Introspectively pairing a family therapy model in conjunction with my family of origin has brought about insight regarding how therapy may have been a benefiting factor within my childhood family. A family of origin can be conceived as the ”living unit in which a person has his or her beginnings physiologically, psychologically, and emotionally” (Rover, 2004, p.44). Upon examination of my family of origin, it is evident that I was fortunate enough to find safety and security within a functional family unit. Even so, with several individuals doing life together, and social interaction being inevitable, it is a challenge to satisfy each person’s unique needs on how they would like to be heard, or why they communicate the way they do (Dinkmeyer,
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My mother was a housewife who took care of the home, and was always available to her family’s needs. My father was a police officer, with an ever-evolving career within the Ontario Provincial Police, who made his family a priority over his profession. The Christian faith tradition was central to my family, and we were active members in a local church. My parents’ took pride in raising us to be strong, educated, differentiated women. They believed in each of us, emphasizing how we were special individuals with unique gifts and talents. In full transparency, I had a somewhat idyllic childhood. Why the need for family therapy then? Like any family, there is always some level of dysfunction occurring behind closed doors. Within my family, communication and expression of our emotions to each other, particularly in relation to worry or concern, was a challenge. Cynicism and sarcastic humour was a well practiced communication method often utilized to deflect emotions, which in turn led to family members reacting in unproductive ways, including screaming at each other, internalizing thoughts and crying in solitude, or criticizing each other about random things outside of the issue at hand. This unhealthy pattern intensified with the inception of our adolescent …show more content…
Collaborating with the family to assess and learn together how they could better appreciate and consider each others feelings, supporting an environment in the home that is welcoming towards the expression of emotions, could be a therapeutic goal for the family to strive towards discovering and implementing. In so doing, it would help to “replace automatic, often nonconscious, negative interactions with a conscious understanding of family process” (Bitter, 2014, p. 139). Building upon the strengths of this family, this therapeutic goal could help them recognize, and shift, patterns of communication from the destructive cycle of hurting each other, towards “motivational modification” (Bitter, 2014, p.139), where the payoff of greater health for each individual and the family unit as a whole, is of most value. A potential barrier to keep in mind could be that some family members may not feel comfortable enough to work through conflict, even in a healthy manner. It could induce anxiety within them, fearful of what it will look like, and they may need some reassuring assistance to understand that working out disagreements
My mother was a housewife who took care of the home, and was always available to her family’s needs. My father was a police officer, with an ever-evolving career within the Ontario Provincial Police, who made his family a priority over his profession. The Christian faith tradition was central to my family, and we were active members in a local church. My parents’ took pride in raising us to be strong, educated, differentiated women. They believed in each of us, emphasizing how we were special individuals with unique gifts and talents. In full transparency, I had a somewhat idyllic childhood. Why the need for family therapy then? Like any family, there is always some level of dysfunction occurring behind closed doors. Within my family, communication and expression of our emotions to each other, particularly in relation to worry or concern, was a challenge. Cynicism and sarcastic humour was a well practiced communication method often utilized to deflect emotions, which in turn led to family members reacting in unproductive ways, including screaming at each other, internalizing thoughts and crying in solitude, or criticizing each other about random things outside of the issue at hand. This unhealthy pattern intensified with the inception of our adolescent …show more content…
Collaborating with the family to assess and learn together how they could better appreciate and consider each others feelings, supporting an environment in the home that is welcoming towards the expression of emotions, could be a therapeutic goal for the family to strive towards discovering and implementing. In so doing, it would help to “replace automatic, often nonconscious, negative interactions with a conscious understanding of family process” (Bitter, 2014, p. 139). Building upon the strengths of this family, this therapeutic goal could help them recognize, and shift, patterns of communication from the destructive cycle of hurting each other, towards “motivational modification” (Bitter, 2014, p.139), where the payoff of greater health for each individual and the family unit as a whole, is of most value. A potential barrier to keep in mind could be that some family members may not feel comfortable enough to work through conflict, even in a healthy manner. It could induce anxiety within them, fearful of what it will look like, and they may need some reassuring assistance to understand that working out disagreements