In today’s fast and advanced lifestyle, family therapy treatment has been a savior. People are nowadays so engrossed in their own lives that there can be serious family communication issues. Thus, therapy and its importance have come to light to resolve family issues. Let’s move forward and understand what are the three goals of family Therapy.
What are the Three Goals of Family Therapy?
Family therapy aims at keeping the home environment peaceful. Until the members of the family are able to maintain a healthy bond, they cannot live a healthy life. The goal of family therapy is to create such a surrounding where the individuals can talk out their issues and emotions.
1. Goals of Family Therapy
- Family Counseling for Improving Family Communication
Several serious issues within a family can be a result of lack of communication. Thus, one of the goals of family therapy cannot be anything but to make a way for openness amongst the members of the family. Not only one family member is the focus rather the whole family is taken care.
Improving communication not only talks about speaking openly but it also comprises of being a good listener. It is a proven fact that conflicts can arise depending on the way the family members understand or interpret what the other wants to convey.
The views and opinions differ from personality to personality, so the therapist may help to solve the problems within the family by being a mental health expert, by analyzing family situations. A therapist or family counselor has a different perspective on the issue, as they are not one amongst the family, rather a third party who has neutral views.
- Realizing the significance of maintaining and respecting personal boundaries
There are times when saying “No” turns out to be really hard and thus one forcefully gets into a situation which he or she does not want to be a part of. Taking up unwanted responsibilities or behaviors may break even the most tight-knit family as the possible outcomes can be inner conflicts and chaos.
The goal of family therapy says everyone should have their own healthy boundaries and should be respected. People who do not have the freedom to express their boundaries tend to start being defensive and may hide secrets, start lying or become aggressive, which in turn hampers relationships within the house.
The therapist may help in creating a place for open communication by analyzing the family struggles and issues within a family by triggering interactions between family members in the most appropriate way possible. Therapy sessions have been really convenient and one of the easiest techniques to sort things out in similar cases. Depending on the severity of the situation, individual therapy can also be recommended to help family members where they will be made aware of what others think and feel and what their view is, to make them empathetic towards others.
- Understanding and handling Family Conflicts in a Constructive way
Family Therapists are trained in such a way that they can very well analyze the family struggles and open lines of communication between the members.
Therapist usually help in figuring out better ways to deal with situations and it cannot always be expected that the problem will be resolved to the core. Bringing in a third party to resolve a conflict is mainly due to the impartialness and neutrality involved and thus the chances of resolution increase.
Family members may not be in a position to communicate freely with each other and thus, therapy offers families a way of creating a space for communication. It would not be wrong if we say talking cures most of the issues. Keeping things in mind and overthinking may just lead to having a bad impact on the situation and can never lead to solving the issues. Thus, involving a counselor becomes necessary when things go out of hand.
2. Benefits of Family Therapy
- Strengthening the family bond and enhancing togetherness
When two people have a conflict of interest, they might not be able to think from the other’s perspective and here’s where the role of therapy comes into view. Acting as a medium of family interactions, the therapists may work wonders.
Not only the conflicts but therapy helps in dealing with traumas and any serious medical conditions that would have been a result of the trauma. The family system can be such that the members may lack freedom of speech, thus battling inner conflicts. Therapy helps clear communication and helps people empathize with each other by making the facts clear.
The best part and the major goal of family therapy is that the bonds between family members tend to strengthen once they opt to speak up as well as listen to others’ feelings. Also, this makes a way for openness in proximity and reduces the chances of similar conflicts getting replicated. Thus, promoting togetherness and peace.
- Helps with overcoming challenges and achieving personal growth
If there is a problem in the family itself, it will surely impact the personal and professional growth of the individuals, which is why it is really important to get over the family issues. It can be anything, either related to parenting problems or child care, disturbed mental health due to some major health condition, divorce or other relationship-related problems, losing a loved one or so on.
The Therapist then takes care of the treatment plan for the family based on how severe the problem is. These therapy sessions are designed in a manner that the individuals involved can speak their heart out and the counselor can know what they are actually going through and can help them accordingly.
If there is mental peace, one can freely give thought to your personal and professional growth and can be productive in life. Therapy plays a vital role in creating an understanding of developing healthy personal boundaries so as to get rid of misunderstandings and helps in tackling differences of opinions in the best possible way.
- Helps with treating and healing mental health issues
The major focus of therapists is to mold the way family members behave towards each other. If a family is dysfunctional, it will definitely lead to mental issues. In such cases, the family members are the ones who should behave in a manner that the affected one should feel secure and feel free to share their feelings.
The person who is suffering from mental illness is most of the time unaware of the same but this definitely has an impact on the family environment.
Varied forms of therapy can be combined in such cases if the expert thinks it is necessary to handle the circumstances. It can include psychoeducation, teaching coping skills to the members of the family, or a solution-focused approach. Bowenian therapy is one of them. Also, Genogram helps in keeping a check on the hereditary problems running in the family. The behavioral problems in the family are tackled with the help of the techniques used for improving communication.
Therapy has turned out to be an excellent way of turning around such harsh circumstances. However, the treatment time may vary as per the efforts put in by the family. So, this is basically molding the family rather than treating the affected person directly.
- Helps in coping with emotional traumas
It is not always the family environment, but there can be an emotional burden that hampers relationships.
Losing loved ones or friction in relationships can be challenging and may cause emotional traumas for the individual. Family therapists keep a check on family relationships their strengths and the challenges they might be facing and then prepare accordingly to deal with the situation in the best possible way.
Individuals are made aware of the ill effects of trauma on their day-to-day functioning and how they can overcome such a phase. Firstly, the family should know what is happening and this is something that needs therapy.
Family therapy may not be widely known, but it has affected the lives of people magically by helping them speak and making them aware of what they didn’t know.
3. Finding A Family Therapist
This modern era has not only fastened our lives but has also contributed a lot to increasing competition and mental pressure in one or the other way.
There can be a degree of pressure on families to go and find a therapist for their problems as they might not be comfortable sharing their personal space with a complete outsider. However, if one really feels a need to secure therapists’ help, there can be different ways to get help.
- Seeking a doctor’s recommendation to find a therapist
A family doctor is the one who might turn out to be the best person to help in recommending a qualified therapist.
Due to their profession, doctors are quite frequently in touch with therapists, be it marital problems or other family-related issues. Coming across similar issues, they have a good knowledge of who can help and when. Doctors also have contact with clinical social workers who work towards treating mental illness.
- Assessing Multiple Therapists based on their rapport and style of approach
This is the most common behavior people have adapted to after the advancement of technology. Worldwide data is available online, which is also quite feasible to approach. One can access the data over the internet and assess multiple therapists, and the way they approach their client’s issues.
Not only the details but, it is very easy for us online to find the reviews of the customers who have already consulted such professionals. This makes it even easier to find a therapist who can be of help.
- Finding a Therapist based on the insurance coverage aspects
Some insurance policies are designed in such a way that they would also override your therapy costs. However, not all of the therapies are covered by insurance.
If a family has such insurance that they tend to benefit from while consulting a therapist, they can find such a counselor or therapist who works in a similar setup where the therapy cost is acknowledged by the policy cover.
This has been a significant reason for choosing therapy help, which is also cost-friendly and feasible for low-income groups who seem to rely on insurance as a support or backup
- Setting up consultations with specialists to choose one of the best
This can be a way to find therapists whom you can trust regarding your issues. One can check centers or consult some highly recommended therapists and then come to a conclusion as to whom to choose.
Opting to personally experience the therapy can help a lot in getting clarification about who can help you with the best way to deal with your circumstances. Again, the internet will be a place where most of the top therapists in your area can be figured out, and then, based on the ratings, you can visit and set up consultations.
Challenges that one might face in successful family therapy
The Therapists are experts in their field. However, this is not the only thing that is important, for therapy to be successful, it is the family members who should take the process seriously and give their input for betterment. The recovery today is widely dependent on how the family may respond.
Therapy requires effective two-way communication to produce effective results. So, even if you hire the best therapist, what is important is your positive attitude and adaptability towards the change, otherwise the problems cannot be cured.
Conclusion
Moving toward the end of the blog, you might be well aware of the 3 goals of family therapy. Communication being the key, families seeking therapy are encouraged to speak and clarify their doubts by presenting their views to build better relationships at the end of the day.
Therapy helps us see the darker side of what we are going through and thus makes us determined to get out of it. It builds a stronger sense of acceptance among family members and helps in repairing their relationships by bringing them closer to one another.
The way we keep a check on our physical health and work towards staying fit physically the same way, mental health also requires attention and should not be neglected as it can cause serious problems going forward. Thus, expert therapists and counselors are designated to help and thus one should not be ashamed of mental illness and seek help and work towards getting better with therapy.
FAQs:
- What is the first stage of family therapy?
The first stage is the preparation stage. First and foremost thing is when one realizes that he or she is suffering and needs help be it drugs or alcohol addiction or any other stress. Once the problem gets defined, then one thinks about its severity and plans to get some help.
- What are the 4 Types of Families?
Nuclear Family: This involves the mother and father and their children living with each other. Children can be biological or fostered.
Extended Families: Extended families are more common in India as they tend to be the traditional type. People related to each other through blood or due to their marriages live together in this form.
Single–Parent Family: In such cases, it is either due to the divorce of a couple of or due to the death of one of them that the other lives with the children alone.
Childless Families: Partners who either cannot afford to have a child or they cannot have one due to some medical issues.
- What are the characteristics of family therapy?
The characteristics of family therapy differ with the type of family issue. How long the sessions would go is also a factor depending on how severe is the problem.
- What is the Most Common Type of Family Therapy?
Structural family therapy, the most common type, focuses on how the members of the family communicate with each other and if there are any improvements required.
- What are the 4 stages of Family Therapy?
Preparation – Accepting the problem and recognizing the need for therapy.
Transition – This is getting more involved in accepting problems and a desire to overcome the situation.
Consolidation – This is when the family as a whole comes together and looks forward to taking therapy after gaining information on the issue.
Disengagement– Getting disengaged from the therapy once it is done in order to feel strength and oneness in the family.