Family systems therapy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Family systems therapy - Essay Example A mental health crisis, mental disorders, relationship problems, or parent-child relationship problems all bring the family into the involvement with the individuals treatment. The family may be counseled on how best to cope with a family member in crisis, or they may be a part of the treatment. No matter what the emotional disturbance is, the family is an integral part of the interaction and must be a part of the therapy. Systemic family therapies have been developed to treat the family as a cohesive unit. Behaviors and relationships are all interdependent within a family and as such need treated within the family environment. It will do no good to treat a single family member for substance abuse if the source of the users anxiety is the family relationship. Likewise, family members need to be aware of the impact that each relationship has on all the other family members. To study and manage the impact that the family has on mental illness, Alfred Adler pioneered the Adlerian technique of family therapy. More recent models such as brief therapy, and cognitive behavior techniques have all drawn from the research and writings of Adler. Because Adlers methods are at the roots of many other therapies, it is important to understand the Adlerian Family Therapy. It shapes and defines the family, its relationships, the influence of the individual members, and the actions necessary to correct family problems. Alfred Adler was born in Vienna in 1870 and after receiving a medical degree turned to psychiatry in the early 1900s. He was an associate of Freud and worked with him on several projects and occasions. During this period, he developed theories which would later evolve into the more recent ideas on self-actualization (Boeree, 2006). Followers of Adler include Rogers, Horney, Fromm, and Sullivan (Boeree, 2006). Adler stressed the importance of the individual within the family and postulated several theories on why family members