Why is it Important to Have a Customized Family Therapy Plan?

No relationship matters more to us than the relationships that we build with other family members. However, several factors can come into play that cause dissension between two or more family members. Although trying to work out family relationship problems on your own might resolve differences, by far the most effective approach to resolving family issues involves undergoing family therapy.

The important thing to remember is that a cookie-cutter approach to family therapy does not work to resolve the conflict between family members. Every type of family dispute has unique circumstances that require a family therapist to develop a customized plan to resolve one or more disputes. For example, one family might experience anger issues between a child and a parent. Another family might have to deal with a grandparent that oversteps the line between remaining neutral and taking a side with another family member.

Another important reason to develop a customized approach to family therapy concerns which family members should participate in sessions. A family therapist has to balance the different needs of different family members. For example, the needs of the oldest son are much different than the needs of the youngest daughter. Customization of family therapy ensures each family member has different needs met. In addition, customization ensures addressing the core issues that have created turmoil within a family.

What is Family Therapy?

FamFamily therapyly therapy consists of a type of treatment created to address specific issues that arise to negatively impact the mental health of one or more family members. It also addresses issues that cause dysfunction within the family interactive dynamic. Dr. Michael Herkov explains the premise of implementing family therapy techniques: “The way the family operates influences how the client’s problems are formed and how they are encouraged or enabled by other members of their family.”

Therapists can use a wide variety of techniques that include interpersonal, cognitive behavioral, and individual adult therapy to address conflicts that develop within a family. As with other types of treatments, the techniques implemented depend on the unique problems presented by participating family members, hence the need to adopt a customized approach to therapy sessions.

What are the Benefits of Customized Family Therapy?

Customized family therapy delivers many benefits that include growing a better understanding of what constitutes healthy boundaries. Families can improve communication techniques, which goes a long way to resolving minor disputes before they morph into major problems that disrupt the entire family interactive dynamic. With enhanced communication comes improved strategies for solving problems, even complex ones that seemingly have no viable solutions.

One of the most important reasons to implement a customized family therapy plan is to incorporate different methods for establishing deeper empathy. Each family member participating in therapy sessions possesses a different level of empathy. One family member might require a considerable amount of work developing empathy, while another family member has already achieved the right amount of empathy.

The Bottom Line

Regardless of the customized approach to therapy taken by your family, one of the most common goals is to bring families closer together after a crisis. A major life event such as death or divorce can tear apart the tight bonds that took years to forge. Customized family therapy also is highly effective at resolving conflicts, teaching the value of forgiveness, and reducing stress and tension among certain family members.