Cognitive-behavioral family therapy applies several vital principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy. For this reason, it is also important for providing family psychoeducation. And strategic family therapy can be understood by how it differs from the psychodynamic approach, so can the cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Psychodynamic therapists give importance to the intrapsychic aspect of the client; on the other hand, cognitive-behavioral therapist emphasizes the importance of external social forces.
In this orientation, all behavior is based on learning and can be learned with basic principles of behavior modification. In fact, this type of family therapy grew out of behavioral modification programs for children with deviant behavior.
The cognitive-behavioral therapist, the family plays the role of a teacher or coach and brings about change by understanding the influence of family members have on each other and use this influence to provide positive reinforcement and negative.
Techniques used include operant conditioning, contingency contracting, daily thought, communication training, and conditioning psychoeducation. Operant strategies attempt to model the behavior through positive and negative reinforcement can be used timeout procedures with younger relatives.
Contingency contracts are members of the family behavior accordingly to carry out plans that replace destructive patterns related to the problem presented. daily thought is the tasks to family members that track the patterns of thought with the aim of discovering and correcting common cognitive distortions such as catastrophizing or overgeneralization.
The cognitive-behavioral family therapist also trains families in basic communication techniques, such as how to listen with empathy, expressing positive feelings, negative and transmitting communications with respect.
Psychoeducation is also an essential part of the cognitive-behavioral approach to family therapy and can be tailored to the needs of each individual family. Psychoeducation can include a wide range of topics of the general principles of learning theory to the specific information about the psychiatric diagnosis of a relative.
Treatment with cognitive-behavioral family therapy
One of the key components of cognitive-behavioral family therapy is operant conditioning, and this can be used in several reinforcements ways. Positive as the time for playing your favorite game or a subsidy towards their first car being used to reward through J good grades in school. Moreover, negative reinforcement, used as not to increase the allowance surprised if J or stop-smoking class.
The performance of the younger sister was also modified by operant conditioning. If he stayed at home due to stomach pain, the stepfather could stay home with her mother rather than to eliminate the perceived reward of staying close to his mother. She also received an award, your favorite dessert or a movie night out if you do not miss school for a training month.
Communication has also been incorporated. With the therapist as a coach, the skills of listening and sharing feelings and ideas with respect are practiced in the session and then at home. This would improve many domestic relations.
Psychoeducation is a wise use of cognitive-behavioral resources in this case, especially in light of the belief that the psychiatric symptoms stepfather was a sign of weakness. The therapist discussed important issues such as normal adolescent development, the signs, and symptoms of depression, OCD, and anger management.