Feminist Therapy And Family Systems Therapy

Family treatment is considered a necessity when they are the family of a recovering substance abuser. What types of treatment are out their? Why do families need therapy, they aren’t the ones with the problem? As we know from studying system theory, all things within a system even though they are independent are also interrelated. This means that the action of one causes a reaction of the rest of the things within the system. This is why family therapy is a crucial component of a recovery addict achieving and maintaining sobriety.

Family is something that plays a tremendous role in our life. Even though the structure of families has changed over the years, it is important to acknowledge that there many families out there whether they are traditional families, nuclear family, stepfamilies or others which tend to have different types of problems in their families. Therefore, many families attempt to go to family therapy in order for them to obtain help in solving the different types of issues they might have at home. As stated in the book Family Therapy by Michael P. Nichols (2013), “The power of family therapy derives from bringing parents and children together to transform their interaction… What keeps people stuck in their inability to see their own participation in the problems that plague them. With eyes fixed firmly on what recalcitrant others are doing, it’s hard for most people to see the patterns that bind them together. The family therapist’s job is to give them a wake-up call” (2013).

In looking at comparing person centred therapy with feminist perspectives I first thought that they were quite similar. However, with further research I discovered that in fact they are quite different approaches to therapy. In this essay I will compare and contrast both of these approaches to therapy. I will pay particular attention to key concepts, therapeutic goals, theory of change, the therapeutic relationship and situations where the therapies are appropriate and also inappropriate.

Shaniya Robinson arrives at the County Human Services Authority for her monthly appointment with her social worker. Ms. Robinson is a 25 year old African American female who is receiving treatment for schizophrenia from the adult behavioral health services program. During a session the client reports that she is under a great deal of stress because she is having difficulty adjusting to being a new mother. Her five month old baby girl Shanice is teething and cries frequently. Ms. Robinson is also struggling financially because she is currently unemployed; her mental illness makes it difficult to sustain employment long term. And she does not receive support from the child’s father on a consistent basis. The combination of these

Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT) in training are tasked with helping a family work through conflict and arrive and more intimate and interdependent relationships, which can seem daunting or maybe even terrifying. However, the interaction patterns that show up in families can find some context and clarity for a therapist who knows systems theory. Systems theory suggests that individuals cannot be understood in isolation from their family context because families create relational processes and generate a “sequence of interactions” and behaviors in order to maintain dynamic stability of the self-regulating family system (Nichols, 2013, pp. 58-59). How does this general systems theory help an MFT guide a family in therapy? In this paper I will take three systems theory principles and apply them to a movie in order to demonstrate how it provides a language and context for MFTs, thus making it an essential tool in family therapy.

Family therapy is a form of psychotherapy employed to assist members of a family in improving communication systems, conflict resolution, and to help the family to deal with certain problems that manifest in the behavior of members. In most cases, deviance in a family member is an indication of underlying family dysfunctions. This paper looks the counselling procedure that can be applied to help the Kline family solve their problems. It answers certain questions including those of the expected challenges during therapy and ways of dealing with the challenges.

Therapists work different theoretical perspectives to meet the client’s diverse needs. The object is to offer verbal and nonverbal, expressive therapies, such as Narrative, Solution-Focused and Brief Therapy, Behavioral Therapy, and Cognitive Therapy. The concept is to take into account the therapist preferences and the issues that the therapist would like to approach for the client’s best needs. Therapist can integrate different orientations to guide the client.

The goal of Feminist Therapists is to make their clients feel empowered and help them in the daily aspects of life. These aspects that pertain to society’s attitude about them and their place in society. Goals are to define ways that non-Caucasian women are being oppressed and for the client to be familiar with these norms. This will better help her gain power within her everyday life and create confidence in her at work or school. When the client is aware of racism in the world they live in it is easier to make a transformation in the environment they are in. Hence the goal of FT is to bring awareness to feminism and to educate the client on feministic issues within the society. The counselor will give Ana goals and be very supportive of her

In this paper, I discuss the use of feminist therapy in working with immigrant women. Immigrant women in the United States continue to be excluded from immigration conversations and face similar if not more stressors upon migration. Feminist theory acknowledges the experiences of immigrant women and considers various aspects of their wellbeing including their immigrant status. The use of feminist therapy with immigrant women empowers them to examine the many ways societal conditions have contributed to their distress and provides them with the tools, skills and resources to make personal and societal change.

Due to the NASW COE principal interest of conflict, Dr. Green should continue to see Ava as her client, but not as her student in her class. In this case study it reveals that Ava is currently coping through a tragedy. She lost both of her parents, she is dealing with depression and has suicidal thoughts. Dr. Green is an individual in her life that brought her comfort and stability. Ava believed that if it was not for Dr. Green, she could not get through her issues. The case study later stated that Ava considered Dr. Green as a surrogate mother because she confided in her. This is a key reason Dr. Green should keep Ava as a client. Ava sees Dr. Green as a great resource in her life. Having Dr. Green as her Psychologist puts Ava’s

The three counseling approaches that I saw these past few days were inspiring and educational. Some seemed to be useful in some ways and destructive in others. As a person interested in counseling, I have to assess these pros and cons and decide which approach I am most comfortable with. In each video, Gloria brought up different topics that affected her life. In the first approach, Carl Rogers’, the two talked about her guilt about her family.

Feminist therapy is an unconventional approach to counseling in that it shares and pulls qualities from many other approaches. Ranging from aspects of social justice to elements of existential theory, feminist therapy uniquely combines diverse qualities to form a strengths-based, unbiased, and action-oriented theoretical perspective. It rejects the societal norm of gendered behaviors and instead views differences between men and women as attributed to the political establishment reinforcing socialized ways of being. Overall, feminist therapy aims to give voice to clients who experience oppression. A common misconception of this therapy is that it is restricted to only female clients.

I had originally planned to reflect upon my thoughts and opinions on the different theories that were presented on this semester and how I believe they will be used in my future practice. There were many interesting theories that I had not paid much attention to in my master’s program or at conferences that has now caught my attention. However, after the presentation on feminist family therapy, I decided to change my reflection paper. I want to reflect upon the impact of feminism in my personal and professional lives and how I plan to use it in my practice with clients both from the dominant and non-dominant cultures.

Developed through the communications theory, Strategic Family Therapy (SFT) works to solve specific problems within families by focusing on the behavior of the members. Families are encouraged to display a sense of homeostatic equilibrium; yet, some families are trapped in a dysfunctional pattern of behavior through communication. This particular therapy works to increase positive-feedback/ strategies while decreasing negative-feedback/strategies. The strategy promotes identifying and refining specific patterns of communication that maintain recurrent problems.

Thanks for your input! I agree, I think bipolar disorders is not an easy mental illness to deal, and it is always ups and down for the patient. For children, I think it is even harder since they are still young and trying to figure out who they really are. For patients, regardless at what age you are at, I think families support is an important aspect in recovery. A study was conducted regarding family therapy with bipolar disorder youth. Adolescents with bipolar disorder who received family therapy recovered more quickly from depressive episodes and stayed free of depression longer than a control group. Each of the family therapy lasted for at least 50-minute sessions and the family therapy went on for about 9 months. The therapy