This is achieved through providing a secure base/safe haven in which and from which each member is able to begin to form a coherent autobiographical narrative.' (Hughes, p. 1-2)
This is a distinct form of therapy as it requires the therapist to establish a role that borders on familial in its intimacy. Here though, it is expected that the therapist will not just improve the sense of freedom and comfort to speak freely amongst family members but also the ability to provide accurate and informed assessments of the family's most pressing treatment needs.
This high level of interpersonal interaction differs in emphasis from Individual Therapy. Indeed, as the text by Kaslow (2007) shows, this is the strategy most suited to treatment of a family in which a single individual is the likely source for dysfunction. According to Kaslow, this is a highly integrated system...
Kaslow notes that "this approach combines techniques from relational -- contextual, Bowenian, structural, and cognitive -- behavioral therapies, among others, and focuses on the individual within the family context." (Kaslow, p. 1) This means that treatment will pay direct focus to uncovering the sources of the individual's dysfunctional behavior and using this focus to drive family-wide coping mechanisms.
Works Cited:
Hughes, D.A. (2007). Attachment-Focused Family Therapy W.W. Norton & Company.
Kaslow, F.W. (2007). Individual Therapy From a Family Systems Perspective. American Psychological Association.
Waring, E.M. & Russell, L. (1980). Cognitive Family Therapy. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 6(4), 258-273.
