Family, family as system, crisis, crisis intervention, adaptive qualities, family therapy and approaches, stages of family therapy, 12 family strengths by Otto

1. ANUSHA JAY
FAMILY COUNSELLING/ THERAPHY

2. Family
• Are groups of individual that interact, support, and
influence each other in performing basic functions.
• They are an integral part of the society, bound together
by intense and long- lasting ties of past experience, social
roles, mutual support, and expectations.
System is a set of interacting or interdependent
components forming an integrated whole

3. Family as a
System
In the early 1950’s , the
psychotherapist began to look not
only at the individual with problems,
but also at the pattern of relationships
that correspond with the family
problems.

4. Family Crisis
• A crisis occurs when individuals or families
encounter stressful situations and normal
coping mechanisms fail to resolve the
disruption (Caplan, 1964)

5. Causes
• Finances and Jobs - shortage or lack of money to pay
bills, grocery, rent and others can be cause for family
conflict. Being away from home because of the overtime
at work will also result for miscommunication and
conflict.
• Sibling Rivalry - this is also a common cause of family
conflict, the rivalry of sibling for attention or parents'
approval.
• Child Discipline - the way to discipline a child is also a
cause of family conflict. Some parents are disciplinarian,
and some might be against it.
• In-Laws and Extended Family - Having disagreements
with in-laws may result to family conflicts.

6. 5
Interpersonal
Requisite For
Maintenance
of Well Being
or Health in
Individuals
and Families
Love
Support
Impulse control
Feel part of the group
Personal achievemnt and recognition
Healthy families take care of the needs of their members
and support each other during crisis (Caplan, 1964)

7. Adaptive
Qualities of
Healthy
Family
• Strong parental
leadership
qualities
• Effective
communication
patterns
• Clear boundaries
and roles
• Flexibility

8. Healthy Functioning Families ( Goldenberg & Goldenberg,
1995)
No single
member
dominates or
control another
1
Family members
participates in
activites
together
2
Children are
allowed to
express opinions
3
Family members
adapt to the
changes
4

9. Crisis
intervention
• Is a useful strategy in which families and
children can find relief from overwhelming
circumstances

10. Family Crisis
Intervention
• Enhances self-awareness
• Clarifies the roles of
members in sustaining it
• Develops fresh coping skills
• Gains a sense of competency
to manage the situation.
Advantages

11. Family therapy
• Family therapy is a method of
treatment in which family members
gain insight into problems, improve
communication, improve
functioning of individual members
as well as the family as a whole .

12. Family therapy
Major goal is to facilitate
positive change in the family
01
Fostering open communication of thoughts
and feeling Promoting optimal functioning
interdependent roles
Assumes that outside or external influences
play a major role in personality
development and regulation of member’s
lives
Other goals are

13. Approaches to Family therapy
Jones (1980) describes orientations or approaches to family therapy
Integrative
Approach
Psychoanalytic
Approach
Bowen
Approach
Structural
Approach
Interactional
or Strategic
Approach
Behaviourist
Approach

14. Integrative
Approach
Overall goal: Remove pathogenic or
intrapersonal conflict and promote more
healthy relationships within the family (Jones,
1980)
• Focused on family values
A problem arises when intrapersonal conflict
is internalized by the client and it becomes an
interpersonal conflict

15. Psychoanalytic
Approach
Goal: Guide the family members who exhibit
pathology into clarifying old misunderstandings
and misinterpretations between themselves and
parents and members of the family of origin and
establishing an adult to adult relationship(Jones,
1980)
• Family members are affected by each member’s
psychological make-up
• Problem arises when there is an internalization
or introjection of parental figures

16. Bowen
Approach
• Goal: To gain the clarity and conviction to carry through
one’s own positions, such as a parent, spouse, or
dependent child (Titleman, 1998)
• Bowen’s Theory provides a framework for
understanding how emotional ties within families of
origin influence the lives of individuals in ways they
often fail to appreciate. Family Emotional Systems
Theory (Murray Bowen’s Theory)
1. Individuals behaviour is a response to the functioning
of the family system as a whole (Bowen, 1978)
2. Focuses on guiding one or more family members to
become a more solid, defined self in the face of
emotional forces created by marriage, children, or the
family of origin

17. Bowen’s
Family
Intervention
Techniques
Reduction of anxiety
and relief from
symptoms
An increase in each
participant’s level of
differentiation in order to
improve adaptiveness.
Meeting with two
adults (I.e., parents)
is of utmost
importance.
Calm questioning
and focusing on
one’s role in the
family problems is
critical.
Counselor takes on role
of “coach.” She/he asks
questions and makes
suggestions that the
family members discuss
& enact with each
other.
Counselor may ask
family members to talk
to him/her to minimize
interpersonal tensions.
Genogram
is used to
gain insight.

18. Structural
Approach
• Goal: Develop clear boundaries for individual
members and changing the family’s structural
pattern (Salvador Munuchin)
• Family as a system of individuals
• Problem arises if family boundaries become
enmeshed or disengaged and can’t cope with
change
• The therapy is short term and action oriented
with the focus on changing family organization
and social context

19. Behaviourist
Approach
Goal: Behavioural change by positive
reinforcement
Individual learns that she or he obtain
satisfaction or rewards from certain responses
of other individuals.
Problem arises when maladaptive behaviour is
learned and reinforced by the family
This approach is direct and clearly stated in
bringing change

20. Stages of
Family
Therapy
The Initial Interview
The intervention or
working phase
Termination phase

21. Questions To
Ask/Ponder
• What is the problem?
• When does the problem occur?
• Where does the problem occur?
• Where are various family members
when the problem occurs?
• What is each member of the family
doing when the problem occurs?

22. • What are the effects on each family member?
• What are the benefits to the client?
• Who in the family has had a similar problem?
• Where is the power (money, decisions, time)?
• Who is being protected?

23. The Initial
Interview
Engagement
stage
Assessment
stage
Exploration
stage
Goal setting
stage
Termination
stage

24. Family Assessment
Construct of a family
genogram
01
Description of the
family in relation to the
community, focusing on
ethnicity, socioeconomic
class, educational level
and religion
02
Description of
presenting problems,
focusing on each family
member’s perception of
the identified problem
03

25. Family
Assessment
Identification of communication
patterns focusing on
Who speaks
to whom,
Tone of
voice,
Emotional
climate and
manner by
which
emotions
are
expressed

26. Family Assessment
Identification of roles of family members as supportive,
antagonistic, critical scapegoat, rescuer, or victim. Are there
family coalitions, pairings, triangles, splits?
Developmental history of the family in general and of
presenting problems
Family’s expectations of therapy

27. Intervention
or Working
Phase
The goal of the intervention phase is
to help the family accept and adjust
to change
Occurs once a week
The therapist role is to clarify and
interpret communication as well as
to offer suggestion and guidance

28. 12 family
strengths by
Otto (1963)
Provide for the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of
each family membersProvide
Be sensitive to the needs of family membersBe
Communicate feelings, emotions, beliefs and value
effectively
Communicate
Provide support, security and encouragement to enhance
creativity and independence
Security and
encourageme
nt

29. 12 family
strengths by
Otto (1963)
Initiate and maintain growth- producing relationships within
and without family system
Initiate
and
maintain
Maintain and create constructive and responsible
community relationships in the neighborhood, school, town,
and local and state governments.
Maintain
and
create
Grow with and through childrenGrow

30. 12 family
strengths by
Otto (1963)
Help one’s self and accept help
when appropriate
Perform family roles flexible
Show mutual respect for the
individuation and independence of
each family member
Uses crisis as a means of growth
Have a concern for family unity and
loyalty and for cooperation among
family members

31. Termination Phase
If the family has achieved the
goals and identified specific
problems have been resolved
then its time to initiate the
termination phase

32. TYPES OF
FAMILY
THERAPY
• Conjoint Family Therapy
The entire family is seen at the same
time by one therapist. The therapist is
passive.
• Concurrent Family Therapy
One therapist see all family members but
in individual session.
• Collaborative Family Therapy
Each family member sees a different
therapist.

33. CASE STUDY
• When Ruth made the decision to split from her
partner, Gary, she also decided to move back in with
her mum so that she could take a breather and get
the support she needed to get back on her feet.
Ruth’s mum disagreed with Ruth’s decision to leave
her partner, saying that she felt it was a bad move.
To makes things worse, Ruth felt undermined by her
mum’s treatment of her children and the rules she
had put in place around things like bedtimes. Ruth
would often come home to find her daughter
Kimberley upset after having nightmares and her son,
Alex was playing up at school.

34. • The relationship between Ruth and her mum began
to deteriorate rapidly.
• It was clear that everybody in the family was starting to find this new
arrangement exhausting and upsetting, not least her children who desperately
missed their father.
• However, Ruth found it difficult to address the issue with her mum - how could
she maintain her authority when her mum was putting a roof over their heads?

35. SEEKING HELP
Ruth attended her first session alone and talked to the counsellor about how
she felt about her mum, her children and her ex.
The counsellor helped Ruth to see that the solution to her problems lay in
better communication with her mother and gave her ways to avoid falling
into the same old arguments.
Ruth started to feel more confident about talking to her mum, she
realised she'd not been open with her about her problems with her ex.
Counselling also helped her to communicate with her children more
openly about what was happening and how their father fitted into their
lives.

36. Family Counselling Training
In order to attain a degree
of competence in this type
of work you must have
specialized training in:
Family systems dynamics,
family theories, family
interventions, couples
counseling, and
professional/ethical issues
unique to this practice.

37. Quote by Virginia Satir
“Feelings of worth can flourish only in an
atmosphere where individual differences are
appreciated, mistakes are tolerated,
communication is open, and rules are flexible--
the kind of atmosphere that is found in a
nurturing family.”