Family System Therapy - Term Paper Example

? FAMILY SYSTEM THERAPY Family System Therapy Word Count 750 (7 pages) This paper attempts to explain a variety of factors that affect family therapy, including mental illness. The McMaster Model of Family Functioning is used in order to better understand various aspects of family therapy, and are noted herein where necessary. I. Introduction (50 words) Families definitely are under a lot of various stressors these days. In answering three sets of questions, it will be evaluated how a family should stand up under the pressures of dealing with various issues—such as the model and theory to be used—especially when dealing with mental illness. II. First Set of Questions. Who is the main theorist? ?What are major concepts, strengths, and weaknesses? ?How does this theory best fit with your value system and personal beliefs? ?What population do you hope to work with (e.g., chemically dependent, domestic violence, families, general mental health, severely mentally ill, etc.)? Why do you think the theory is the best choice for this population? (505 words) ? The main theorist on whom we are going to focus is Epstein. His idea was the McMaster Model of Family Functioning. According to Barker (2007), “The McMaster Model of Family Functioning addresses the current functioning of the family [than worrying about the past or present developmental stage, [including]: 1) problem solving; 2) communication; 3) roles; 4) affective responsiveness; 5) affective involvement; and 6) behavioral control” (pp. 51). There are six major concepts that have been mentioned that clients must work on in therapy in order to reach their therapy goals. The major strengths of this model is that clients will begin to see success almost immediately if they begin to work in therapy with this particular model. The major weaknesses of this model is that it does not integrate the past or the future into therapy. This could be detrimental for a number of reasons, one reason being that the client must able to have a sense of where he must go and where he has been in order to know how to act in the present. This is a major flaw in the model. However, this theory best fits with my own value system and personal beliefs, because it is my strong belief that a client must deal with how he or she is functioning within the family. I hope to work with populations that suffer from mental illness. I definitely believe that the family has a lot to do with how the mentally ill receive their care. According to Rasheed, Marley, & Rasheed (2010), “…data began to indicate that the locus of pathology was in the context of the family, and not simply the afflicted individual” (pp. 213). Also, I am concerned about the fact that people only tend to seek therapy when things are falling apart in the family. According to Carr (2006), “[People often] seek therapy because they feel that they have grown apart and cannot communicate with each other…” (pp. 405). Dealing with mental illness can be a tough challenge, especially because of the societal malaise associated with mental illness and the people who suffer from it. According to McBride (2006), There are some “…stigma and misunderstandings associated with mental illness” (pp. 63). Families must realize how to care for their family members, depending on the type of mental illness that is at the core of the issue. According to Barry and Farmer (2002), “[It is important to identify] the core value of mental health...care…” (pp. 43). There are several drawbacks and setbacks that can affect the clients if they don’t receive proper treatment. Mental illness can wreak havoc on a family’s finances and drain its energies. According to Abosh and Collins (1996), “Families experience chronic emotional distress from the episodic disruptions caused by the illness” (pp. 68). Truly, the family must pull together when someone in the family is thought to have or is diagnosed with a mental illness, because all members of the family are needed to be supportive at that time. Family issues only compound that problem. III. Second Set of Questions. Consider the environment in which you will be working. Are there limitations to your theory based on the time constraints imposed by insurance, agencies, or time-limited sessions? ?What treatment goals would you formulate with your client based on the theory you selected? Within the theory you selected, what is your role as a therapist? What is your client’s role? (300 words) The environment in which I will be working will most likely be low- to middle-income families, in populations of people that are underserved, underrepresented, and socioeconomically disadvantaged. Many of these families are in dire need of assistance, because their poverty only exacerbates many of the problems already associated with mental illness. Obviously, the limitations on sessions and theory may be constrained by insurance companies. Insurance companies may offer less time than the clients actually need in order to achieve success in therapy. Agencies may block the patient’s or the family’s ability to receive care. Time-limited sessions, however, may be the only option for people on a limited budget with limited or no health insurance access. However, if the needs of the patient are not met, the consequences could be dire. According to MacFarlane (2001), “[T]he failure to address…issues may contribute to the…breakup of a family [with] the strain of coping with a serious mental illness without…treatment” (pp. 75). The treatment goals that I would formulate with my mentally ill clients and their families would be mainly goals that focused on self-care and medication compliance. My role as a therapist would be to help stop problems before they start. According to Garland (1999), “[Many] programs have focused primarily on preventing family dysfunction through education” (pp. 371). That is what my program would do, is to prevent family dysfunction. Many families these days revolve around drama in disheveled environments. My office would be a safe, clean, quiet place in which clients could come in order to “get away from it all,” or take a little mental vacation. In other words, they leave their old world behind as they try to sit and focus on the issues—and that would basically be my client’s role and the role of the client’s family here. IV. Third Set of Questions. ?What is the nature of client resistance in counseling and how would you work with resistance in a way that is consistent with your framework? ?What kinds of therapeutic techniques would you employ, and how would you select them? Are they consistent with the rest of your counseling philosophy? ?What are the limitations to the theory you selected? Please include any comments as it relates to diverse populations. ?How will the theory you chose limit the kinds of clients you can work with or the kinds of settings you are likely to encounter in your career? ?Will you require additional training to practice the theory that you have chosen? (695 words) The nature of client resistance in counseling is common and to be expected. Such resistance may start from within the family structure, as the community has a lot to do with shaping the attitudes of the community. According to Goldenberg and Goldenberg (2007), “Each family system is itself embedded in a community and society at large, is molded by its existence at a particular place and time in history, and is shaped further by a multitude of interlocking phenomena…” (pp. 1). After some time as a therapist, I would probably gain more experience into therapeutic techniques, as experience helps build on knowledge. According to Hoffman (2002), “Clinicians who have spent a lifetime helping people gain insight into symptoms…” (pp. 13.). Therapeutic techniques that I would employ first would include active listening, positive reinforcement, and mirroring the client. These techniques are consistent with counseling theory that shows an attachment to the client in terms of having a vested interest in wanting to see the client do well in life. There are limitations to the theory of Egan’s three-stage model, which focuses on where the client is in the past, present, and future—but I believe this theory may serve well in conjunction with the McMasters Family Functioning Model because this includes the dynamic of the patient having to consider his or her past as well as the future. With regard to diverse populations, it is going to be difficult in order to counsel everyone well—but that is the goal, so I must be prepared to deal with people from all different types of backgrounds, ethnicities, races, religions, colors, creeds, sexual orientations, genders, and disabilities. I never know what type of clients may get referred to me, so in short I have to be ready for everything. Although Egan’s theory will not require additional training, it may remain an issue for certain clients who—for whatever reason—choose to remain noncompliant with their medications. For such individuals, they may not be able to control their impulses, desires, or feelings. They may just burst out into laughter or tears or have uncontrollable urges to do uninhibited actions. And then, there are people who may take their medications but may have relative lack of success with being on medication as treatment. Truly, there are many problems that can be found within the arena of treating people in family therapy who have mental illness. Some mental illness may be quite moderate or mild, and depending upon what the person has suffered through in his or her life, the mental illness could be more severe. Of course, every case is different, and I must treat everyone on an individual basis. It is important to make sure that I am fully prepared to enter the world of family therapy by reading up on various peoples’ backgrounds, seeing that everyone is not from the same community by any stretch of the imagination. It will definitely be a task and a challenge in order to counsel the mentally ill, who have various stigmas associated with their community. However, I am up to the challenge because I believe I am a rather unassuming, nice, caring, and gentle individual who will not make careless or insensitive remarks. Rather, I hope to be the listening ear and the guiding voice that some people will find comforting and reassuring in a world where there is so much family drama and difficulties in finding the right life-work balance. Many mentally ill people are otherwise normal people, who—aside from their chronic illness—lead perfectly normal lives. Sometimes they may just need a little bit of extra help in order to organize their lives, and people should not be looked down upon because they take medication. It is very common nowadays for people to take medications that are psychotropic in nature, so hopefully that stigma will slowly but surely dwindle away. It is hoped that eventually, mental illness will not be seen with the stigma that is associated with it today, but that it is an illness that—like any other illness—must be dealt with and treated appropriately in order for its symptoms to diminish or disappear altogether. V. Conclusion (200 words) Family issues can severely limit a family’s resources, budget, time, and money if therapy is not considered seriously—especially if the family must deal with a variety of issues, including mental illness. Mental illness is not a problem to be taken lightly, and, indeed, if one does not receive appropriate medical care for the condition(s), it could end up affecting the entire family. Since the family is so integral to various stages of life development, it is important that the family members all be involved in the patient’s care at some level, however small—even if it is just by the family member providing encouragement. Dealing with mental illness is something no one should have to do alone. Therefore, it is advised that, in all cases where mental illness is diagnosed, the family should seek appropriate therapy in order to help deal with the strain of mental illness. No one should have to suffer alone or in silence. The entire family must pull together to help their family member(s) in dealing with mental illness through therapy and working with learning how to effectively function in the present. This is key to the family’s overall well-being and general mental health. ? REFERENCES Abosh, B., & Collins, A. (1996). Mental illness in the family: issues and trends. Canada: University of Toronto Press. Barker, P. (2007). Basic family therapy. USA: Wiley-Blackwell. Barry, P., & Farmer, S. (2002). Mental health and mental illness. USA: Wolters Kluwer Health. Carr, A. (2006). Family therapy: concepts, process, and practice. USA: Wiley. Garland, D.S.R. (1999). Family ministry: a comprehensive guide. USA: Intervarsity Press. Goldenberg, H. & Goldenberg, I. (2007). Family therapy: an overview. USA: Cengage Brain. Hoffman, L. (2002). Family therapy: an intimate history. USA: W.W. Norton & Company. MacFarlane, M.M. (2001). Family therapy and mental health. USA: McBride, J.L. (2006). Family behavioral issues in health and illness. USA: Psychology Press. Rasheed, J.M., Marley, J.A., Rasheed, M.N. (2010). Family therapy: models and techniques. USA: Sage Publications. Read More