Case Study: Family Therapy
In this case response, we will discuss Rachel’s family case, including the best and worst aspects of her therapy. I will make a quick assessment as to what disorders or diagnoses are most appropriate and least suitable for family therapy. I will also give a forecast of which clients this treatment will be the most or least helpful for.
I had mixed feelings about the case study. I believe that family counseling is an effective tool for people who have a strong bond. The therapist had told Rachel to be the most unhappy she could possibly be. I think it’s irresponsible of the therapist to instruct Rachel to be that unhappy, particularly if she has shown suicidal tendencies in the previous. She was successful in her approach to family therapy, but this case is not scientifically based.
Rachel’s rehabilitation was made easier by the fact that it used many different types of therapy. The success of her rehabilitation was a result of many subsets, such as who attended each session. The fact that it uses different models for treatment is another thing I noticed. I thought that family therapy was the least helpful because of how quickly and with too much emotion, both the therapists and groups came to conclusions. I’m not sure if I could conclude that Rachel wanted to be the sun her father didn’t have by becoming anorexic. The methods she used were extremely effective.
Family therapy is most effective for individuals with problems and for couples who are having marital problems. The case study proved that it is beneficial for individuals suffering from anorexia. However, it may also help those with schizophrenia, conduct disorders and other mental illnesses. It is most useful to those who come from dysfunctional or weak families. The same is true for groups where one or two members are toxic, making it impossible for the therapist to give help and make the family cohesive. The least helpful are those who have extremely fragmented or abusive families.
This type of therapy doesn’t appear to exclude people based on their race, cultural background or sexual orientation. Family therapists can help people with different cultural backgrounds, as long they are culturally sensitive and understand them. There is no doubt that family therapy can only be used by individuals in a close family. For this reason, it cannot help people without a strong family.
The concept of family counseling is one that I strongly support. It’s flexible, it allows for individual and group interventions to be followed, and it provides the necessary support.
