Individual And Family Therapy

512 Words3 Pages
According to Nichols (2010), “…the fundamental premise of family therapy is that people are products of their context” (p. 99). With this in mind, an individual’s behavior is believed to be significantly influenced by interactions and relationships with others (Nichols, 2010). Our lecture postulates that individual therapy is “…directed at the person and his or her individual personality” (GCU, n. d., n. p.). Conversely, family therapy works from the premise “…that the dominant forces in people’s lives are located externally in the family” (GCU, n. d., n. p.). I tend to agree with our Module 1 lecture notes about which approach may be best for specific situations. For instance, when an individual wants to work on an issue that is specifically about him/herself that he/she has been trying to change, then individual therapy is likely preferable to family therapy. Conversely, when an issue or problems exists that is affecting the entire family, such as substance abuse, marital conflict, or family feuds, then family therapy is likely preferable (GCU, n. d.). Strategies can be learned in family therapy that can help with various issues. For instance, if communication is an issue, this can be addressed with family therapy, and the entire family should begin to understand what their expectations are and how to improve communication. Of course, marital conflict and substance abuse affect everyone in the family, so it stands to reason that family therapy would very likely be the best way to go in such cases. Other issues, such as a child having school phobia or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) – as in the case with my son - should be addressed with family therapy. Given that alcoholism/substance abuse/addiction runs in my family and that I am in recovery from substance abuse/addiction, I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that family therapy is typically much
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