:
1. First stage. A family of, for example, 4 people must introduce themselves and describe their problem, and this is not so easy. The psychologist identifies the most active of them by the one who speaks first and tells about the purpose of his visit.
2. Data collection stage. The specialist needs to know each family member’s vision of the problem. Only after listening to everyone does he act in the following way(let’s say the reason for the visit is a difficult teenager): “I listened to you all, and I really see a problem, but this is not a problem of one person, but of the whole family.”
3. Stage of searching for results. The specialist gives family members a chance to sum it up themselves and find a way out. problematic situation. There is no need for one speaker, it requires joint efforts and commitment.
4. Stage alternative solutions. Here psychologists ask the family to role-play the situation. Everything is important – what mom will do, how dad will behave, and what the children’s reaction will be.
During the game they can be stopped, corrected, offered more correct actions and words. They also give you “homework”: what not to do, and what, on the contrary, to do, and then together they discuss the result at the session. The main thing is that all participants in the session speak out, otherwise it will not be family therapy, but individual therapy.
Observation method. The psychologist observes how patients listen to each other and how words react. Then, based on his observations, he draws conclusions and makes recommendations.
Redesign method. The specialist tries to pay attention to positive points and create a desire to develop them.
Family Treatment Techniques
Family therapy techniques are means by which psychologists make changes in the structure of family relationships.
Psychologists N. Fredman and R. Sherman in the process of research identified the following techniques:
- Sociometric techniques, which are considered the most popular and used, due to their versatility. With their help, you can “patch up” the cracks in the family ark, relying on your strengths.
- Behavioral techniques with which a psychologist can get to the very root of the problem. Here the very behavior of family members towards each other is corrected. This is very effective technique family therapy.
- Paradoxical techniques that have fast and effective ability to solve family problems. Here the problem seems to solve itself.
- A technique based on imagination. This technique carried out through associative elements.
Criticism and recognition
This method of therapy is quite young, and many techniques have not yet been fully discovered. Systemic family therapy began in post-war years, and America is considered to be its homeland.
The method collects laurels to this day, being effective and economical in the therapeutic world of psychotherapy. At the same time, systemic family therapy has a long-term effect.
This technique has been actively developing in recent years: several new studies have been proposed, and now they are at the stage of active development of as yet unknown facts.
However, systemic therapy is severely criticized for the lack of its own theories, concepts, and proposals that would be widely recognized and popular. Here the methods and data do not always coincide with what is written in the textbooks. Systemic therapy is rather heuristic in nature.
With its help, family members learn to speak and listen, and most importantly, to hear each other. Representatives reach mutual understanding different generations. They learn not to accumulate grievances, not to keep them to themselves, but to speak, discuss and decide family problems together. Family counseling becomes popular psychological approach and in our country. Author: Vera Chuguevskaya
1950s Systemic family therapy emerges simultaneously in the USA and Europe, absorbing the ideas of cybernetics and communication theory. Doctors, anthropologists, mathematicians and psychologists have developed ideas about the structure of the family, its crises, the system feedback. Psychotherapist Virginia Satir (1916–1988) was the first to consider the family as a whole as a client. British anthropologist Gregory Bateson (1904–1980) created the double message theory. This message is a paradox: for example, a mother expresses love for her child in words, but her behavior indicates hostility.
Definition
At systematic approach the client becomes not one person, not a couple, but the whole family as a whole. Any problem is considered not as a feature of the behavior or feeling of one of the family members (including children), but as a result of the functioning of the family as a whole as a system that is constantly developing. All processes occurring in the family system are both a cause and a consequence of each other.
Operating principle
Problems of one of the family members indicate broken relationships within the family. The psychotherapist tries to identify what purpose the symptom serves, which became the reason for therapy. Systemic family therapy examines how family members communicate with each other and often involves the use of role-playing games. In some cases, family history is also considered, which may also be the source of current problems. During therapy, the entire family and the system of relationships in it change, and as a result, the behavior of its members changes.
Progress
A systemic family therapist can work with the whole family, with a couple, or separately with one of the family members, including the child. During the conversation, he analyzes the client’s habitual forms of behavior and his methods emotional response on words and actions significant people. Family rules are also discussed (for example, how and what money is spent on) and family myths(the family’s idea of who “we” are; for example, in the “close-knit family” myth, anyone who thinks badly of relatives is considered bad). The therapist then works with the client to explore new ways of interacting that enhance the client's or family's quality of life and relationships.
The work can use a genogram - a diagram drawn from the client’s words that reflects events in the family and the relationships between its members (love, addiction, breakup). Genogram analysis helps to discover hidden in family history a source of problems that causes family members to behave in a certain way.
Indications for use
Sexual disharmony, difficulties in communication between parents and children, difficulties in creating long term relationship, loss of a loved one, divorce, psychosomatic disorders, child behavior disorders, emotional problems of children - the topic for consultation can be any situation that worries the family. Family therapists They also work with adolescent problems, such as addiction, suicide attempts, disorders eating behavior. Some illnesses, such as depression or a phobia of a family member, affect the family as a whole. Family systemic therapy helps to cope with these problems if it becomes clear hidden meaning symptom.
How long? What is the price?
The appointment lasts 1–1.5 hours. Typically meetings occur once a week. Family system has sufficient flexibility, so in some cases one or several consultations are sufficient, but sometimes long-term assistance is required (up to 30–40 consultations). The price of one appointment is on average 2500 rubles.