Patients and their families are usually referred for counseling as some family issues arise. The Family Counseling Hinsdale therapist may be accustomed to individual sessions involving the patient but may be puzzled to approach and handle a family with a lot of information. Here is some guideline that he should follow while conducting individual sessions.
- The family therapist should establish a valuable rapport: Empathy and communication among the family members should be developed.
- The therapist uses the rapport to recall the expression of major conflicts and ways of coping.
- The therapist clarifies conflict by dissolving barriers, misunderstandings, and confusion.
- The therapist gradually attempts to bring the family to a mutual and understanding of what is wrong.
- This is achieved through a series of partial interventions.
- Counteracting inappropriate denials and conflicts.
- Lifting hidden inter-personal conflict and develop interpersonal interaction.
- The therapist fulfills the need for a true parent figure, danger controller, and emotional support source by supplying satisfying elements to the family. He introduces appropriate attitudes and emotions to family relations.
- The therapist undermines the resistances and reduces the intensity of conflicts, fear, and guilt. He accomplishes these things by using confrontation and interpretation.
- The therapist serves as a professional to test the family.
In achieving all these things, the family therapist plays a wide range of roles like:
- An activator
- Supporter
- Challenger
- Interpreter
- Educator: by taking essential Steps for Family Interventions.
- Re-integrator
The initial phase of therapy
- The referral intake
- Family formulation and treatment plan
- Family assessment
- Formal contract.
The referral intake
The aim of Family Counseling Riverside sessions is to understand the family’s perception and their problems, their motivation and the necessary needs to undergo family intervention, and various assessments suitable for family therapy.
Once this is determined properly, the nature and modality of the therapy are explained to the family, and a contract is made about the roles of the therapist and family members.
Individual Counseling 