Family systemic intervention is a form of therapy that is used to assist a person by examining the context of his or her family. The systems approach focuses on the subconscious way that members of families relate to each other. This form of therapy helps family members to derive meaning from the mode of communication that they use. In other words, the family uncovers the root cause of the issues such as addiction with the help and facilitation of a therapist.
According to Carr (2014), the family systems approach is different from the traditional intervention where family members surprised one of their own on their issues. The systems approach ensures that the family member struggling with drug addiction is aware of the intervention. Furthermore, the addict agrees to participate and stay committed to the family therapy. Systemic intervention can occur in two ways. Carr (2014) explains that the first involves one or more meetings between the addict, the addicts family and the therapist. These meetings are aimed at guiding the addict through his or her treatment. They may also be used to assist the recovering addict to move into transition and back into society. Some may be used to break down the entire treatment plan. The author further points out that the second type of intervention plan only includes family therapy as part of its model. This means that the family therapy sessions will be only one component of the treatment. The addict may also undergo individual therapy sessions and group counselling with other addicts. This paper.will focus on the second type of intervention which incorporates family as part of a wider strategy.
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According Ackerman (2017), the integrated type of family systemic intervention has a lot of benefit to the addict. The first advantage is to the family unit as a whole. The family is able to come together and discuss issues that would have otherwise stayed hidden. Ackerman further argues that this will promote transparency and cohesion amongst the family members. The addict will therefore have a better chance of recovery because they are recovering in the midst of a healthy environment. Addicts also benefit from this arrangement because the family is better equipped to cope with them. The author emphasizes that this happens in those additional sessions where the family undergoes therapy without the addict being present. The therapist is able to train the family members on the best ways to help the addict. This includes how to respond to the addict, how to adjust the set up in the home for the addict's benefit and which warning signs to look out for (Ackerman ,2017).
Each family member is able to gauge their contribution to the addict’s behaviour and to his success. The therapy helps close loved ones to identify potential threats and triggers, and to know when to seek for external help. This level of understanding helps the addict to form closer ties to his or her family. The bonding offers the addict support that he can rely on after the therapy sessions have ended. Therapy also helps family members to set and follow boundaries in their relationships. This improves the quality of relationships within the family unit. The main disadvantage of this therapy is that various family members may react differently to therapy. Those who are not committed will derail the efforts of the addict. They include those who blame the addict for his condition and those who think family therapy is an invasion of their privacy. This is the main reason why family interventions have very varied success rates.
The systemic intervention fits into the model of addiction which blames disease for the addict's behavior. Leipholtz (2016) argues that the diverse approach of treatment assists to address the disease of the brain that predisposed the addict. However, intervention is also relevant to an alternative model that believes that substance abuse is a choice. Family therapy helps to identify the motivation behind this poor choice. Leipholtz explains that the resultant therapy helps the addict to make better choices and learn to be responsible for his actions. This is not to say that the family interventions supports the model of addiction as a personal failure. Choice in this case simply means that the person took a wrong turn. They can be encouraged to make better choices in the future, while facilitating them to avoid repeated bad actions.
Honaker (2018) points out that the family systems approach is suitable for use within small family units and with couples. The therapy can assist the addict as they only have a small unit to deal with. The smaller family is easier to deal with because the opinions are fewer. The same case applies to a spouse supporting the addicted spouse through family therapy. According to Honaker (2018), the addict can then attend his or her individual treatment sessions and then join the family for the group sessions. Intervention is less successful in the context of a diverse family. The author adds that diverse families mean those that are divorced, remarried, raised by extended family members, or those that in group homes such as foster care. Addicts from such homes have underlying issues that predispose them to instability.
The different sets of rules and conflicting views as well as the lack of a central point of power are destructive. A child or adolescent from such a home will be under pressure to deal with different priorities and goals. This will affect the well being of the addict as it will be an additional source of stress. An example is an adolescent in foster care. He is likely to have more than one primary caregiver. Attendance of a different caregiver to each therapy sessions will be pointless and maybe even harmful to the addict. Family therapy is most helpful for spousal support or in the context of a simple basic family unit.
References
Ackerman C. (2017) What is Family Therapy and What Are Its Goals And Benefits? Positive Psychology Program. Retrieved from https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/family-therapy/
Carr, A. (2014). The evidence base for couple therapy, family therapy and systemic interventions for adult‐focused problems. Journal of Family Therapy, 36(2), 158-194.
Honaker S. R. (2018) The Powerful Impact of Family Therapy on Addiction. Partnership for Drug free Kids. Retrieved from https://drugfree.org/parent-blog/the-powerful-impact-of-family-therapy-on-addiction/
Leipholtz B. (2016) What Is the Systemic Family Intervention Model? The Recovery Village. Retrieved from https://www.ridgefieldrecovery.com/blog/systemic-family-intervention-model/
