Family therapy helps families to explore their ties and navigate the changes within the family. It offers a neutral and supportive environment where family members can address issues, improve communication, and work towards positive change. Families can better understand their behaviours and how they impact each other. It helps them identify patterns and behaviours that may contribute to conflict within the family. Families can make meaningful changes by identifying and addressing these underlying issues.
Therapy can promote healthier relationships and allow families to learn new skills and strategies for resolving conflicts and managing stress. It can help family members improve their communication, problem-solving, and coping skills. Families can strengthen their bonds by learning and practising these skills. Therapy can provide guidance and support during major life transitions or events. Families can easily adjust to a new family dynamic, such as blending families or adding new family members. Therapy helps families to process their emotions, learn coping skills, and find ways to live and grow together.
Types of Family Therapy Techniques
Family therapy is a type of therapy that helps improve communication and interaction between members and addresses family or relational conflict. There are many variations of family therapy techniques. Still, most fall within four dominant models: structural family therapy, Bowenian or intergenerational family therapy, strategic family therapy, and systemic family therapy (Milan model).
1. Structural family therapy
Salvador Minuchin developed this therapy in 1974. He theorized that a family must maintain a certain hierarchy to remain healthy. A technique often employed in this type of family therapy is completing a structural map, which outlines family boundaries and hierarchies. The therapist gives the map and encourages members to change in ways that create a healthier structure or dynamic between members.
2. Bowenian family therapy
Murray Bowen created one of the first comprehensive family therapy theories in 1971. He believed that therapy’s goal was self-differentiation. Self-differentiation is the ability to separate various family members’ specific issues or symptoms. Bowenian therapy techniques include using genograms to identify intergenerational family dynamics, pointing out the dynamics between members through psychoeducation, and working with individual family members on specific issues.
3. Strategic family therapy
This family therapy helps to maintain that family problems occur through repeated maladaptive family interactions. Strategic family therapy techniques involve experimentation, motivating the family to change behaviour patterns through homework, paradoxical intention, and work outside the therapy session.
4. Systemic family therapy
Systemic family therapists believe that family members develop problematic symptoms or mental health issues to cope with the behaviour of other members. The therapist is a neutral figure in this form of therapy. Their prime goal is getting family members to question their understanding of the family system to change distressful behaviours. The primary therapeutic technique is circular questioning, which is used in systemic family therapy. Circular questioning encourages clients to think about connections between family members by introducing other people’s perceptions and different views of situations.
4 Family Therapy Techniques for Better Communication
Communication is often overlooked, but it is the foundation of any healthy relationship. Most assume they know how to communicate, which can exacerbate any underlying problems within the family system. Many effective family therapy techniques can help improve communication in relationships.
1. Active listening
It involves paraphrasing what another family member says. Active listening aims to understand another person’s perspective so they feel heard and understood. This can build trust and improve communication levels.
2. Positive reinforcement
Positive reinforcement is a behavioural psychology technique that encourages good behaviour. It targets a specific behaviour (such as getting a child to complete their homework). Once the behaviour is completed, a tangible reward is selected (such as allowing extra screen time or going out for ice cream). Positive reinforcement is an effective way to increase positive behaviour for any family member.
3. Soft start-ups
It is a communication method with a partner or loved one to avoid a defensive reaction. According to The Gottman Institute, soft start-ups involve using “I” versus “you” and describing how one feels in the situation rather than placing blame. For example, saying, “I do not feel heard right now,” rather than “You never listen to me,” is a much more effective way to communicate and start the conversation on a light note.
4. Mindful body language
Body language is a more powerful way than words to communicate. So,
eyeing body language can impact how a message is received and interpreted. The therapist can tell clients to pay attention to eye contact, eye rolling, sighing, crossed arms, clenched fists, and frowning can effectively improve communication. This can be done in a family therapy session by pointing out observed body language and asking clients to practice changing it.
4 Family Therapy Activities for Anxiety
The risk of relationship conflict within families and intimate partners is significantly higher when one or more of the individuals struggle with an anxiety disorder. Numerous activities can help families and relationships deal with an anxiety disorder and help to improve their relationship.
1. Thought record
The therapist asks family members to write their negative and anxious thoughts when they come up. They can record thoughts in a journal or notebook and bring them to family therapy sessions. In the session, family members will share their anxious thoughts. The other family members will help the client to replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
2. Exposure therapy
It involves gradually exposing an individual to something that causes fear or anxiety. Exposure therapy includes activities which can help the family identify something one member avoids due to fear. This might be anything from a type of animal to social settings. In this family therapy, family members can create an “exposure hierarchy” with the anxious member. This hierarchy starts with the most terrifying experience (holding a spider). And ends with something less scary (such as looking at a picture of the spider). Family members can work with the individual to gradually move through the hierarchy and provide a safe space of comfort that helps the anxious client overcome their fear.
3. Behavioral activation
It is a technique that helps individuals understand and experience how behaviour affects their emotions. Behavioural activation activities can be introduced and applied in family therapy settings to help one or more members with anxiety. Behavioural activation activities for anxiety can include deep-breathing exercises (such as square, three-part, or mindful breathing), regular exercising, scheduling positive activities to reduce escape, and identifying goals and values. Family members can review and implement the most effective activities in their daily and weekly lives.
4. Feel-good file
The therapist can ask the family members to create a manila folder and label it the “Feel-Good File.” Family members can decorate and design folders as they like. In this folder, family members will write down one positive strength for another family member on an index card. These index cards are compiled into the client’s file, so each member probably has a folder full of strength cards. Family members can use these folders and refer to their strengths during stress and anxiety.
3 Family Therapy Interventions for Depression
Depression is the most common mental health issue and affects approximately 1 in 10 people over their lifetime. It affects the person and dramatically impacts relationships and families for generations. Various effective family therapy interventions can minimize the negative impact depression has.
1. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy(CBT)
CBT is one of the most effective therapies used for people with depression. It includes techniques that can be effectively applied to family therapy. CBT aims to help family members identify faulty thinking patterns and change them, which results in positive emotional and behavioural outcomes. It teaches family members that they cannot always change situations, circumstances, or other people. Still, they can change their perception and response.
2. Interpersonal psychotherapy
It is a well-structured, short-term therapy focusing on relationships, communication, and recent problems. Interpersonal psychotherapy can be helpful for the treatment of depression. It helps to address specific issues within the family system and work on collective problem-solving skills to reduce negative thoughts and feelings.
3. Psychoeducation
Psychoeducation can be helpful for families in treating depression, its symptoms, and its underlying causes. It involves educating individuals and family members about the brain, chemical imbalances, symptoms, and treatment of depression. Psychoeducation can help improve relationships by providing insight into the disorder and identifying practical problem-solving skills to prevent relapse.
3 Family Therapy Strategies for Dealing With Addiction
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2023), treating addiction is most successful when the needs of the whole person are addressed. Addiction is a complex issue and is comprised of three phases: treating withdrawal, treating the root causes of addiction, and preventing relapse. Many family therapy strategies are useful in treating addiction, such as contingency management, 12-step facilitation, and brief strategic family therapy.
1. Twelve-step facilitation
It is much like the 12-step process of Alcoholics Anonymous. Twelve-step facilitation is not a medical treatment for addiction but a complementary addition to support treatment (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2023). As the name indicates, it is a strategy that involves 12 weeks following the themes of acceptance, surrender, and active involvement in recovery.
2. Contingency management
It is a therapeutic strategy that uses positive reinforcement to encourage sobriety and recovery (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2023). When clients attend counselling sessions or meetings, attain drug-free milestones, or take medication as prescribed, they are rewarded with real prizes and privileges.
3. Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT)
BSFT is an intervention that focuses on planned, problem-focused, and practical strategies.
- Problem-focused strategies focus on maladaptive family interactions as they relate directly to the addiction. Examples include implementing clear rules, increasing parental involvement, creating guidelines, and communicating routines.
- Tracking is another strategy to systematically identify family interactions to address strengths and weaknesses. These interactions are recorded and linked back to addictive behaviours to create an effective treatment plan for both the individual and the family.
- Practical strategies may include behavioural contracts. Therapists make clients sign a contract agreeing to do or not do certain things related to the addiction.
3 Family Therapy Exercises for Trauma
When a crisis or trauma occurs, it impacts all family members. Each person is different, so every individual can react and respond differently to trauma or major life events. These exercises can help individuals and family members work together to heal from trauma.
1. Narrative therapy
In this therapy, each family member shares their story related to a specific trauma. This will help to understand the other’s perspectives and experiences. They understand they are not alone and feel empathy for other family members.
2. Genogram creation
The therapist lets clients visually map family relationships, history, and dynamics. It will help to reveal patterns of trauma transmission across generations. The family members will understand and discuss this to resolve the issues.
3. Family sculpting or role-play
Role-play activities and family sculpting help to identify family relationships, dynamics, and the meaning of the trauma. The family members will understand various perspectives, which leads to healthy healing.
3 Family Therapy Approaches for Anger Management
Anger is a natural emotion. When someone feels threatened or attacked, they experience anger. It is a survival technique that has helped humans survive since evolution. However, anger can cause distress and conflict in relationships when not managed appropriately.
1. Play therapy
It can be an effective technique to help families deal with angry children. Anger in children can be a sign of social, school, or environmental factors within their lives. It include techniques such as role-play with dress-up, age-appropriate games, and drawing to express feelings. These can be helpful teaching tools for children struggling with anger management.
2. Emotional regulation training
Regulating emotions is not about suppressing them. As mentioned above, anger can serve as a powerful emotion. Learning to regulate emotions is about training clients to identify and feel the emotions but not respond irrationally. Emotional regulation training includes physical activity, meditation, mindfulness, naming and identifying anger and learning to pause before responding. The therapist may ask to use the Anger Exit and Re-Entry Routines worksheet, a helpful tool in family therapy to work on emotional regulation skills within relationships.
3. Anger management training
It involves identifying specific triggers and responses, learning strategies to diffuse or avoid, and changing thoughts and attitudes about anger. The therapist asks clients to record specific incidents when they felt angry and identify a theme that triggers the emotion. Clients are also taught to become more aware of individual responses to these situations and work to find alternate responses. CBT is often used in anger management training. It helps to identify specific thoughts (such as rumination) that lead to increased levels and prolonged duration of anger.
3 Family Therapy Techniques for Grief
Grief is a very individual experience, and navigating within a family unit or a relationship is difficult. Grief can be of many types, but ultimately, it is the emotional suffering experienced when something or someone is taken away or lost. In 1969, Kubler-Ross famously established the five stages of grief. These stages can emerge in any order, at any time, and include denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Various family therapy techniques can be used to help families and family members move through the grief process.
1. Making sense of loss
This is also known as “positive reframing”. It is difficult to see the positives in grief and loss. Clients may only be open to this technique during certain stages of the grief process. Making sense of loss or positive reframing is not discarding the negative aspects of grief or loss. The client can focus on positive memories, lessons learned, or things that are still connected with the person lost.
2. Creating new traditions
It is often helpful to create new routines, rituals, and traditions after losing a loved one or a major life change. In family therapy sessions, members can discuss and brainstorm ideas of things they want to try, experience, or continue for holidays, vacations, milestones/major dates, etc. Establishing new traditions can help family members process grief and move on to enjoy a “new normal.”
3. Find identity and purpose
People can experience grief for many reasons. These include more than losing someone important. It can be the loss of health, a career, or any major life transition involving change and loss. Helping family members find a new identity and purpose after the change and loss can bring hope to both the individual and the family and help them to heal.
