Therapeutic Approaches to Helping Blended Families - Research Paper Example

The increase of divorce and deaths in the society has led to single parenthood, and has introduced various challenges in the society today.The breakage of families has led to creation of step families which are also known as blended families. FieldMose (2012), highlights that Blended families are those that have couples with children from their previous marriages from either of them. They are families formed through remarriage of divorced or widowed parents who have been left with children. Therapists refer to these arrangements as blended families in order to create good terms during counseling of families. This is done in order to create possibilities of the new arrangements, and guide the patients effectively than during earlier times. For therapies and cancelling to be effective, people need to recognize and appreciate the new family systems which have been created by the evolving society. The blended family struggles to overcome various difficulties occasioned by conflicts such as loyalty, jealousy, boundary and financial conflicts. Loyalty conflicts arise when children in the new family find it difficult to bond and accept the new parents in their lives by sabotaging their efforts to control them. Jealousy conflicts arise when members of the new family lose their original positions that they enjoyed before their new families were formed (FieldMose, 2012). Boundary conflicts occur when the blended family members start setting new boundaries with the new family members. Nash (2004) also highlights that financial conflicts might occur in the blended families when members try to adjust to the new arrangements. This can be solved by discussing and striking a common agreement on expenses in the family. Due to the different conflict that arises in the blended families, this report shall analyze the three commonly used therapeutic methods used in helping the blended families. These methods include solutions focused brief family therapy, structural family therapy, and cognitive behavioral family therapy (FieldMose, 2012). Solutions Focused Brief Family Therapy Solution focused brief family therapy is an approach used in helping blended families to solve problems between the family members. It is a psychotherapy technique that focuses on building solutions in the family rather than solving emerging problems. This therapy involves finding solutions by giving attention on the definition and understanding emerging problems in the family (Lee, 1997). This method acts as a solution to the family’s problems by focusing on the symptoms or issues that affect the members (Lee, 1997). It is a unique method because it is attentive to the present and future desires of the family members, and does not concentrate on their past. Lee (1997) highlights that, human beings develop problems in their lives during social interactions with other people, and hence, they are unlikely to escape these problems. Hence, this forms the main objective of the SFBT technique of helping the patients to do things differently by changing their behaviors when interacting with other people. Also, it aims at helping the patients to interpret behaviors and situations in a way that brings solutions to problems. Lee (1997) highlights that the foundation of this therapy lies in the patient’s anticipation of the future. This is supported by the belief that problems and heir solutions are subject to an individual’s perception and interpretation of situations, and there is no specific solution to problems. In this technique, the therapist ensures that the solutions suggested are related to the patient’s problems. Therefore, during therapy, the patient is assisted in constructing new belief systems that will help in solving his problems. Greenberge, Gansher and Danielkewich (2007) highlight that for this therapy to work, there are various assumptions that the therapist should take into consideration. The first assumption is that change is a continuous process and has no end (Greenberg, Ganshorn, & Danilkewich, 2001). Therefore, during therapy the patient is assisted in making positive future desires. Secondly, it assumes that the therapist should not resist the patients stand on issues so the patient is right. In this case, the therapist should approach patients in a cooperative manner without exercising power and control. He should use the patient’s strong points and opinions, and focus the counseling towards the desired behavior. Thirdly, it assumes that the past is not changeable and therefore, the therapy should focus on the future. The history of a patient is not important in this therapy, and the patient should focus on positive behavior to influence the future. Bannink (2007) highlights that this therapy also assumes that the language used by the patients shapes the reality and the therapist should make efforts to change the way patients talk about a situation. It also assumes that the patients have the ability and resources to help themselves out of their problems (Bannink, 2007). Therefore, the therapist should engage all the members of the blended family so that they can be self confident and responsible towards achieving the desired change. Second lastly, it assumes that small changes will lead to bigger changes in the behavior of family members. Therefore, the therapist should acknowledge the small achievements made by the members in anticipation of bigger achievements. Lastly, this method assumes that people do not need to know and have much information about a problem in order to solve it (Greenberge, Gansher and Danielkewich, 2007). In this case, it assumes that the therapist will investigate about the family member’s problems by the differences he observes whenever a problem arises. Structural Family Therapy (SFT) This is a type of therapeutic approach to solving problems in blended families. In this approach, the family is perceived as a system that exists within a larger unit in the society such as the culture etc (Nichols and Schwartz, 2004). The family system grows and changes with time, and it gets difficulties due to behavioral and mental issues of the members. Therefore, SFT method focuses on the problems existing in the family that influence the interactions and operations of the members. In this technique, the therapist joins in the blended family’s transactions by becoming one of their members (Nichols and Schwartz, 2004). He plays a role of influencing the interactions and conversations on the members. By becoming a member of the family, he is able to ask questions and identify unhealthy transactions and behavior patterns in the other members. Through this therapy, some aspects of the family that may have been hidden will be exposed, and this helps the therapist to design methods of assisting the family out of their problems (Nicholls, 2012). Nichols and Schwartz (2004) highlight that the structural family therapy technique involves seven steps which include: joining and accommodating, working with interactions, structural mapping, modifying interactions, boundary making, unbalancing and challenging underproductive assumptions (p.192). Joining and accommodating is the first step that the therapist takes, and it involves challenging the blended family’s style of interacting by first becoming one of their members. He should challenge them to accept and find the foundation of their problems lies with each one of their members. The therapist should at this step ease any anxiety by building an understanding and alliances with the family members by befriending them (Minuchin, Nichols and Lee, 2007). This is done to ensure that there is no resistance and members cooperate in the therapy. Also, the therapist should identify methods which the family problems present themselves by analyzing them in different perspectives. In addition, he should encourage each of the members to describe the symptoms that they feel are affecting their family (Minuchin, Nichols and Lee, 2007). The second step is to work with the family members through interactions by conforming to their established systems. Nichols and Schwarz (2004) highlight that in this step; the therapist should explore the activities of the members that contribute to their problems (p. 192). This allows the therapist to show the patients the causes of their problems without confrontation. Structural mapping is the third step in the SFT technique, and it involves searching through the family members past to understand how they arrived on their present situations. In this step, the therapist focuses on specific areas which have been identified to create problems. An understanding of the changes is needed so that the problems caused by the change can be identified. The fourth step is highlighting and modifying interactions or relationships in the blended family (Nichols and Schwartz, 2004). Minuchin, Nichols and Lee (2007) highlight that the family members should discuss issues that they feel they need to change with the therapist. Members should be included so that they may cooperate in the therapy, and the therapist should try to change their individual behaviors by altering some situations so that they can change their decisions. He should change the direction of the member’s actions and transactions in order to change the outcomes (szapocznic, Schwartz, and Muir, 2012). However, he should not do the things they the family members can do on their own by way of helping them. The fifth step in SFT technique is making boundaries which can be clear, rigid or diffuse (Nichols and Schwartz, 2004) clear boundaries are those that are visible in the family, rigid boundaries are those that that cannot be changed, while diffuse boundaries are overlapping and are not visible. In this step, the therapist is focused on strengthening boundaries in the family and interdependence of the members in their transactions. Members are allowed to express their opinions on issues affecting them without being disrupted by others and the therapist guides them in understanding their position in the family. The second last step ids unbalancing, and it involves integrating relationships between subsystems in the family (Nichols and Schwartz, 2004). The therapist focuses on changing the relationships between the family members by supporting some people on various issues against others. He does this in order to solve some conflicts in the family where there are stalemates. The last step is challenging the unproductive assumptions by contesting some of the family member’s perceptions. His objective is to change relationships of the members by giving alternative schools of thought so that they can change some situations. Cognitive Behavioral Family Therapy This therapy is mostly used to help families that are experiencing difficulties in their relationships. In this therapy, individual family member’s behaviors, emotions and perceptions are analyzed by the therapist in order to identify their effect on the factions of the family (Herkov, 2006). Herkov (2006) highlights that this therapy focuses on the interactions of the family members, and tries to give meanings to these interactions in order to solve their problems. During therapy, the doctor works together with the family members in order to understand their thoughts and behavior that causes negative interactions. He structures the family member’s activities during the family group sessions so as to understand the members. This therapy has continuous assessment whereby the family’s progress is continuously measured to see whether they are improving in their interactions. Herkov (2006) also highlights that this therapy involves challenging the thinking of the members by introducing other ways of perceiving situations, and it helps in changing the member’s behavior. Cognitive behavioral family therapy works by enabling the family members to learn the coping skills, changing their behavior and beliefs, establishing new relationships and solving life and family problems (Martin, 2012). Firstly, cognitive behavioral therapy teaches individuals on new skills which they can use to address their problems. It teaches them how to avoid situations by learning to record thoughts and interpreting them realistically by taking others into consideration (Martin, 2012). This helps them to change their moods, and care about other family members. Secondly, this therapy works by hanging the behaviors and beliefs of the family members; moreover, it aims at changing individual’s attitudes and behaviors by changing their thoughts about others. It helps them to understand others and how to control them when transacting with other members (Martin, 2012). This therapy also works by creating new relationships with the blended family members. It makes them change and collaborate with other family members. Lastly, this technique works by enabling members to solve their problems which may have been disturbing their families. It gives individuals the confidence to work out their problems and disputes with other members (Martin, 2012). References Bannink, F. (2007). Solution-Focused Brief Therapy. Springer Science. FieldMose, P. (2012, August 23). Smoothing Out the Family Blending Process. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from Psych Central: http://psychcentral.com/library/id135.html Greenberg, G., Ganshorn, k., & Danilkewich, A. (2001). Solution Focused Terapy. Canadian Family Pysician. Herkov, M. (2006). Cognitive Psychotherapy. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from Psych central: Retrieved from http://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/about-cognitive-psychotherapy/ Lee, M.-y. (1997). A Study of Solution-focused Brief Family Therapy. The American Jorrnal Of Family therapy , 25 (1). Martin, B. (2012, July 21). In-Depth. (G. John, Ed.) Retrieved November 16, 2012, from Psych Central: Retrieved from http://psychcentral.com/lib/2007/in-depth-cognitive-behavioral-therapy/all/1/ Nash, S.-N. (2004). Managing a Blended family. In Managing a Blended family (pp. 87-95). Black Enterprise. Nicholls, M. (2012). Family Therapy Concepts and Methods. Pearson Publishing. Nichols, M., & Schwartz, R. (2004). Structural Family Therapy. In M. Nichols, & R. Schwartz, Family Therapy (pp. 176-223). Boston: Pearson. Szapocznic, J., Schwartz, S., & Muir, J. (2012). Strategic Family Therapy. Miam Read More