Family Counseling for the Partners who Expected a Baby - Essay Example

Final on Family Counseling Introduction: Joseph and Linda have been enjoying a happy married life for the last two years. Linda has become pregnant and the impending arrival of the baby threatens to jeopardize the harmony in their lives. There are issues at stake that threaten the two positions taken by Linda and Joseph on the bringing up of the baby. They have sought counseling for a solution.Compounding Factors: The arrival of the baby would require time and attention. This tome and attention has to come from one or shared between both the parents.

Both are working and do not have the spare time to be devoted to bringing up the infant. The family backgrounds of both Linda and Joseph are different, which adds to the problem at hand. Linda hails from a family background, where the women have been career oriented. Linda holds a good job, and this would add to her wanting to retain. On the other hand Joseph hails from a family tradition, where women have stayed back at home to provide the care and attention that a child requires. This causes tugs and pulls in different directions on Linda and Joseph from their families.

Transitional Issues: All this while in their family life Joseph and Linda had a good relationship, as they had settled into a way of life with the responsibility and places already fixed. There are implicit rules and explicit rules that govern their behavior pattern. The arrival of the baby means a change in the existing pattern of status quo. This disruption of status quo means arriving at another level of status quo, wherein the baby and its needs becomes part of that status. In essence there is a transition required in the set responsibilities and interaction in the family life of the two to the presence of a third individual in the form of the baby, which is going to place fresh demands.

The time and effort required by the baby and the manner in which the Linda and Joseph share these new responsibilities are the transitional issues involved. In essence a new set of implicit and explicit rules need to be developed for governing the behavior pattern of the couple, by themselves without being influenced by the opinion of ithers.Murray Bowen Theory: The Murray Bowen theory posits that the less developed an individual’s “self” is, the more prone the individual would be to allowing the views of others to have an impact on decisions that the individuals make.

The theory goes on to suggest that the foundation to “self” are inborn in an individual, but it is the family relationships during childhood and adolescence that is the main determinant to the extent of the development of “self” in an individual. Once the level of “self” is stabilized, it seldom changes unless there is a determined and sustained effort by the individual. (1)If Murray Bowen were handling the situation, he would attempt to promote in Linda and Joseph a determined and sustained effort to develop and differentiate the “self” aspect in them, so that they are not influenced by the opinions of their respective parents in deciding the course of action and behavior with respect to the child that Linda is expecting.

They both have to take decisions and act selflessly, keeping in mind what is best for each other and their family unit> Such decisions have to be a result of their choice, and not as a response to the parental pressures, or their own compulsions that arise from the “self” that was developed during their childhood and adolescence, from their individual experience of family relationships. Conclusion: Based on the Murray Bowen theory, a family therapist needs to encourage the development of “self” in the members of a family unit, so as to enhance the cohesion in the decision taking within the family unit.

Works Cited1. “Bowen Theory”. The Bowen Center. 2000. 5 May 2007. .