Reach Recovery Analysis

The family system is founded on the notions that for change to occur in the life of an individual, the therapist must understand and work with the family as a whole. In working with the family, the therapist can understand how the individual in counseling functions within his family system and how the client’s behaviors connect to other people in the family. This theory also holds the perception that symptoms are a set of family habits and patterns passed down by generation and not a result of a psychological problem or an inability to change (Corey, 2017). Furthermore, the family system theory holds the idea that when a change occurs everyone in the unit is affected by the change.

, I believe the authors’ were instrumental in providing a clear example of what the family really needed and searched for. The family needed to realize that in order for the family to make a real change they need to utilize a structure that included the entire family. They also needed to know that the therapists were completely serious

My first assumption of family therapy was to involve the parents and the individual that had the problem. This book explored further what it

It was never my intention to work with addicted clients, but nearly every family therapy course I have taken has, either overtly or covertly, stressed the need to understand addictions. While I understand the concept on a cognitive level, I had judgements about the type of people that become addicted and did not feel compelled to work with them, until my niece died. Her drug addiction deeply affected all members of her immediate family. Her parents and her step-dad, my brother, each reacted to my niece’s addiction in different ways but none were successful and the family began to fail under the stress.

This experience has changed the way I see those who haven’t had enough and those who haven’t found away out of the addicted world. I’ve learned there is more to a person than their appearance and in these cases there is a lot of hurt and anger in their souls. Even after recovery some people still carry around guilt and anger. Some are ashamed because they let something affect them in a way in which they lost control. Others are angry at

Other Therapeutic Intervention: Incorporates family therapy to examine and facilitate family comprehension of new and old family dynamics, unhelpful patterns, and concerns in family configuration, and aid the family to practice and utilize communication and conflict resolution

The term family brings to mind a visual image of adults and children living together in a harmonious manner, although this may not be the case for all. The “typical” family, two biological parents and children, has changed over time. Families are as diverse as the individuals that compose them, and clients have deeply ingrained values about their families that deserve respect. The family is the primary social context in which health promotion and disease prevention takes place, as the family’s beliefs, values, and practices strongly influence the health behavior of its

The story of the prostitute addicted to crack, Patricia, who changed her life around after she gave birth to her 6th child impacted me. After she got help she was able to get off drugs, obtain a part-time job, get an apartment, and most importantly keep her youngest child. Her addiction was preventing her from taking care of her children and costing herself her dignity. It was inspiring to see her stay sober and being able to provide for her oldest and youngest child. Unfortunately, Patricia’s story also showed how her mistakes were being repeated by her son. This seems to occur often in families involved with addiction and violence.

Not all families are perfect, many have problems. Family dysfunction, “any condition that interferes with healthy family functioning,” is not uncommon, (Benton). There are multiple types of dysfunction. One type of dysfunction is deficiency. In a deficient family, the parents are not caring for their children enough and neglect them. The children then have to take on more responsibilities to care for themselves, and sometimes end up taking care of their parents. They have to ignore their own needs and focus on their parents’ needs. The children lose their childhood, they have to become adults too quickly and often feel “inadequate and guilty,” when unable to do so, (Benton).

Fortunately for those in recovery and the people treating them, the benefits go well beyond the comfort of a drug-free therapy. Let’s explore some of the major ones.

Since not all changes affect all family members, and changes in one individual are not going to affect the rest of his or her family, it seems families can use whatever methods facilitate smooth functioning. Then, what is the definition of family and how family therapists help families when problems do arise? A family is an aggregate of individuals, and family therapists have inevitably been dealing with individuals within families. Thus, it is somewhat challenging for family therapists to deal with the family as it requires seeing people as individuals and as part of a whole.

Approaches to Family Therapy: Minuchin, Haley, Bowen, & Whitaker Treating families in therapy can be a complex undertaking for a therapist, as they are dealing not only with a group of individuals but also with an overall system. Throughout history several key theorists have attempted to demystify the challenges families face and construct approaches to treatment. However, there have been key similarities and differences among the theoretical orientations along the way. While some have simply broadened or expanded from existing theories, others have stood in stark

I did some research on it that night after our meeting and found some very interesting facts and statistics. Family counseling can only be effective when all family members make the effort to be present. Once the clients are processing in family systems terms, it is expected that they can be more objective and avoid some of the emotional reactions that might obstruct positive treatment. Beginning with a focus on the symptomatic issue, the hope is that the system will start to reveal itself. It is then the task of the therapist to begin introducing a broader conceptualization of how the family members can and should experience these as they arise. This approach can alleviate primary problems in family functioning, scapegoating, guilt and blame, lack of empathy for differences, and nonfunctional rules, while forming new and better agreements for positive growth and functioning.

This video was very interesting for me. Addiction is something that I rarely think about. Fortunately, it has not impacted by family that I am aware of. Quite frankly, it was not until I began watching Shameless (a show on Netflix about a family that deals with addiction and many other issues) that I was exposed to the harsh effects of addiction. So far in class that year, I feel that we have discussed the many aspects of sex and its effects on teens and modern culture. However the issues of drugs, alcohol, and addiction have been discussed less.

The attached paper is an overview of The Family Systems Theory. Which is based on the work and research of Dr. Bowen. This is an significant theoretical approach within group counseling and therapy. It focuses on the role and impact of the person 's original family to identify negative patterns. Evidence is used within the paper to showcase the appropriate usage and application of the theory.