family therapy

aim of family therapy

to improve family communication and reduce stress of living as a family

how family therapy helps

- reduces expressed emotion: e.g. anger and guilt

- improves family’s ability to help: form therapeutic alliance, improve beliefs, achieve balance

- forming a therapeutic alliance with all family members 

- reducing the stress of caring for a relative with sz 

- improve the ability of the family to anticipate and solve problems 

- reduction of anger and guilt 

- helps family to achieve a balance of caring for family member and own life  

- improving families’ beliefs and behaviours towards sz 

AO3 - strength of family therapy: evidence for effectiveness

a review of studies by McFarlane (2016) concluded that family therapy was one of the most consistently effective treatments available for sz

Burbach (2018) - model of practice

proposed seven phases from providing emotional/practical support through identifying unhelpful patterns of interaction to maintenance for the future, including: (1) sharing basic info, providing emotional and practical support, (2) identifying resources – what family can or cannot offer, and (3) mutual understanding, creating a safe space for sharing