FAMILY COUNSELING APPROACH

Family Counseling Approach

FAMILY COUNSELING APPROACH

Family Counseling Approach

Family Counseling

Family counseling is also called family therapy. It is a branch of psychotherapy which deals with families and couples in intimate relationships to develop and groom the relation. The intention of family counseling is to capture change in terms of the systems of communication among the family members. The relationships are recognized as the important factor in psychological health.

There is different school of thoughts regarding family counseling. One thing is common among all that either the issue is with individual or with family; involving families in the issue are beneficial. The role of the family counselor is very important because he should have the ability to influence individual or groups from his conversations. (Sharf, 2004)

The approach of family counseling has been used in a variety of human dilemmas. There is no relationship in which the approach of counseling could not work effectively. (Capuzzi& Gross, 2003)

Experiential Therapy of Family Counseling

History

Experiential Therapy of Family Counseling has emerged from humanistic-existentialist movement of the 1960's, Gestalt Therapy, Psychodrama, Client-centered and Encounter-group movement. Carl Whitaker's originative and spontaneous conceiving shaped the ground of a sheer and imaginative approach to family therapy. He believed that active and forceful personal involvement and caring of the therapist would be the best way to bring about changes in families and promote flexibility among family members. The experiential family therapists focus on emotionality. (Mobley, 2005)

Development of Theory

The basic goal of experiential therapy is to cut down sensitivity and unfold the cryptic levels of experiencing by relinquishing the clients from their desires. Another aim of experiential therapy is to reduce conflicts and struggles between the family members and to increase improved communication. It tends to increment personal wholeness that is integrity (congruence between inner experience and outer behavior) less habituation, elaborated experiencing vehemence on the feeling of human nature. It tries to improve liberty for each member and improved agreement about roles, fusion of demands for a person's development and fortifying the unit of family. (Goldenberg, & Goldenberg, 2004)

Assumptions

The theory is based on practical concept. It could block clinical work. The concept is clear that each individual of the family has the right to be themselves. It is based on the realization that family is a cohesive unit; it is not a collection of distinct individuals. Therapy is based on believe that cohesiveness of the family is extremely important for the personal growth. (Gladding, 2007). Close family members should be present at the time of counseling specially children, as they are spontaneous.

Concepts and Techniques

Instead of endorsing a single technique, experiential interventions deal with the situations as per the requirement of the clients. Different families have different requirements. Experiential therapy of family counseling dealt uniquely to the families.

The therapist, who is dealing in experiential family therapy, behaves as an authentic and normal person. They do not show themselves as the therapists or the doctor. This kind of attitude helps in maintaining therapeutic ...