Family Therapy: A Brief Introduction

The origins of Family Therapy can be traced back to the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries in the tradition of Sigmund Freud. It was not, however, until the late 1940s and early 1950s that formalized research into Family Therapy was undertaken, almost by accident in fact.

Furthering research into schizophrenia, Gregory Batesman found himself better able to treat his patients as part of a family "whole", rather than working with any particular individual. He held that emotional disorders, of which schizophrenia is an extreme example, are founded upon troubled family relationships. From this embryonic start, research by such people as Salvadore Minuchin carried out in the 1970s, refined the Family Therapy approach which then gained further traction in the 1980s and beyond, leading to the variety of Family Therapy approaches that are available today, of which I shall give an overview of four.

The first is Bowenian Family Therapy. This is an approach to treatment which maps the family "system" - using a range of symbols to describe an individual's relationship with all the other members within the family unit and puts emphasis upon the independence of one person from another. That is to say, not being reliant on other family members to bolster them if they are experiencing negative emotions this is reinforced by keeping them accountable for their own feelings. The counsellor can also use the family tree diagram to explain the dynamic of inter-generational relationships, how patterns of behaviour have been, in many cases, unconsciously passed down from one generation to the next.

The Systemic approach is the second form of Family Therapy, regarded by some as the most common form of Family Therapy. Its aim is to view the problems of an individual in relation to the different contexts in which people live. That is to say, for example, as a partner, as a brother, sister etc. Such an approach is of particular benefit when working with partners who have different cultural backgrounds from one another. The "context" within this approach is regarded as the foundation to ensure an individual's emotional and psychological well-being.

The third approach within the lexicon of Family Therapy is Structural Family Therapy. This seeks to understand and uncover patterns of behaviour and family interactions. Rather than draw out the family relationships, as we saw in the Bowenian approach, the counsellor creates a visual representation identifying the family's problems and issues and how these are maintained through relationships within the family.

The final common approach in Family Therapy is Strategic Family Therapy. This is a short-term treatment, the purpose of which is to assist with families with children or teenagers with behavioral issues. Replicating a specific interaction or conversation, the counsellor can assist changes in behaviour in order to improve future such interactions if they arise. It is an active form of therapy designed to be brief, directive and task-oriented and is centred around the belief that the family unit plays a fundamental role in the life and development of children and teenagers.

There is a success rate of 75% after a 5-year follow-up of Family Therapy in general, with studies indicating that almost 90% of patients who underwent family therapy reporting am improvement in their emotional health. These figures underscore the importance and benefit of Family Therapy as an effective intervention, the benefits of which are sustained well after therapy has ceased.

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