Activities for Family-Based Therapists
Marriage and Family Therapists help families with a wide range of issues. When couples or families struggle with difficult times, adjustment or relationship issues, they can go to an MFT to learn ways of coping. Marriage and family therapy is generally a brief therapy, with specific, solution-focused goals meant to provide families, couples and partners with lasting skills.
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Genograms
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A genogram is a visual map similar to a family tree that looks at family patterns over multiple generations. Genograms use specific symbols to indicate people, relationships and other information related to family dynamics. A family therapist may use a genogram with a family to help the family see the details and patterns inherent in their relationships. For example, a genogram may be helpful in looking at patterns of drug addiction across generations. A genogram can be drawn and interpreted together with the family. The therapist can guide the family in a discussion of both the positive traits and difficulties that they spot.
Therapeutic Rituals
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Creating rituals can be an important activity, specifically for couples that are having difficulty in their relationships. For instance, if a couple is having a difficult time with their marriage and the wife blames her husband for this, the couple may be unable to get past feelings of anger, guilt and blame. Using a symbolic ritual may be a safe, interactive way for the couple to work through these feelings. Such a ritual may include the wife literally destroying a mutually agreed upon item of her husband's in a planned and symbolic way. This may help the wife to work through feelings of anger and blame and take back some power in the relationship. This type of activity can be done under the guidance of the therapist, who can help the couple plan beforehand and reflect on the meaning of the activity afterward.
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Religious Discussion
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Religion and spirituality are often important parts of a family's joint belief system. They impact mental, physical and emotional well-being, and are often tied to specific values. Family therapists can focus on activities related to the family's religion as one way to get to know the family and help them form bonds. One activity would be to ask the family about their spiritual or religious "biography." The therapist can ask the parents and children what their first memories of religion are and how these shaped them as well as their family's beliefs today. This activity can help create a culturally competent therapeutic environment where families can feel open to sharing their entire lives with the therapist without being judged or misunderstood.
Play and Art Activities
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The use of play and art therapy activities can be important for families with small children. These activities can help families by giving them specific tasks to do together, and help increase experiential learning in the therapy room. They also give children a way to communicate that is familiar to them, such as playing or making art. One example of a play and art-based activity would be to put out art supplies and have each member of the family create a "gift" for the entire family. For this activity, the family needs to work together to create a gift that the whole family would want.
Such activities give the therapist a chance to observe verbal and nonverbal communication and how the family works together as a team.
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References
- AllPsychoogyCareers.com: Marriage and Family Therapy
- Integrating Cultural and Contextual Issues into the Interview: The Community Genogram
- The Multicultural Family Institute: What is a Genogram?
- "Contemporary Family Therapy, "Healing Rituals for Couples Recovering From Adultery," Jon L. Winek and Patricia A. Craven, September 2003.
- "The American Journal of Family Therapy," Spiritual and Religious Discussions in Family Therapy: Activities to Promote Dialogue; Tricia Hoogestraat & Jean Trammel; 2003.
- Winona State University: Creative Family Therapy Techniques: Play and Art-Based Activities to Assess and Treat Families
