Question: What is the approach of marriage and family therapy? Explain a family therapy session. Is the family therapy short-term? What happens if the other family members refuse to come?
Marriage Therapeutic Session
The approach of marriage and family therapy depends on the therapist. This type of therapy is usually classified into two main categories –
- The historical perspective
- The interactional perspective
How to Conduct Family Therapy Session
Therapies with a historical perspective tend to focus on the traditions of the family. The therapist may also consider looking at the way the family members are forced into certain roles.
There may be variations in a session depending upon the therapist’s orientation.
The time taken by family therapy depends on the therapeutic approach. Probably ten sessions are enough if the goal is to solve a specific problem by changing specific behavior. But the therapy maybe open-ended if the therapist is tackling a broader problem of the family’s history and culture.
Some therapists will refuse to treat a patient unless all concerned members attend at the initial evaluation. Even if the therapist treats the patient in absence of an important family member it may make matters worse. Thereby before starting a family therapy it is important to ensure that all are committed as the patient.