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counseling differs from counseling for individuals. First of all,
family members are seen together, not individually, although at times
it may be appropriate to see only a part of the family, such as the
parents. The reason for this difference is that family therapists
view family members as belonging to a system, or a whole, and thus
they are not separate or isolated in function. Each family member
both affects and is affected by the behavior of the other members.
Also, family therapists believe that many of the difficulties faced
by families are rooted in the ways they typically interact with each
other. Therefore, simply providing counseling for one family member
does not result in as great a change as including all family members
in the counseling process. This process is particularly helpful in
cases involving children and adolescents who are exhibiting behavioral
problems at school and/or at home.
During the counseling process, therapists explore hierarchy (who has control and/or power in the family), boundaries (what kind of barriers and separators exist between individual family members or between parents and children), and coalitions or alliances (who is allied with whom and why). Because family therapists use a “systems” approach in helping families, they often look at relationships not only within the immediate family, but also at those within the extended family, as well as at relationships between the family and larger social systems, such as church, school, employment, and social networks. Although
family therapy is “talk” therapy, there tend to be various
activities included in sessions. The therapist may move around the
room, sitting behind a parent to coach him/her in talking with children,
for example. The therapist may ask family members to switch seats
temporarily, so that certain individuals can be brought closer together
or separated. When children are present, various forms of play therapy
are utilized with the whole family, including puppet shows, sand
play, games, made-up stories, reading, and artwork. Families are
often assigned “homework” to complete during the week.
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