Family therapy

• Family therapy helps reduce expressed emotion in families

  • Family therapy involves families coming to together to help improve communication throughout them
  • Family therapists hope to reduce the stress caused by expressed emotion in hope hoped of decreasing the risk of relapse
• Improving family function

  Pharoah et al (2010) - Identified a range of strategies that family therapist uses to help improve functioning of a family and reduce the likelihood of relapse and readmission to hospital

  1. Reduce stress of caring for a relative with schizophrenia
  2. Improve ability of family to anticipate and solve problems
  3. Reduce guilt and anger in family members
  4. Improve beliefs and behaviour about schizophrenia
• Family therapy mark scheme

  • Aim is to reduce anger, frustration and expressed emotion
  • Therapist meets family members and patient for open, productive discussion
  • Educates family members about the disorder and what to expect
  • Encourages the family to develop problem-solving and communication skills to support the patient.
• Benefits for the family - 😊  

  P - Family therapy also acts as a large benefit for families who provide the bulk of care  

  E - Lobban and Barrowclough (2016) -  The effects of family therapy are important because families provide the bulk of care for patients with schizophrenia.  

  A - In strengthening the functioning of whole families - lessens the negative impact of schizophrenia on other members. Strengthening their ability to support patients with the condition  

  L - Family therapy has wider benefits that just the perceived patient  
• Evidence for effectiveness - 😊  

  • There is evidence for the effectiveness of family therapy  
  • McFarlane (2016) - concluded that family therapy was one of the most effective treatments available for schizophrenia.  
  • Relapse rates reduced by 50-60%  
  • Also concluded that using family therapy when mental health of patents begins to decline is particularly promising 
  • NICE (national institute of health and care excellence) - recommends family therapy for all people with a schizophrenia diagnosis