family therapy

• Reduce negative emotions 


  Family therapy aims to reduce levels of expressed emotions, esepcially negative emotions such as anger and guilt which creates stress. Reducing stress is important to reduce the likelihood of relapse
• improve family ability to help

  • the therapist encourages family members to form a therapeutic alliance whereby they all agree on the aims of therapy
  • the therapist also tries to improve families beliefs about and behaviour towards schizophrenia
  • a further aim is to ensure that family members achieve a balance between caring for the individual with schizophrenia and maintaining their own lives
• a model of practice - Burbachs 2018 model

  • phases 1 and 2 - share information ad identify resources family can offer
  • phases 3 and 4 - learn mutual understanding and look at unhelpful patterns of interaction
  • phases 5,6,7 - skills training e.g. stress management techniques, relapse prevention and maintenance.
• one strength of family therapy is evidence for its effectiveness

  McFarlane (2016) concluded family therapy is effective for schizophrenia. relapse rates were reduced by 50-60%. particularly promising during times when mental healthy initially starts to decline. NICE recommends family therapy. this means that family therapy is good for people with both early and full blown schizophrenia
• another strength is the benefits for the whole family


  therapy is not just for the identified patient but also for the families that provide the bulk of care for people with schizophrenia. family therapy lessens the negative impact of schizophrenia on the family and strengthens ability of the family to give support. this means family therapy has wider benefits beyond the obvious positive impact on the identified patient