Analysis of Family Therapy Case - Essay Example

Bolder Family The Challenge With the advent of information technology, changes in perspective are becoming obvious. The incidence of incestuous behavior in a family is a shameful act. At this juncture, evaluation of family, family system and individuals becomes imperative as they contribute to and maintain the problem(s). Restructuring family systems refers to altering the inappropriate cross generational coalitions, dysfunctional power hierarchies and problem engendering interactional behavior patterns. Each family member has an important role to play in the family's ability to improve. Motive should be to focus on the changes in the structure and functioning of the family so that family remains together and with a strong bonding. Abusing parents are responsible for the inappropriate sexual behavior. Therefore, necessity of therapy arises encompassing a programmatic component that addresses the restructuring of the family system. It is based on the wishes of the family, the desires of the child victim and the view of the therapist for treatability of the family reducing traumas and a better chance for change when all are involved with the therapy. The Solution In the present case, when evaluation was made pertaining to the factors contributing to the family's vulnerability to incest, precipitating events or situations typically precede an abusive episode and lack of coping mechanism. The family needs an intense therapy. For the situation presented in the study, biggest intervention would be to begin the session with apology. This is a therapeutic ritual which involves many weeks of planning and preparation on the part of the family and which has proven to have a profound impact on the course of the therapy. In the present situation, mother (Linda) was sexually abused by her father during her teens. This may explain her incest alluded to during this session. This has probably paved the way to develop distrust and hatered in her sex- life. She requires an Individual therapy along with the Couple therapy to overcome her fear and to develop trust and faith in her spouse (Mark). It is this trust that will help her overcome her bad memories of childhood and the paranoid behavior towards her daughter (Ashley). It is imperative for her to treat her daughter as a friend to be close to her and to share her feelings. She can emerge as a sensible guide for her and can protect her from the forthcoming events in future. It is not clear in the study who has taken the pictures the girl's father or her boyfriend There are a number of elements providing a multi-generational view in understanding problems. The notion that the problem (sexual abuse/ taking nude pictures of daughter) is symptomatic of a dysfunctional family. It is the portray of a psychologically disturbed nuclear family because every member of the family contributes to the development and maintenance of the problem and the belief that the problem (symptom) may not in itself have significance but rather have a meaning within the family which is not readily apparent in the behavior e.g. sexual abuse of daughter as a tension-reduction mechanism or as a means of displacing feelings of isolation when the legal- sexual partner (wife) is not supportive. Allegations of sexual abuse cannot be made on Mark as there is no evidence that he has abused her daughter. Therapy is imperative for both Linda and Mark. For Linda, a cognitive developmental perspective is essential (woman, sexually abused as child and whose daughter is also sexually abused). It discusses ways in which the development of cognitive self-understanding can by stymied by childhood sexual abuse and how this, in turn, can affect a woman's ability to parent her children. Linda must take full advantage of psychotherapy along with the couple therapy, sexual therapy, family therapy and individual therapy at the age of 43 when physiological changes in female's body start appearing. It is the responsibility of Mark to learn from his parents by seeing them as an ideal for deep family bonding and share feelings with his wife Linda. This will develop trust within her. It is also seen that the feeling of fear towards tensed family atmosphere persist and the family has restrictions on certain issues. The child psychology doesn't permit to up bring children in tensed atmosphere as it gives a psychological impact on young minds. Children now-a-days must be treated as friends to share and understand their feelings and encourage them in their good deeds but always with a bird's eye on their actions. It is the responsibility of parents to guide their wards and provide them sex education and should encourage them to maintain family restrictions and discourage their ill deeds. Mark should not be supportive if his daughter and her friends are collecting pictures of nude people. Rather than downloading her pictures on the computer he should have counseled them. He should have taken Linda in confidence for counseling. This is essential to make the children a better, aware and cultured citizen of tomorrow. This move will enhance changing family lifecycle, communication across generations, and the realistic view to understand problems to reach to solution. The therapist must take the initiative to study the entire case with depth and describe the participants at various stages of a social cognitive developmental model of self-understanding to promote the use of a cognitive developmental perspective in clinical work and offers suggestions for addressing issues of childhood sexual victimization. Therapist must emphasize on the apology and must explain both to parents and children about the depth of apology and must encourage discussing with parents about their issues. Children must not use the incest or their parent's apology as a means of gaining power. Moreover, it is the responsibility of the children to encourage talk much on the feelings concerning the incest, including anger feelings and it is children's responsibility to make the family atmosphere better and parents should have a new beginning the family future is imperative with a strong family bonding, the role and responsibility of children becomes essential to do things for the future and for the success of the family. The Result The case study reflects a number of significant weaknesses. The fact that it is referenced frequently in current literature as an authoritative source for various statements about the connection between sexual abuse of children and families it would be possible to overlook these weaknesses as products of a different age when standards were less rigorous. One must understand the cognitive development in which process people come to understand their social interactions. Cognitive developmentalists identify progressive stages of understanding which evolve as people develop more complex ways of thinking. Social cognitive development focuses on the ways where process affects the understanding of social experience. The couple must to make their marriages more satisfying, with better understanding and not to separate apart and ruin the family and future of self and children and should workout with cool mind why the situation arose and how they can overcome the situation and from this emotional turmoil. The damage is not an irreparable and can be resolved by understanding what and where the couple went wrong was it because of the childhood emotional impact that changed the psychology of Linda or the sexual dissatisfaction of Mark The matter should not be extended to divorce because when a marriage ends after sober reflection and careful consideration of the options, important decisions need to be made that have far-ranging ramifications, both emotionally and financially, for the partners and for their children. Every member of the re-organizing family will be profoundly affected by how the separating spouses each handle the emotional journey of divorce, by the access the children will have to both of their parents in the new two-household family, and by the financial arrangement made by the adults for their own care and that of their children. This period is a very vulnerable one in the life of the family; the importance of making healthy decisions that are guided by the overall well-being of all of its members cannot be overstated. In the present study, grandparents should come forward and support the adults counsel them not to go for divorce as broken marriage breaks off psychosocial norms and lives of the spouses along with their parents and children. Ways must be sorted through the discussions, understanding and decisions towards the better family understanding, bonding, progressive outlook and for the better future of the children. It is possible to work together or individually towards these goals, in conjoint or individual therapy; family therapy which includes the children also to remove budding fear of any kind in their young minds. The stress created by this incidence can be overcome through meditation, a change in the environment, a family trip to some good place to enhance family bonding and relationship. It is must for a nuclear family and to save the family from disasters. Moreover, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a powerful new therapeutic process that has helped hundreds of thousands of people find relief from a wide range of emotional and personal problems along with undergoing grief counseling if any grievances are there between Mark and Linda. References Goldenberg, I. & Goldenberg, H. (2008). Family Therapy: An Overview 7th Ed. Thomson Brooks/Cole Read More