FAMILY COUNSELING APPROACH

Family Counseling Approach



Family Counseling Approach

Introduction

Family therapy is a therapeutic approach in which a family is under treatment as a unit, usually with a licensed therapist. The therapist may be a licensed counselor, a family and marriage counselor, or a psychologist or psychiatrist, or for short-term therapy, a pediatrician or general practitioner. Often the choice of therapist depends on the nature of the family's problem.

Family therapy is a process used to address behavioral problems, school problems, chronic or acute illnesses, critical transitional periods, cultural adaptation, and/or communication difficulties. Social problems such as poverty, addiction or imprisonment, and/or separation and divorce that may be found within the family unit may benefit from family therapy (Yochelson & Samenow, 1976).

The focus on cognitions and behaviors in treatment is now widely embraced by marriage and family therapists because of the effectiveness of the approach and its flexibility and integrative potential. This article provides an introduction to the special section and a brief history and overview of the application of CBFT to the field and some of the benefits it can provide to the growing and ever-challenging area of couples and family therapy.

Multidimensional Challenges

In some cultures, parents, children, grandparents, cousins, aunts, and/or uncles may live in the same household. Family therapy requires cultural awareness, as a family's language, rituals, customs, and religious expectations may clash with those of the dominant culture. The environment that the children, in particular the females, find in the community may lead to significant problems within the home. Family therapists work to build on family members' inner resiliencies to help them develop positive forms of communication and behavioral changes within family relationships.

Mental illness such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and depression, or developmental disorders such as autism often causes numerous challenges to the family. In these cases there are often pharmacological interventions requiring consistent monitoring and evaluation. Family therapy includes numerous professionals working with the family to address ongoing physical challenges and behavioral changes. The family environment may require therapeutic specializations to address specific challenges (Willson, 2006).

Relevant Family Therapy

Particular traumas such as divorce, blending of families, natural disasters, catastrophic illnesses, victimization, death, and bereavement often respond to family therapy, as it helps define behavioral boundaries and initiate the healing process. Periods of war cause difficulty for families left to fend for themselves, with one or, in some cases, both parents deployed. Grandparents and other family members become guardians of children who live under stress and fear. The reunification of the family often poses difficulties that respond well to family therapy. Family therapy offers members of the family the opportunity to share their perspectives on the changes, express their anger in a constructive manner, and share their fears and concerns for the future.

Cognitive Behavioral Techniques for addressing relationship problems and family Techniques to modify dysfunctional social relationships

Drawing from the approach to families and couples

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy emphasizes much the idea that behavior, both normal and pathological, is in close relationship with the environment. The bond between person and environment is considered bidirectional, ...