Family therapy

• Family therapy

  Therapy that involved the patient and members of their family.

  Aims to improve quality of communication and interaction between family members.
• How family therapy helps

  • reduces negative emotions
  • improves the family's ability to help
• Reduces negative emotions

  reducing levels of expressed emotion and especially negative emotions sch as anger and guilt which causes stress.

  reduces likelihood of relapse
• Improves family's ability to help

  Encourages family members to form a therapeutic alliance where they all agree on aims of therapy.

  Therapist helps improve families' beliefs + behaviour towards Sz.

  About achieving a balance between caring for family member with Sz and maintaining their own lives
• Research evidence for effectiveness

  McFarlane

  Metareview on family therapy cases

  Relapse rates reduced by 50 - 60%
• Benefits whole family

  doesn't just benefit patient with Sz, also benefits whole family.

  Strengthening the whole family

  reduces the negative impact of Sz

  improves support
• Are there any ethical issues?

  May make the family feel responsible
• Limitation - suitability

  Won't be appropriate if the symptoms are very severe and unsafe for patient to be at home.

  Depends on the family dynamics.
• Limitation - time consuming

  Takes a few months, up to a year.

  About 10 sessions, once a month
• Strengths - appropriateness

  • no side effects
  • available on the NHS