Sociology

The Experiential Model of Family Therapy uses real time experiences and focuses on spontaneity, encounter, and confrontation in dealing with clients family problems. This model promotes the idea that for a family to improve, the therapy should focus on genuine family interaction rather than merely going over and reflecting on why the disputes in the family happened. The principle of minimizing theories, focusing on the here and now, and emphasizing on the  emotional experience and effectively engaging families  are the most positive aspects of this model. These aspects of the model help family members encounter more than what they would normally experience,  giving more opportunity for growth. Therapists would  tailor their approach to the unique conflicts and behavior patterns of each family with whom they work,  which makes the activities that they use more personalized.  The tasks done during family therapy for this model make use of familys experiences, thus increasing the possibility of growth of the family members both individually and as a group.

In my family therapy, I would definitely like to integrate the use of personalized approaches and focus on experience. These approaches allow families to find deeper meaning in their relationships rather than simply reflecting again and again on the past. Also, this model promotes  the goal of encouraging individuation and personal integrity of all family members at the same time that it helps the family members evolve a greater sense of family belonging.

The aspect in this model that I would least likely incorporate in my family therapy is the destabilizing approach of the therapist to the clients. As much as possible, I would like for the therapy to take on a positive note that could improve the situation of the family members. While it is true that destabilizing is effective for family members to learn how to be more accepting in the way that they deal with their impulse reactions, as much as it can be helped, I would also want the experiences to be more constructive in the end.