Family Therapy

Family therapy is based on the belief that the family is a unique social system with its own structure and communication patterns. These patterns are determined by various factors, including the beliefs and values of the parents, the personalities of all family members, and the influence of the extended family (grandparents, aunts, uncles). As a result of these variables, each family develops its own unique personality traits, which affect all its members.

Therapists who use the family systems model always take the whole family into account. They see any problem presented by a family member as a symptom resulting from change or conflict within the family system.

Through Family Psychotherapy:

• ✓Family members learn about effective family functioning in general, and specifically, how their own family operates.
• ✓It helps family members focus less on the member who has been labeled as problematic and more on the family as a whole.
• ✓It helps identify conflicts and develop strategies to resolve them.
• ✓It empowers all family members to work together to solve problems.
• ✓It teaches ways to manage conflicts and changes within the family in a different, more effective way. Often, the way family members handle problems and situations leads to the development of dysfunctions within the family group or individual symptoms.

During therapy sessions, the strengths of the family are identified and then used to solve problems. All members take responsibility for the problems that arise, but some family members may need to change their behavior more than others.

Family therapy is a very active method of treatment, and family members are often assigned exercises. For example, parents may be asked to transfer more responsibilities to their children.

The number of required sessions varies, depending on the severity of the problems and the willingness of members to participate in therapy. The family and therapist jointly set goals and discuss the expected timeframe for achieving these goals.