Families face many challenges such as adjusting to living together as newlyweds, adapting to the birth of a newborn and bringing him or her home, or blending families. These transitions can cause behavioral problems for some family members, especially those that areresistant to change or may be resentful about the divorce of his or her parents. Family counseling or family therapy can make these transitions easier for each family member. Family therapy can also help family members adjust to unexpected changes that often occur in life like the death of a parent or sibling, the dissolution of the family unit, trauma to family members, or behavioral problems. Counselors must effectively facilitate therapy sessions to allow family members to cope with changes or reconcile the differences they may have.
View of Helping
According to Oxbow Academy, Experiential Family Therapy deals with the client’s emotions, senses, and thinking to help him or her to understand what he or she is experiencing in his or her life. “What I hear I forget. What I see I remember. What I do I understand.” best describes the ideology behind this theory of therapy (About Oxbow academy, 2010). According to Satir and Whitaker, clients can learn life skills, discipline, or coping mechanisms from his or her experiences and information he or she receives from the artistic expressions.
Origin and Reason for Viewpoint
The Experiential view of therapy is a HumanisticApproach that began with Virginia Satir and Carl Whitaker; they believe that families with these transitional and behavioral issues can benefit from the experiences that involve using each family member’s own expressions. Satir and Whitaker believe that they can change negative behaviors through the client’s experiences in therapy and strengthen his or her emotional relationships at the same time Whitaker believes that families can begin their growth process by sharing the symbolic meanings of each family member’s thoughts and feelings (Parrot, 2010).
Relationship between Counselor and Client
The counselor’s main role is to facilitate the therapy sessions. The counselor suggests various methods of treatment; the counselor may request family members to draw a picture of how he or she currently views his or her family system or of the issue that the family is dealing with. After discussing the drawings, the counselor may suggest the family draws another picture of what each member views as a possible solution to the issue or how the family would appear under ideal circumstances.The therapist must remain highly involved with clients and families. He or she must be willing to participate in the same activity as the family and must be willing to take risk and remain involved in the manner necessary to the success of the family.
Limitation of Experiential Family Therapy
Cost can be one of the biggest limitations to therapy. Insurances may not cover certain activities like Pet Assisted Therapy because there is no scientific support that this avenue is successful and the clients can visit animals at the zoo or local ranches. In the event that the family’s insurance does not cover this avenue of treatment, the family should determine if they are able to cover the cost out-of-pocket? Experiential Family Therapy requires the therapist remain involved with the family in each session; because this method of therapy involves many individuals, compliance is often a problem and family members or the whole family may terminate treatment and therapy (Hutchinson, 2007).
Strengths of Experiential Family Therapy
Experiential Family Therapy allows clients to be active and receive therapy in the same session. Many of the techniques used are activities that clients may choose when spending the day with a friend and the only difference is that he or she will be accompanied by a counselor who will discuss the experience with the client. Experiential Family Therapy allows the client to express him or herself in a creative manner that is not threatening to other members of the family. The focus of this theory of therapy is expressing one’s self in an expressive and authentic manner. In fact, this may open an outlet for the client to relieve anxieties even after therapy has ended. The client may find that drawing and painting helps him or her to remain connected with his or her thoughts and emotions and he or she may continue to draw and paint.
Population
Any family can benefit from Experiential Family Therapy; all families can improve their communication skills and learn to become more cohesive as a family unit. The main groups of people who participate in this form of therapy are those who display behavioral problems, suffering from addictions, or have experienced abuse at the hands of another family member or from someone outside the family unit.
Types of Problems Addressed
Experiential Family Therapy treats the mind and body; it helps people who suffer from addictions like drugs or alcohol. People who have low or no self esteem and need to build self confidence can also benefit from this form of therapy. Satir believes that the most important goals for clients were effective communication skills and building self esteem (Parrot, 2010). Some other important goals of Satir and Whitaker’s approach are improving communication, improving a sense of personal responsibility, improving the relationship of the family unit, reducing family conflict, creating self discipline, character, and integrity. Experiential Family Therapy also focuses on each family member’s emotions, becoming independent, defines and creates an agreement on the familial roles.
Techniques and Approaches to Change
Experiential Family Therapy uses many approaches to help clients achieve their goals. Therapists may use drama, dance, art, games, sports, or problem-solvingactivities to teach client’snew skills; this is Recreation Therapy (“Experiential therapy,” 2010). Drawing and painting allows clients to be creative when sharing his or her feelings; the client can convey his or her thoughts and feelings in a way that is not threatening to other family members but is artistic. Sports like tennis, swimming, and golf will allow the client to exercise thereby making him or her feel better physically because the oxygen and endorphins are coursing through the body and alleviating some stress. Sports also allow the client to learn discipline, working with teams, and other skills that may be applied to general life.
Pet Assisted Therapy is another resource for therapy; Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch owned by Kim Meeder began in 1995 originally as a refuge for horses that had been abused or neglect. Children began visiting the ranch to help care for the horses when a muted girl was seen speaking to one of the horses. After this breakthrough, Kim Meeder built the ranch and currently owns about 30 horses. Children spend 90 minutes with a horse and a leader who tells the child about the horse’s experience, why it is living at the ranch and addresses issues important to the child. The children are better able to relate to the horse and its struggle. The goal is to teach the children about “values of life, family, faith, and trust” (“Rescue the equine,” 2010).
Multicultural Issues
Counselors must be aware of possible cultural issues that may arise in counseling families. Families from India observe a complex familial hierarchy; males are always superior to the females and the eldest member of the family ranks above any member who is younger (Heitzman, & Worden, 1995). Therapy may prove difficult for families who observe strict hierarchical roles; members who rank lower in the family may become uneasy discussing issues involving members with higher rankings. Experiential Family Therapy can provide a venue of therapy in which higher ranking members do not believe they are threatened or insulted by other member’s feelings; likewise, lower ranking members may feel comfortable sharing their feelings using tools like drawings, music, or dance.
Conclusion
Experiential Family Therapy allows the family to appreciate the thoughts and feelings of other family members in a creative and inclusive environment. Clients can participate in activities as a family that are intended to help improve communication skills and a sense of “togetherness.” I like this approach to therapy because I am an active learner. I believe that clients are better able to solve problems and respond to each other when they are active together. This theory teaches families thatit is acceptable, and in fact, very healthy to the family unit, to be spontaneous and creative in any manner comfortable to the family.
References
About oxbow academy. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.oxbowacademy.net/about.php
Experiential therapy. (2010). Retrieved from http://emqff.org/services/experiential.shtml
Heitzman, J., & Worden, R L. . (1995). India. India: a country study. Retrieved (2010, March 26) from http://countrystudies.us/india/
Hutchinson, L. (2007). Experiential family therapy (e.g. carl whitaker). Social Work Exam Review, Retrieved from http://socialworkexamreview.blogspot.com/2007/08/experiential-family-therapy-eg-carl.html
Parrott III, L. (2003). Counseling psychotherapy (2 nd ed.). Pacific Grove, CA:T homson/Brooks/Cole
Rescue the equine, mentor the child, hope for the family, empower the ministry. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.crystalpeaksyouthranch.org/AboutUs/General+Info/
