Family Therapy

Family Therapy

Introduction

Solution-based focused therapy has proved to be an effective approach in different settings. This approach can achieve positive results in a short period, and this is an advantage even in terms of cost. This approach is also suitable for use by counselors across all levels of experience(lee, 1997) Solution-focused interventions put a particular focus on what is known as an exception. This exception is times when there were no problems (Corcoran, 2002). This paper analyzes the case of Al, who has behaviors that are not pleasing to other members of his family. The paper will discuss strategies that make use of all possible resources from both Al and his parents in an attempt to correct his behaviors. This paper will be arranged in terms of engagement and noting possible resources by use of the exception. The approaches will be discussed in the context of Al’s case.

Engagement

Engagement involves taking into consideration the client’s association with the assistance process and making use of several approaches for several client relationships. This process starts by simply conversing, for example, about the client’s interests (Corcoran, 2002). Through engagement, the practitioner can get an insight into positive activities that the client performs and can use these activities as a coping strategy against an undesirable behavior. In the case of Al, he prefers not to get out of his room while listening to music and chatting with friends. These activities can be turned around and used to his advantage. Since talking with his friends seems to distract him, suggestions can include going out and meeting up with friends who have similar interests whenever he is about to get into a fight with his stepfather

Client Relationship

Client relationship in solution-focused family therapy exists in three forms which include the customer, the complainant, and the visitor. When a guardian takes his child for therapy, in most cases, they view them as being the problem, and their desire to see them transform. The children, on the other hand, are the visitors, and they, in most cases, not bothered at all with their habits as those around them. They don’t see the importance of therapy (Corcoran, 2002). Al’s stepfather and mother are the complainants in this case, and he is the visitor

Joining with the Complainant Relationship

This approach involves focusing on what the client wants and not what is hard and bringing out factors from the client in line with the context to find a way of using the individuals to solve the problem. The main aspects of this approach include normalizing and reframing.

Coping questions

Coping questions help to join with guardians complaining about habits from their kids. If what the parents complain about is not valid, involving them in finding a solution becomes difficult.  Apart from the client’s validation, coping questions help the practitioner to validate guardians and make them realize that they are capable and have what it takes in coming up with a solution (Corcoran, 2002). For example, in the case of the Franklin family, Suzanne complains of how Al is already sixteen years but still needs parenting. She has, however, been serving that role for many years, and doing the same for a little longer should not be so hard for her since her son is about to move out of the house. By using coping questions, Suzanne gets validation for the struggle of having to keep parenting her son and, at the same time, makes her realize that she has what it takes to cope with the situation.

Normalizing

Normalizing is also another strategy applied in solution-focused family therapy, and it borrows from MRI therapy, which highlights the concept of the feedback loop when it comes to families. (Corcoran, 2002) When children possess undesirable habits, parents may take action in an attempt to correct the behavior, but this may, at times, end up making the child’s behavior even worse, and the feedback loop keeps on increasing. The feedback loop starts with the child, not doing what is expected of them, and the parent gets disappointed. The parent, in return, pressures the child, making it difficult for the child even to take up the desired behaviors. In such cases, normalizing entails advising the guardians on what children can do at certain levels.

In the franklin family case, it is evident that Riccardo has over expectations about Al

and this is because he comes from a family background where no member is problematic, and he expects his stepson to follow his footsteps, this makes him put too much pressure on Al and this

Might have worsened Al’s behavior. His wife and stepdaughter seem to agree that he is too hard on Al, and this might be the reason why he is even more rebellious. He should not compare his stepson with his brother or uncle since they are not of the same age  and this may help in coming up with a realistic corrective measure

Reframing

Reframing involves appreciating looking at a client’s perceived undesirable behavior with a positive angle( Corcarana, 2002). Problems rephrasing can be in a manner that creates ease in solving them. For instance, Al keeps on saying that Ricardo is not even his father whenever they argue, and this means that he feels like a grown-up considering that he has only two years before he moves out of his parent’s house. This situation can be turned around by making Al realize that if he is going to move out then he needs to learn how to get along with other people since he might be required to live with roommates when he moves out and therefore getting along with his stepfather will go a long way in preparing him for his future adult life. This tactic can also help in making him change negative behaviors such as messing up the kitchen and leaving dirty clothes everywhere in the house, as these behaviors would make him have a hard time living with other people.

Aligning with Client Goals

It is crucial to come up with strategies that are in line with the goals of the client (Corcarana, 2002). The practitioner should ensure that they have the same perspective about focusing on children’s undesirable behaviors.  Solution-focused therapy takes into consideration the unique nature of the problems. When initiating the strategies, it is critical to involve the parents and having them play a huge role even if they may have thought that they were not crucial to the process. The practitioner should emphasize how the parents are even more important than them in achieving positive results.

Parents should be made aware of how children find it hard to generalize a behavior obtained in one setting to a different environment. If parents are there during sessions and observe the learning of new skills, it becomes easy for the children to carry over the habits to their homes. Parents should also be aware of how getting them involved makes the treatment bear fruits in a short time. Once the change has begun to take place in a child, it becomes easy for other subsequent changes to occur. If a parent plays a role in the treatment process, he/she will notice quickly any positive difference in behavior, and this appreciation may lead to the occurrence of more positive results (Corcoran, 2002). The practitioner should advise Ricardo and Suzanne to help in achieving positive outcomes for their son. They should create more time for their son.

Focusing on What Parents Want and not What They Don’t Want

The practitioner needs to work with parents to point out positive aspects of behaviors. For instance, in the case of Al, instead of focusing on how he talks back at his stepfather, the focus should be on having him get along with his step farther. To keep the relationship between the parents and the child and to make what is expected of them clearly, the child should understand what his mother or father expects of him since some times parents talk to their children in a manner that is not clear and so the child fails to understand what parents expect from them. In this approach, the parents get to know how they should express their requests.

. Engaging with the Visitor Relationship

Children of Al’s age, in most cases, come in with the visitor form of relationship (Corcoran, 2002)). They do not like the therapies, and they are willing to do anything to be through with the treatment. Asking them about who is responsible for them being in therapy makes them understand that the practitioner also wants to finish the process as soon as possible, and this makes them more cooperative. When dealing with visitor relationships, it is vital to ask the child to put themselves in the shoes of the people around them (Corcaran, 2002). This technique makes them understand how they affect others with their behaviors. This approach is an objective way of looking at the situation.

Exceptions

Among the most critical interventions during solution-focused therapy is establishing exceptions. Exceptions simply mean instances during which the problems at hand didn’t exist After Al and his parents have said what behavior they would like to achieve, they should be allowed some time to think if there is any point in time when al had that desirable behavior and look at the conditions that were present during those times. These conditions can help in formulating an environment that is conducive for Al to change behavior.

When questioned individually, Al speaks of how he misses his biological father with whom it seems they had properly bonded and would even go out to do fun activities like riding a snowmobile. His stepfather does not make any effort to bond with his stepchildren, and this may be a contributing factor to Al’s behavior. It seems like Al is missing out on something present when his father was there as he was happier when his father was there. Al’s concussions need to be taken seriously since they are associated with frustrations, anger and memory loss that is exhibited by Al

Conclusion

In conclusion, solution-focused therapy would be an effective strategy in treating Al’s condition. The plan uses minimal time in producing results because the treatment happens through a combined effort from not only the practitioner but also the patient and the parents.  The strategy has also produced positive outcomes in children in previous studies(Corcoran & Stephenson, 2000)This collaborative approach makes the process smooth since the practitioner may not always be there for Al, but his parents can easily be available for him. An important aspect that has come out about solution-focused therapy is that more focus needs to be on the results and not the problem, and this eliminates negativity in the process.

References

Corcoran, J. (2002). Developmental Adaptations of Solution‐Focused Family Therapy. Brief Treatment And Crisis Intervention, 2(4), 301-314. doi: 10.1093/brief-treatment/2.4.301

Corcoran, J., & Stephenson, M. (2000). The Effectiveness of Solution-Focused Therapy with Child Behavior Problems: A Preliminary Report. Families In Society: The Journal Of Contemporary Social Services, 81(5), 468-474. doi: 10.1606/1044-3894.1048

Lee, M. (1997). A Study of Solution-Focused Brief Family Therapy: Outcomes and Issues. The American Journal Of Family Therapy, 25(1), 3-17. doi: 10.1080/01926189708251050