The family is a small social system, whose members constantly interact and influence each other. The goal of each member is to maintain his individuality, to become autonomous and at the same time to feel that he belongs to a specific group. The family is a point of reference for every child and plays an important role in shaping his identity. The family system begins with two people who decide to live together and start a family.
Each partner has already formed some views and expectations about the role he should play in his interpersonal relationships in general but also in his relationship with the other partner.
These views have been acquired through his own family of origin. The two partners, in order to be able to coexist, must make mutual compromises and formulate new conciliation models, which will replace the ways in which each spouse had so far learned to interact with those around him. As families evolve, they go through critical times and members are again called upon to adapt to changing circumstances.
The birth of a child, some loss, the entry of children into adolescence or their removal from home after adulthood are some examples of transitional periods that threaten the balance of the family and endanger the cohesion and mental health of its members.
Some families manage to successfully cope with the new conditions, to adapt to them and evolve, while others "climb" and try in every way to maintain the previous status quo. Resistance to change is a sign of pathogenesis. It leads all family members to increased stress and symptoms and conflicts begin to develop. The symptom of a member of a family acquires a meaning and has a function within the family system, in which it appears.
What is Family Therapy?
Family therapy is a form of psychotherapy and aims to address the difficulties that arise within the family system, to improve the way the family functions as a group, but also to maintain the mental health of each member individually. For this reason, all members of the family usually participate in it. Families usually come for treatment when a child develops a symptom or difficulty. We would say that in this way the child tries to give a message to the parents, to show them that something is wrong and that they need to mobilize to restore balance in the family system.
On the occasion of the child's symptom or the family member in general, the therapist focuses on the concerns of all members. What is particularly important about family therapy is how individual characteristics and behaviors relate to the context in which they appear.
During the sessions, the ways of conciliation, the rules of the family are examined, the direct communication between the members and the expression of emotions are encouraged. At the same time, the positive aspects in the life of the family are identified in order to be utilized in order to normalize the difficulties and conflicts.
In family therapy, the goal is to rebuild the family. A key element is the redefinition of dysfunctional ways of "relating" and the adoption and use of new, alternative and healthier ways of interacting. Ioanna Kouria, Psychologist - Family Therapist.
