Strong Points and Advantages of Family Therapy

Case Study Response: Family Therapy

In this case study response, I will examine the case study regarding Rachel and her family, as well as what the least and most helpful aspects of this therapy are. I will provide a brief assessment on what kinds of disorders or diagnoses would be the most helpful and also the least appropriate for the application of family therapy. I will also include a projection of the kinds of clients that this will be most and least beneficial towards.

My reaction to the case study was mixed. I felt that family therapy is a valuable tool, and it can help people who are intensely connected to each other. However, I had a problem with the therapist directing Rachel to be as completely unhappy as possible. I feel it is somewhat irresponsible to direct clients to do that, especially someone like Rachel who has expressed suicidal ideation in the past. However, the way that she handled family therapy with Rachel proved to be successful, but I realize that this instance is anecdotal, so I would like to see more research based studies supporting the methods that she took.

The most helpful aspect of the family therapy case study I observed was how it employed many different kinds of therapy in order to rehabilitate Rachel. There are many different subsets of therapy that went into her successful rehabilitation, for example, who was at each therapy session. I found, as well, that family therapy often employs different models of treatment, and I think that flexibility gives it a positive edge. The least helpful aspect of family therapy is that I felt like the therapist and group jumped to too many conclusions too quickly. I don't know if I would have the wherewithal to conclude that Rachel was trying to become the sun that her father never had by choosing to become anorexic. However, the methods that she applied proved to be extremely successful.

Family therapy would be most useful for individual problems, relational difficulties, and good for marital strife and other family problems. As with the case study has proved, it can be good with individuals with anorexia, but it could also be useful for those suffering from conduct disorders, schizophrenia, and for reducing relapse and re-hospitalization. It is least useful for those with weak or dysfunctional families. Also, it is not helpful for groups who have one or more extremely toxic members, who make it impossible for therapists to apply interventions and give aid to make the family more cohesive. It is least helpful for those with extremely fragmented families, or families that have had a history of serious abuse and/or neglect.

It doesn't seem like this kind of therapy would be one that excludes based on race or cultural or sexual identification. As long as cultural sensitivity and understanding are in play, there is no reason why family therapists could not help people from various cultural upbringings. It is clear that family therapy is exclusive to individuals belonging in families, so therefore it would not help those who did not have a family or did not have a family that supported this type of group therapy.

In conclusion, family therapy is very interesting, and I fully support the concept of it. It is great because of its flexibility, and because it helps individuals as well as groups to make sure that interventions are followed, and proper support is administered to those in need.