Intervention Plan And Assessment Tools
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m3_intervention_strategies.docxRunning head: INTERVENTION STRATEGIES 1
INTERVENTION STRATEGIES 7
Intervention Strategies
Obinna Okwara
Southern New Hampshire University
Intervention Strategies
Prompt
Recommend at least three effective and appropriate treatment options available for both family therapy treatment and individual treatment for various behavioral/psychological challenges affecting children and adolescents specifically applicable to your intervention plan.
Family therapy treatment
Family therapy is an established and evidence-based approach to psychological treatment alongside other psychotherapeutic modalities. Family therapy is where family members such as parents, siblings and extended family are brought into the treatment process (Krestan, 2000). Family therapy is used for a broad range of dangerous and potentially psychologically harmful issues such as marital problems, parent-child conflict, sibling conflict and effects of one’s illness on the family. Family therapy is essential in such situations since a family member can impact and is affected by the actions of the other family members. Family plays a huge role in our emotional, psychological and spiritual growth. Therefore, the family setting can affect one’s progress in the treatment of a mental issue. Family therapy is usually used where more than one individual is likely to benefit from the treatment process. There are many treatment strategies for the family therapy treatment. This include:
Cognitive-behavioral family therapy. This is an approach to family therapy that focuses on the use of the principles of behavioral modification and is designed to change the interactional patterns of family members and restructure distorted beliefs that come about due to faulty interaction (Carlson, Sperry & Lewis, 1997). It is based on the fact that people react to what they think and feel, and so changing these thoughts and attitudes would remove the dysfunctional patterns and triggers that set such behavior in motion.
When family members interact, they influence each other mentally and emotionally. This interaction may lead to the formation of ill thought and feelings which may lead to an undesirable reaction due to poor communication. By changing these attitudes, beliefs, communication patterns and creating a better interaction model for the family members, the triggers for undesirable actions such as parent-child conflict will be eliminated, and the problem will be solved. This method has been proven to be effective, especially in divorce cases. It has been shown to increase and better family interaction, reduced marital distress, and psychological problems. It is a practical approach to family therapy.
Functional family therapy. Functional family therapy is a short-term family based therapeutic intervention for at-risk delinquent youth and their families. It addresses the problems in the functioning within a family, and the therapist is actively involved in the process. It is based on the idea that the exposure to a dysfunctional family setting may act as a trigger for the development of undesirable traits such as truancy. This approach seeks to improve within family attributions and family communication and support (Barton, Alexander, Waldron, Turner & Warburton, 1985). Parenting skills, youth compliance and cognitive, behavioral and emotional behavior is targeted for change, so as to decrease the intense negativity and dysfunctional behavior patterns. This approach is very useful, especially in cases of delinquency. In one study done in Albuquerque, youth taken through this method showed a marked reduction in the use of marijuana and the increased family cohesion. This proves that this is a practical approach to family therapy.
Structural family therapy. This is the evaluation of the family relationships, patterns, and behavior as exhibited in the therapy session. This is done so as to assess the structure of the household (Krestan, 2000). Activities such as role play are used in the therapy session. The approach is based on the idea that a family is an emotional unit, and one is inseparable from that unit. A person will, therefore, be affected by the structures of the unit. This approach allows the therapist to find faults in the structure of the family unit and address these issues. This will help eliminate any unwanted behavior and keep the family unit intact. This approach has been effective in the interfamily conflicts. Conflicts between parents and children have been solved using this method.
Individual therapy
Individual therapy is the process by which one works with a trained therapist in a safe, caring and confident environment where they explore their beliefs, behavior and emotions, work through challenging memories and work toward the desired change (Horrocks, 2005). The client works hand in hand with the trained therapist to solve the psychiatric issues. This approach is an evidence-based approach designed to address personal mental issues. There are many reasons why people seek this type of treatment, such as coping with significant life changes, childhood trauma, depression, anxiety and other psychological diseases such as bipolar disease and schizophrenia. There are many treatment approaches used in this therapy. They include:
Psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is the practice of spending time with a skilled therapist to help diagnose and treat mental and emotional problems. It takes many forms such as cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and psychodynamic therapy (Smith & Glass 1977). Cognitive behavioral therapy is where the psychological treatments are treated by boosting happiness by modifying negative emotions. This approach focuses on generating solutions and encouraging clients to discard distorted thoughts and change destructive behavior. This method is especially useful for depression.
Psychodynamic therapy is based on self-exploration, where the client identifies their unconscious emotions caused by suppressions and the therapist shows how they may affect the client’s functioning. It is a psychoanalysis to probe the cause of a particular behavior, and from there work on ways to treat it. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is where the client and therapist evaluate the client’s behavior without deeming it as right or wrong, and they evaluate them objectively to find the cause of the behavior. This approach allows both of them to work together to come to a conclusion. It is a practical approach. It has been proven to help in trying times of the clients such as when making life adjustments. It is often the most recommended type of individual therapy by experts.
Expression or creative arts therapy. This is the kind of treatment where the person is allowed to express their emotions in writing, music, art or dance. The therapist encourages them to engage in these activities to express themselves. This type of therapy is based on the belief that people can help heal themselves through art, music or other expressive acts. It allows them to purge their emotions and keep them calm, contributing to repair their psychological health. A study has found that this therapeutic approach can reduce depression symptoms among women who were victims of domestic violence. It has also been shown to calm down anxiety and reduce lash outs from people with diagnosed mental conditions.
Behavioral techniques. The aim of these procedures is to allow people to see their behavior as learned behaviors that can be modified, without looking for any psychological connection. The theory is based on the idea that once the behavior is changed, the feeling is also changed (Dryden & Reeves, 2014). Many behavioral techniques can be employed. These include the behavior modification technique. This is where an undesired behavior is eliminated by providing positive reinforcement for acceptable behavior. Systematic desensitization is another approach. This is where one is exposed to a feared object or experience so as to overcome their fears. Another technique is relaxation training. This is where through techniques such as visualization and deep breathing, clients learn to control fear and anxiety. This method has been proven to be useful in the cases of extreme anxiety, fear or anger management. It is, therefore, a valuable tool in individual therapy.
References
Barton, C., Alexander, J., Waldron, H., Turner, C. & Warburton, J. (1985). Generalizing treatment effects of functional family therapy: Three applications. The American Journal of Family Therapy. Volume 3, Issue 3. Retrieved from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01926188508251260
Carlson, J., Sperry, L. & Lewis, J. (1997). Family therapy: ensuring treatment efficacy. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Dryden, W. & Reeves, A. (2014). The handbook of individual therapy. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Horrocks, R. (2005). Foundations of psychotherapy: an introduction to individual therapy. Hound mills England New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Krestan, J. (2000). Bridges to recovery: addiction, family therapy, and multicultural treatment. New York: Free Press.
