Therapist Influences As a therapist, it is important to know your own beliefs, values, influences and biases. A big part of how we develop these beliefs and values is from our family history. After taking the time to construct my own genogram and carefully considering its impact I have come to find three major areas where my family background has heavily influenced me. These areas are beliefs about family, intimate relationships, religion. Due to my strong beliefs in these areas, I recognize the need to self-monitor and actively think about if what I say will influence the client to act according to my value system instead of their own.
Looking at my genogram I take special notice to all of the relationships that are estranged. Both sides …show more content…
Although my parents are still together, my extended family has many people who have divorced and remarried, sometimes more than once. The amount of marriages and divorces in my family has always bothered me, and has helped to shape my views on the meaning of intimate relationships, specifically marriage and its longevity. I believe that marriage is not meant to be taken lightly, and that it is a commitment which truly should last as long as they both live. Personally, I extend that commitment so that even if my husband were to pass on I would not want to enter another relationship. My main influencing factors are the polar opposite behaviors of both of my sets of grandparents. On my father’s side, my grandfather had his first family with my grandmother and then had an unknown number of relationships and children after their divorce. On my mother’s side, my grandmother was arranged to marry my grandfather and they stayed married and took care of each other until his death. After that point, she remained single until her own passing almost twenty years later. These different backgrounds influenced me because it showed me how much hurt and embarrassment can come from a broken …show more content…
Looking at my beliefs about family, intimate relationships and religion, I have identified not only my background, but also how it may impact me as a therapist. My beliefs about family have shaped how I view the importance of family influence on an individual. My families’ background shaped my views on intimate relationships and my current beliefs that a therapist should work to keep a couple together or on good terms if possible. AND MY families views on religion has impacted my own views that as a therapist, I should work to have the client decide on their own beliefs and support their
Looking at my genogram I take special notice to all of the relationships that are estranged. Both sides …show more content…
Although my parents are still together, my extended family has many people who have divorced and remarried, sometimes more than once. The amount of marriages and divorces in my family has always bothered me, and has helped to shape my views on the meaning of intimate relationships, specifically marriage and its longevity. I believe that marriage is not meant to be taken lightly, and that it is a commitment which truly should last as long as they both live. Personally, I extend that commitment so that even if my husband were to pass on I would not want to enter another relationship. My main influencing factors are the polar opposite behaviors of both of my sets of grandparents. On my father’s side, my grandfather had his first family with my grandmother and then had an unknown number of relationships and children after their divorce. On my mother’s side, my grandmother was arranged to marry my grandfather and they stayed married and took care of each other until his death. After that point, she remained single until her own passing almost twenty years later. These different backgrounds influenced me because it showed me how much hurt and embarrassment can come from a broken …show more content…
Looking at my beliefs about family, intimate relationships and religion, I have identified not only my background, but also how it may impact me as a therapist. My beliefs about family have shaped how I view the importance of family influence on an individual. My families’ background shaped my views on intimate relationships and my current beliefs that a therapist should work to keep a couple together or on good terms if possible. AND MY families views on religion has impacted my own views that as a therapist, I should work to have the client decide on their own beliefs and support their