Family therapy

As the name suggests, structural therapy tries to provide a structure to the family, to achieve a perfect balance.

The therapist helps in strengthening the family by dividing their roles. The therapist may reorder the roles and power of each family member to observe, learn, and enhance each one’s ability to help the family strengthen their relationships.

Proper boundaries are set for each family member while keeping in mind that the parents are in control but work with their children as a team.

The therapist also makes sure that no single or two people in the family have too much power.

The therapist aims to strengthen the bond between the siblings and also with the family.

Named after the famous psychiatrist, Murray Bowen, Bowenian family therapy is well-suited for those who do not wish to get the therapy done along with their family members. Sometimes, people want to talk about their family members but do not want them to be in the same room during the therapy. Bowenian therapy is based on two concepts: triangulation and differentiation. 

Triangulation is a way of venting your anxiety, distress, and insecurities by talking to a third person. For instance, parents complain to the therapist about their rebellious teenage child.

Differentiation is a method by which the therapist helps the person become less emotionally invested and reactive when it comes to family matters. The person is asked to take less emotionally driven decisions in their relationships with family members. To implement this, the therapist may ask the person to write their emotions down in a letter rather than expressing them immediately in person.

Strategic therapy is a more brief and direct form of therapy that tends to give results within a short span of time.

In this therapy, the therapist assigns different tasks to the family. The family members are given homework, where they are asked to change specific things about the way they interact with the family member they seem to have a problem with.

For instance, they could be asked to behave in the same way that that person does. The hope is that this could help the other person reform their behaviour.

The therapist could take away the authority and position of power from the family members who tend to dominate and control family interactions, to make it easier for them to communicate with each other.

In short, the therapist uses his or her authority to make shifts in the pattern of communication so that the family can come closer.

Systemic family therapy is based on paying attention to how the family operates and to the feelings and emotions of every person in the family.

In this therapy, the attempt is to identify the problems as well as the ideas and attitudes of each family member, in order to uncover the main issue behind the many problems that the family members may be facing in interacting with each other: the therapist tries to understand the reason behind the family members' behaviour.

The therapist's approach is quite neutral and distant here, as he or she asks each family member to use their different insights and understanding and allows them to dive deep into their problems to find out the root cause.

Once the therapist understands the problem, then he or she can help each family member modify their attitudes and behaviours in order to mend the relationships.

Stories are very important to our sense of self: they help us form an image of who we are and our role in the family and the world.

In this type of therapy, the therapist allows the person to bring change to their lives by taking responsibility for their problems. The person is asked to face their problems and then take up daily tasks to minimize the minor problems first. The person is asked to take up one problem at a time.

In this therapy, the therapist tries to help the person understand their true worth and calibre. The therapist asks the person to create their own personal story which would allow them to deal better with their present and future problems.

For instance, if a person in the family is always judged a certain way, the therapist would treat them with respect and would ask them to stop blaming themselves.

The therapist allows the client to suggest changes that can help them grow and heal. This instils a sense of confidence in them.

Communication is the key to a healthy relationship. Most relationship feuds are seen due to a lack of communication between a couple or the family. People may have communication issues due to many reasons, such as cultural differences, work-related frustrations, personal secrets, mental health issues and many others. The therapist tries to improve the communication skills of both the partners to nurture their relationship. The therapist advises the person to be an active listener and to use certain affectionate words and lines in their conversation.

Transgenerational therapy is given to families which have multiple generations living together. Tension can build up in such an environment as there can be different thoughts, beliefs and ideas in a single home. The therapist observes and analyses the core of the family. The therapist then targets specific individuals and couples to bring change within the family.

Supportive family therapy encourages family members to open up about the problems that are affecting the entire family. The therapist makes sure that the person who is speaking is given a safe and open environment to talk about their feelings in front of the entire family. This gives an opportunity to the family members to get together, open up about the issues that are troubling them and get advice for the family as a whole.

Psychoeducation is a type of therapy in which the therapist educates, empowers and supports not only people with mental health conditions but also their families. This helps the person, as well as their family members, fight against the stigma related to mental health conditions.

Psychoeducation works by giving information, training and support to the person to be able to self-help, by providing proper medical care and by making sure that the person has a safe place to vent their feelings and emotions.

While hustling to achieve something in life, we tend to cause stress or add strain to any relationship around us.

People tend to have relationship problems due to lack of communication, cultural differences, financial difficulties, insecurities, emotional detachment, decreased sexual intimacy and adultery.

Relationship counselling aims to resolve problems between the partners and help them talk to each other about their wishes and problems.

For this therapy, the couple needs to decide if they want to solve their problems and continue staying together or if they want to separate and move on.