Before diving into the benefits of family therapy, let us first understand what is therapy and why it is so important in today’s fast-paced world.
What is Therapy?
Psychologists have a proper definition for the term “therapy” but society and the people in it tend to have a completely different view towards it. Being healthy generally means being healthy physically, that is, no scars, wounds or injuries visible externally. This also includes healthy functioning of internal organs like the heart, liver etc. The brain, though not left out as an organ, is often neglected. To be more specific, the part of the brain which is associated with mind and stimulates emotions controlled by levels of hormones in the body, is not taken as seriously as a physical pain. This is where therapy comes to play. Taking care of the matters of the heart and mind is not only a form of self-love but also equally important for mental well-being.
Types of Therapy – Individual, Couple & Family or Groups
Like everything else in the world, therapy too has types – depending upon the number of people attending and the relationship between them. Books and experts use several other ways to classify therapy as per the client’s need and diagnosis.
Individual Therapy
As the name suggests, this kind of therapy involves only one person. The focus of the therapist is on having a heart-to-heart talk with the client. This requires a lot of assurance on the therapist’s part to develop trust and bond with their client despite a patient-doctor confidentiality clause. It is usually recommended to victims of a traumatic accident (PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), patients with behavioural disorders (OCD, ODD, ADHD are some common examples) and diagnosed mental disorders. Nowadays, counselling is mandatory in various educational institutions and workplaces due to the rise in mental health awareness.
Couples Therapy
This kind of therapy is recommended to not only married couples but also if a couple is thinking about getting a divorce or going through one.Even two people who are planning to get married or dating or, are in a live-in relationship should go for couples therapy if there’s been too many issues between them lately. A third person perspective, that too from a professional, can help to decide whether to continue a relationship or not.
Family Therapy
The most important kind is this – family therapy. Because even if one is working towards maintaining their own mental health and bettering their relationship with their partner, there is no guarantee that external factors in the form of family would be supportive. Neither there is any certainty if one’s family is providing the right environment suitable for the mental well-being. This is why family therapy is extremely important to go for alongside either or both of the above stated kind of therapies. Let us look at the benefits of family therapy on a whole.
Benefits of Family Therapy
A family usually consists of one or more generations living together. Hence, there is a high possibility of opinions, beliefs, perspectives and lifestyles clashing. Family therapy aims to resolve such conflicts in order to bring about harmony in families by:
Bridging the gap between the old and young
The age-old tug of war between the Millennials and GenZ, as per popular culture, is the root cause of most problems in families. Therapy is a medium through which both of these groups can talk instead of sweeping every misunderstanding under the rug. This leads to too many pent-up emotions which result in an outburst later on and can destroy relationships in a matter of seconds. Nobody wants strained relationships with their parents, kids or other members. For two different generations to co-exist, a lot of understanding and acceptance is needed. A therapist makes sure the two parties involved don’t drive each other away rather work towards finding a middle ground.
Lending an ear to every member
Anger and pride prevent one member from hearing out the other. Hence, members end up forcing what they believe to be right on one another. At times, some might feel completely left out and drift apart. The therapist gives each member the right to speak their minds without any interruption or judgement of other. Thus, no single member dominates a conversation and everyone gets a chance to put forth their opinions.
Safe Space for Children
In nuclear families, children look up to only their parents. And, if they see them fighting all the time, they pick up only the bad parts of a relationship. Hence, developing commitment and abandonment issues. If they see their parents seeking help and working towards improving their relationship, they will also learn the same.
Basically, a therapist when it comes to family therapy provides a place for everyone to vent out their emotions with the therapist acting as a mediator, almost like a referee in a match. There are no red cards involved though, thankfully. A family needs to work together to send the ball into the right goal. Teamwork between members of a family is equally important.
Family therapies can also reduce the rate of divorces caused due to irreconcilable differences. Sometimes, families of the partners can also be the reason behind divorces instead of the issues between the couple. Unless the love isn’t worth the pain anymore, therapy can most definitely heal families. This is what we at Energetic Institute wish to provide for you because united we stand, divided we fall forms the basis of family therapy.
