Family Counseling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Family Counseling - Essay Example One of the main reasons for the conflict within the family is the leadership. During the early stage of the family, the parents are the leaders and the children are the followers. As the children grow older, they begin to develop their own personality which includes independence and responsibility specifically in the decision making process. One example of conflict is when the children already have their own work. In this stage the parents face difficulties in letting the children go and make their own life decisions (Worden, 2002, p.97; Goldenberg and Goldenberg, 2008, p. 4). Clear communication and understanding is important between the parents and the children at this stage to resolve conflict at an early stage. II. Rigid and Diffuse Boundaries Rigid and diffuse boundaries are concepts used to describe the organization of a family. Rigid boundaries within a family can result to disengagement due to the fact that members do not feel the connection with each other. Each member is li ving their daily activities isolated and independent from the other members of the family. On the other hand, diffuse boundaries means that there are vague or unclear boundaries between the family members. This results to enmeshment or ‘over-involvement’ of the family members to each other’s lives. In our family for example, it is in our culture and traditions to have a close family ties. There are positive and negative consequences to this interaction within the family. One positive consequence is that every member has a ready support system in case of problems. On the other hand, the over-involvement of the family members can result to conflicts due to hindered independence of each member specifically in the decision making process (Goldenberg and Goldenberg, 2008, p. 467). III. Pretend Techniques and Family Metaphors Pretend techniques are â€Å"paradoxical interventions based on play and fantasy.† This is undertaken through the process of pretending sy mptoms. Another concept is the family metaphors which are used in different types of family therapy techniques, one of which is the narrative therapy. Narrative metaphor is any idea used in therapy which is maintained through stories that are related to the life and knowledge of a person about himself or herself. Long-standing metaphor systems are used to initiate a holistic change in the family which means different aspects such as language and interpretation of experiences can also be influenced (Goldenberg and Goldenberg, 2008, p. 365; 470). These adaptations are important in the current therapeutic era since one of the most important concerns within the family is the complexity of the way of life in the society wherein the whole family has to adapt. They can only achieve the proper adaptation skills when every member is working together. On a personal view, I would feel comfortable using the idea in therapy with clients since it encompasses the different aspects of the family wh ich is important since conflicts and problems that are needed to be resolved cannot be isolated or separated from the other issues within the family. IV. Haley’s Case Haley’s belief is common in the family. The example given which is that the mother becomes ill and cannot be left alone when the adolescent daughter wants to go out for the evening can be considered as a manipulative act on the part of the parent. This can only occur when there is lack of communication between the parents and the children. The said scenario can be considered as a last resort for the parent maybe due to prior events when the adolescent daughter did not follow her parents command and still went out without permission. Based on personal observations, another example is