Systematic Therapy for Individuals
Do couple and family therapists just work with relationship challenges?
It’s the logical question when you see that a therapist is a “systemic” or “couple/marriage/family” therapist. Can these types of therapists see individual clients effectively? What if the problem I’m dealing with is anxiety, depression, or something that feels like it’s a personal issue?
Systemic therapy is clinically proven to be profoundly effective in working not just with families and couples, but with individual clients as well. At its core, systemic therapy sees individuals not in isolation, but as part of a larger network of relationships. Therapists weave together an understanding of both past and present relationships that might be influencing and influenced by the problem a client is facing.
Why do this?
Anyone who has ever gone away on a retreat, to a recovery center, or to a powerful conference and made a personal commitment to change has often found that change incredibly difficult to maintain once they got back home. This is because a complex system of relationships and interactions naturally draw us back into those same thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that we wanted to change. When a therapist brings these relationships and interactions into therapy, clients become aware of their impact. Not only that, though. These relationships and interactions can be employed to actually create and support the change that we’re looking for.
How does this happen?
A therapist can bring these relationships to bear in a number of ways:
They may suggest that the problem may be better dealt with in family or couple therapy.
They can bring an awareness in individual sessions to the impact relationships have had on the problem at hand.
They can help to identify overlooked resources in relationships that could help foster change.
They can use role-playing new interactions in session.
They may suggest collateral sessions (where another person other than the client joins counseling sessions for a season) if the client is comfortable and the therapist believes they may be helpful.
Ultimately, systemic therapy transcends traditional notions of therapeutic boundaries, offering a comprehensive framework for personal growth and transformation. By integrating relationships into the therapeutic process, systemic therapists empower individuals, couples, and families to navigate life’s challenges with resilience, insight, and lasting change.
Here at Atlanta Wellness Collective, we want to help. For support, contact us or request an appointment online.
This blog post was written by Andrew Quinley.
Disclaimer: This blog is not intended to substitute professional therapeutic advice. Talk with your healthcare provider about your health concerns and before starting or stopping therapies. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct professional advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
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