Family therapy

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Family therapy, also referred to as couple and family therapy and family systems therapy, and earlier generally referred to as marriage therapy, is a branch of psychotherapy that works with families and couples in intimate relationships to nurture change and development. It tends to view these in terms of the systems of interaction between family members. It emphasizes family relationships as an important factor in psychological health. As such, family problems have been seen to arise as an emergent property of systemic interactions, rather than to be blamed on individual members.

Family therapists may focus more on how patterns of interaction maintain the problem rather than trying to identify the cause, as this can be experienced as blaming by some families. It assumes that the family as a whole is larger than the sum of its parts.

Most practitioners are "eclectic", using techniques from several areas, depending upon the client(s). Family therapy practitioners come from a range of professional backgrounds, and some are specifically qualified or licenced/registered in family therapy (licensing is not required in some jurisdictions and requirements vary from place to place). In the UK, family therapists are usually psychologists, nurses, psychotherapists, social workers, or counselors who have done further training in family therapy, either a diploma or an M.Sc..

Multicultural and inter-cultural approaches are being developed.

Family therapy has been used effectively where families, and or individuals in those families experience or suffer:

serious psychological disorders (e.g. schizophrenia, addictions and eating disorders);
interactional and transitional crises in a family’s life cycle (e.g. divorce);
as a support of other psychotherapies and medication.

1 Methodology
2 In the United States
3 Founders and key influences
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Methodology

It uses a range of counseling and other techniques including:

The number of sessions depends on the situation, but the average is 5-20 sessions. The basic theory of family therapy is derived mainly from object relations theory, cognitive psychotherapy, systems theory and narrative approaches.

A family therapist usually meets several members of the family at the same time ("conjoint family therapy" is used in the approach of Virginia Satir.) This has the advantage of making differences between the ways family members perceive mutual relations as well as interaction patterns in the session apparent both for the therapist and the family. These patterns frequently mirror habitual interaction patterns at home, even though the therapist is now incorporated into the family system. Therapy interventions usually focus on relationship patterns rather than on analyzing impulses of the unconscious mind or early childhood trauma of individuals as a Freudian therapist would do.

Family therapy is really a way of thinking, an epistemology rather than about how many people sit in the room with the therapist. Family therapists are relational therapists; they are interested in what goes between people rather than in people.

Depending on circumstances, a therapist may point out to the family interaction patterns that the family might have not noticed; or suggest different ways of responding to other family members. These changes in the way of responding may then trigger repercussions in the whole system, leading to a more satisfactory system state.

[edit] In the United States

Prior to 1999 in California, counselors who specialized in this area were called Marriage, Family and Child Counselors. Today, they are known as Marriage and Family Therapists, (MFTs) and work variously in private practice, in clinical settings such as hospitals, institutions, or counseling organizations.

MFTs are often confused with Clinical Social Workers (CSWs). The primary difference in these two professions is that CSWs focus on social relationships in the community as a whole, while MFTs focus on relationships.

A master's degree is required to work as an MFT. Most commonly, MFTs will first earn a B.S. or B.A. degree in psychology, and then spend 2 to 3 years completing a program in specific areas of psychology relevant to marriage and family therapy. After graduation, prospective MFTs work as interns.

Requirements vary, but in most states about 3000 hours of supervised work as an intern are needed to sit for a licensing exam. MFTs must be licensed by the state to practice. Only after completing their education and internship and passing the state licensing exam can they call themselves MFTs and work unsupervised.

However, Marriage and Family Therapists are currently not allowed to diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders, practice independently, or bill insurance in the State of Ohio. MFTs in Ohio face a long road of fighting for equality.