What is family therapy?
Marriage and family therapy (MFT) is a form of psychotherapy that addresses the behaviours of all members of the family and the way these behaviours affect not only individual family members but also connections between family members and the family unit as a whole. As similar, treatment is usually divided between time spent on individual therapy and time spent on couple therapy, family therapy, or both, if necessary. MFT can also be referred to as couple and family remedy, couple counselling, marriage counselling, or family counselling.
When It is Used
The range of physical and internal problems treated by MFT include marital and couple conflict, parent and child conflict, alcohol and drug abuse, sexual dysfunction, grief, distress, eating disorders and weight issues, children’s behaviour problems, and issues with eldercare, like dealing with a parent’s or grandparent’s dementia. MFT practitioners also work with psychological- health issues such as a family member’s depression, anxiety, or schizophrenia, and the impact these issues have on the rest of the family.
What to Anticipate
MFT is normally short-term therapy conforming to an average of twelve solution-focused sessions. Further sessions may be required, still, depending on the nature and severity of the problems. In couple or marriage counselling, the therapist will begin by meeting with both better halves and also spend some time with each individual. In family therapy, the therapist also will begin by meeting with the whole family and also, if appropriate, meet separately with individual family members. The first session is usually for information gathering, therefore the therapist can find out about the problem that brought you to therapy, get the thoughts of everyone involved, and observe couple or family dynamics. At an equivalent time, you ought to be able to get a transparent sense of the therapist’s role and competency, the goals of treatment, and any “ rules” to be observed in and out of sessions, similar as who should attend which sessions and confidentiality of any information shared between and among better halves or family members and the therapist. Over time, you will identify individual family roles and behaviours that contribute to conflicts, identify specific challenges, and explore ways to actively resolve issues.
How It Works
While traditional therapy focuses more on the individual, MFT examines how an individual’s behaviour affects both the individual and their relationship as a part of a couple or family. The theory behind MFT is that regardless of whether a drag appears to be within an individual or a family, getting other family members involved in the therapeutic process will result in further effective solutions. MFT is goal-oriented and works toward an established result. In recent years, MFT practitioners and groups have called for expanded approaches to traditional MFT training that incorporate further “ real world” practices to integrate other therapies and become more inclusive of non-heterosexual couples and families.
What to seem for in a Marriage and Family Therapist
A licensed marriage and family therapist is a psychological health practitioner with a master’s degree or doctoral degree as well as specialized training that includes at least two years of clinical hours of experience supervised by a marriage and family therapist. Upon completion of supervised hours, a therapist must also pass a state licensing examination or the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Board’s national MFT examination, which is used in most states. In addition to finding a qualified licensed MFT practitioner, it is important to work with someone you and family members trust and feel comfortable working with within a counselling environment.
SOURCE
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/marriage-and-family-therapy