Family Therapy
Family therapy involves treating a family as a system. Any dysfunction in one member affects all other members. The family is viewed as the client. This is especially true in cases where a child may be suffering psychological distress due to parental discord A child’s reactions to parental discord cannot be treated or evaluated apart from the context in which they occur. Research has shown that children cannot be expected to change unless the family system changes. Therefore, treatment of any child embroiled in parental conflict must address any psychological distress or functional impairments as a manifestation of disturbances within the whole family relational system. The role of the total family in aiding or in sabotaging treatment should be the focus, even when a distinct, diagnosable psychiatric illness is present in only one of the family members. Thus, the identified “symptom bearer” of the family should not be viewed as the problem. Rather, the dysfunctional family “transactional patterns,” that commonly lead to disturbed family relationships, should be viewed as “the problem” and the focus of clinical attention/intervention.
Minuchin et al. (1978) observed in their work with psychosomatic families three common dysfunctional transactional patterns where the children were included in the formation of alliances or coalitions with one parent against the other causing them extreme distress. As Minuchin et al. note in their research, these patterns consisted of the conflict avoidance strategies triangulation, (2) parent-child coalition, and (3) detouring. In triangulation, the child is put in such a position that she cannot express herself without siding with one parent against the other. Statements that impose a choice, such as “Wouldn’t you rather do it my way?” are used in the attempt to force the child to take sides. In a parent-child coalition, the child tends to move into a stable coalition with one parent against the other. In the third pattern, detouring, “the spouse dyad is united wherein the parent submerge their conflicts in a posture of protecting or blaming their sick child, who is defined as the only family problem. It is important to note that these patterns are not family classifications; rather, they describe transactional sequences that occur in response to family conflict. High conflict divorced/separated families tend to “enact” these sequences over and over again as a maladaptive response to conditions of stress and tension where the child is frequently pushed into the role of conflict defuser.
Divorced or separated families often present a challenge to family therapy. This is especially true when the family system is unable to tolerate disagreement through a marked inability to confront differences and negotiate fair resolutions to normal everyday family stressors and problems. One of the major goals of family therapy should be to help family members let go of any stereotyped positions while mobilizing “underused resources” to enhance the family’s ability to manage and work through normal stress and conflict. One of the most underused resources commonly overlooked is weekly family meetings. Family meetings often provide constructive ways of increasing mutual understanding and improvement to overall family communication. They also can obviate the need for a family’s homeostatic maintenance of the symptom bearer and/or presenting problem.
Other important treatment goals of family therapy may include:
Children who engage in family therapy that teach these skills often develop positive / healthy relationships with both parents while learning how to stay out of the middle of their parent’s conflicts. Parents who engage in family therapy that helps them learn how to facilitate and encourage a close and continuing relationship between the children and the other parent often develop stronger and healthier relationships with their children.
Minuchin et al. (1978) observed in their work with psychosomatic families three common dysfunctional transactional patterns where the children were included in the formation of alliances or coalitions with one parent against the other causing them extreme distress. As Minuchin et al. note in their research, these patterns consisted of the conflict avoidance strategies triangulation, (2) parent-child coalition, and (3) detouring. In triangulation, the child is put in such a position that she cannot express herself without siding with one parent against the other. Statements that impose a choice, such as “Wouldn’t you rather do it my way?” are used in the attempt to force the child to take sides. In a parent-child coalition, the child tends to move into a stable coalition with one parent against the other. In the third pattern, detouring, “the spouse dyad is united wherein the parent submerge their conflicts in a posture of protecting or blaming their sick child, who is defined as the only family problem. It is important to note that these patterns are not family classifications; rather, they describe transactional sequences that occur in response to family conflict. High conflict divorced/separated families tend to “enact” these sequences over and over again as a maladaptive response to conditions of stress and tension where the child is frequently pushed into the role of conflict defuser.
Divorced or separated families often present a challenge to family therapy. This is especially true when the family system is unable to tolerate disagreement through a marked inability to confront differences and negotiate fair resolutions to normal everyday family stressors and problems. One of the major goals of family therapy should be to help family members let go of any stereotyped positions while mobilizing “underused resources” to enhance the family’s ability to manage and work through normal stress and conflict. One of the most underused resources commonly overlooked is weekly family meetings. Family meetings often provide constructive ways of increasing mutual understanding and improvement to overall family communication. They also can obviate the need for a family’s homeostatic maintenance of the symptom bearer and/or presenting problem.
Other important treatment goals of family therapy may include:
- Restructuring maladaptive relationships and interactional family styles
- Strengthening and/or changing family problem-solving behaviors
- Changing dysfunctional transactional patterns between members
- Preventing and/or undoing triangulation
- Establishing appropriate family roles, rules and boundaries
- Helping the children understand and appreciate the value and importance of maintaining positive and compassionate relationships with both parents
- Assisting parents in learning how to practice presenting positive and healthy images of the other parent to the children
- Teaching the children how to develop critical thinking skills and the benefits of staying out of the middle of parental conflict.
Children who engage in family therapy that teach these skills often develop positive / healthy relationships with both parents while learning how to stay out of the middle of their parent’s conflicts. Parents who engage in family therapy that helps them learn how to facilitate and encourage a close and continuing relationship between the children and the other parent often develop stronger and healthier relationships with their children.
Individual Therapy
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In addition to family therapy services, Iosco County Psychological Services also provides individual therapy for clients of all ages. Individual therapy involves identifying areas of need and formulating a treatment plan that addresses those needs with measurable short term, intermediate, and long goals. Iosco County Psychological Services uses an integrated approach to psychotherapy involving techniques from the following:
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