What To Say At Your First Family Counseling Session

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How to Set Group Counseling Sessions For Family Therapy?

A group is a cohesive gathering of people who feel like they belong to a common factor. That factor may be that they are part of the same family, or of the same religious or social orientation. A group can be bound together if individuals are all seeking to improve in a certain area of difficulty. A group can unite people with a similar need in order to support each other in addressing the common concern. All these factors and more bring people together in a group context. A group context is where group counseling can take place.

Group therapy provides a stage for the collective treatment of a small group of clients through observing the interpersonal relationships and dynamics which emerge during group sessions. Any group setting will bring about transference from the familial experience. This means that we tend to use our family relationships as a prototype for relationships that we create outside of the family and in other group settings. The way we interact with family members transfers to other group settings. This is why family therapy can occur within groups that are not comprised strictly of family members. Even people who don’t know each other may eventually form relationships and the kinds of interactions in those relationships will be representative of their familial relationships. The group dynamic and recognition of the process that the group undergoes throughout the therapy are intrinsic to the treatment. Working on relationships within the group can enhance relationships outside of the group.

A family is a natural group dynamic. Family therapy sessions in the presence of an entire family can be beneficial. The group dynamic adds the dimension of realism to the therapy session. Real family dynamics can be objectively experienced within the therapy session, in a safe, supportive and monitored environment, rather than discussed in a subjective manner. Having the presence of an entire nuclear or extensive family in a group therapy session is one way of creating a group counseling session for family therapy.

There are all kinds of group counseling therapies. A support group is one example. In a support group people come together to address similar issues and can offer one another support. Attending a support group is an opportunity to share your burdens in a safe, supportive environment. Nobody is judged or questioned; everyone is given a chance to be heard. The chance to hear other peoples’ struggles allows people to realize that they are not alone and that others are struggling in a similar area to themselves. This experience is normalizing and dispels feelings of shame and isolation. Learning and growth happens from hearing how other people deal or don’t deal with their problems and as a result of the encouragement and support offered from the group and individual group members.

A skills training group is also a type of group counseling. A group leader teaches the group new skill sets in a given area common to their needs. Skills training in a therapeutic group setting usually refers to training in social or emotional dynamics such as social skills training, anger management, or communication enhancement, for example.

Each individual may connect to a specific mode of group therapy. There are other types of group counseling opportunities offered that focus on creative expression. Dance therapy, drama therapy, music therapy or art therapy can be beneficial to groups or families.

Another type of group counseling session would be to include a number of different couples, all seeking couple therapy, in a therapeutic group dynamic. Commonalities among couples provide common insights and the opportunity to see how other couples function can be a learning experience. The subjective experience of one’s personal couple dynamic may be hard for an individual to comprehend, but observing others provides a more objective perspective because one is less emotionally entangled.

These are some ideas of how group counseling works. Choosing one modality or an integration of several modalities together with a good group leader, either a psychologist, a social worker or another trained therapist who has experience in facilitating group therapy, can surely bring about enlightenment and positive change to a suffering family dynamic.

What Should I Say During a First Visit to Marriage and Family Counseling?

Society today is increasingly complex and stressful. One of the effects of this has been the erosion of many family bonds and values that, in the past, held families together as a social grouping. Today, all too often, the pressure caused by careers, finances and a rapidly changing society have led to a situation where more and more couples see dissolution of the partnership and the break-up the family unit as the only means of relief.

This has led to the development of the field of psychological counseling that devotes itself to assisting couples and families on the verge of an unwanted family breakdown. These persons seek ways to avert the dissolution and preserve what was, in the past, a satisfying and rewarding relationship.

Reaching the decision to seek counseling is no easy process. To begin with, all of the parties involved must agree that there is a problem. Second, they have to agree that there is a solution to their problems even if they do not know what it is. Third, and perhaps most important, they all must want and be willing to find a solution. Each of the parties must believe that the value in staying together, even if compromises are involved, far outweigh the perceived benefits of separating.

The decision to seek outside help and counseling from a family or marriage counselor is not an easy one. Many individuals find it difficult to reveal themselves to strangers. There are few matters of a more highly personal nature than marital and familial problems. It might be beneficial if persons contemplating professional assistance are aware of what to expect during their first meeting with a counselor. If they have some idea of what aspects of their lives they may need to reveal, their resistance might be lessened.

The first visit to a counselor will almost certainly begin with the completion of a brief questionnaire by the people seeking counseling. This form would consist of individual data, personal history and other information. This process is usually brief, as the main emphasis on any counseling session is on communication between the parties.

Following this, the couple or family members, if there are more or other than a husband and wife, will meet with the counselor. He or she will ask each, in turn, to explain why they feel they are in need of help and what issues in their relationship most concern or bother them. Each will also be asked what his or her expectations are for the counseling sessions. This last question may well be asked at the beginning of all following meetings between the couple or the family and their counselor.

The next stage of the first session will be analyzing the history of the relationship. If it is a husband and wife, they might be asked how and why the couple got together. What were their expectations before the marriage and how did reality meet their expectations? All family members might be asked to identify milestones, both positive and negative, in the family unit’s history.

Finally, the counselor will attempt to discover how the individuals communicate with each other. They might be asked if they express affection and love and if so, how do they do so? Does each feel appreciated by the other or others? Do open avenues of communication exist between them?

These steps are vital stepping stones on the path to successfully dealing with marital and family problems. They require honesty and candor from each party. But if the persons seeking counseling are prepared and know what awaits them, the discomfort of exposing one’s deepest secrets can most likely be reduced. There may also be a greater chance of a successful, relationship-saving experience.

Resource by F.Rosseti

I am a teacher in Michigan. I grew up in Florida and have lived here in MI for close to 15 years. I enjoy writing and skiing in my spare time.

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