Extra Credit ( FAMILY THERAPY )

Family Therapy and Child Development
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Introduction
What the growth transitions in humans undergo in their development is faced with very many challenges. Some of this can be solved through guidance and organized sessions with a psychologist. Among the many difficulties encountered are depression, anxiety, emotional disturbances (suppression) and substance abuse. Some of these may arise from the family conflicts or inconsistent parenting style. With the use of family therapy models available, solving such cases have become easier and efficient. For the sake of the children’s growth, there is an absolute need for close parenting and intervention of a third party whenever things get out of hand. In cases where the source of the child’s problem is the family organization, family therapy models can be used to adequately address the issue and provide a suitable treatment plan for the course.
Parent-Child Interaction Interventions
Family therapy aimed at improving the relationship between the children and their parents is vital in their development. For the cases that children have withdrawn emotions towards one or both parents, there is a limitation of their interaction capabilities with the parents (Nichols & Davis, 2017). For instance, an alcoholic and abusive parent makes a child to develop a sense of fear in him or herself. The contribution of such instances to the disintegration of the parent-child relationship thus needs to be addressed efficiently.

Although parental guidance can be used to guide some of the misunderstandings between them and the children, the degree of the disagreement may need a third neutral person (therapist).
Building a child’s self-esteem needs a clear and consistent behavioral monitoring program either from the parents or the coordination of a family therapist. Most of the models of family therapy that have been discussed focus on the whole family. Alternatively, these models can be modified to be purely used to ensure a healthy development of a child in a family that experiences conflicts. Furthermore, the influence most teenagers pick while transiting to their adulthood have to be noted and carefully controlled without making them lose their emotional attachment with the parents. Frustration and anger which are the two most known ways that have been proven to be hard to control in children since it is a more difficult challenge. As the children grow, their thinking and cognitive skills increase. Due to these developments, they become away of most of their desires, and this leads them to deviate from some of their previous ways. In most severe cases, teenagers become involved in substance abuse, and this significantly impacts on their behavior both within the family and in the society as a whole (Robbins, et al., 2011). Interventions in such scenarios will require the intervention of family therapy concepts to establish the cause and the motivation towards the change of behavior in the child. Parents will, therefore, be responsible for seeking the services of a therapist to identify the root source of the problem.
The role of Therapy in Child Development
Children have different challenges in life depending on the type of family they are brought up. Adopted children may require more attention for them to catch up with the culture and practices of the new family. For instance, children from a family which endangered their lives or have faced domestic violence from the parents have different challenges both emotionally and psychologically. Anxiety, trauma, fear and lack of self-confidence are some of the effects that such children experience. Without prior correction of these challenges, the damage can become permanent in their lives. Hope and courage are needed to be retained in such children. To achieve such milestones, it takes the implementation of family therapy techniques to provide a suitable treatment plan for the problem.
Moral decay is rampant in a society with limited guidance and regulations, especially to the youths. Psychologists have associated these behaviors to lack of parental and professional guidance to children. Sessions with a therapist make it possible for a child to air his/her inner feelings about certain things in life. Furthermore, in a closed session without the parents being present, the child can give an account of what motivated him/her to adopt certain behaviors. Family therapy will thus be used to provide necessary adjustment in the behavior of affected children and youths to fit the societal requirements. Although some of the challenges a child experiences originated from the family, it is vital to involve him/her most in the treatment plan of the problem. Professional advice can be further offered to the parents on the most suitable way of providing a conducive environment for the development of their children. Family therapy can be used to increase a child’s ability to manage frustrations, shaping of behavior and improving both social and interpersonal interaction capabilities (Reynolds, Wilson, Austin, & Hooper, 2012).
Conclusion
For a proper growth of a child, there have to be suitable conditions for emotional and cognitive developments. Without these requirements, different challenges may emerge hindering the abilities of the children to conform to the societal provisions. Family therapy thus becomes an essential support component for the growth of children in families that have difficulties in successfully nurturing behavior in their children. As for families that comprise of children who are not biologically related to the parents, emotional attachment between the two distinct people is crucial for a stable family. Their backgrounds also will contribute a lot in how best they will be able to understand each other. In neutralizing such differences, family therapy becomes essential so that a sustainable, emotional, friendly environment can be created for child development.References
Nichols, M. P., & Davis, S. (2017). Family Therapy: Concepts and Methods (11 Ed.). Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780133826883/
Reynolds, S., Wilson, C., Austin, J., & Hooper, L. (2012). Effects of Psychotherapy for Anxiety in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis Review. Clinical Psychology Review, 32, 251-262.
Robbins, M. S., Feaster, D. J., Horigian, V. E., Puccinelli, M. J., Henderson, C., & Szapocznik, J. (2011). Therapist Adherence in Brief Strategic Family Therapy for Adolescent Drug Abusers. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 79(1), 43-53.