Advances in Coaching: Family Therapy With One Person

Abstract

This paper describes the process of "coaching" individuals in their efforts to change themselves in the context of their nuclear and parental family systems. Although this approach is regarded as one of the major modes of intervention in family therapy, the actual methods and techniques for intervention are not widely understood. Moreover, we have expanded the Bowen approach to address powerful cultural and family life cycle influences. The goal of coaching is to help clients define themselves proactively in relationship to others in their families without emotionally cutting off or giving in. Coaching begins by training clients to become observers and researchers of their own role in the family and of family patterns of behavior. Coaching then moves to help them bring their behavior more in line with their deepest beliefs, even if this means upsetting family members by disobeying family "rules."

Differentiation of self and psychosocial development

“…In some cases of severe abuse, cutoffs may be warranted, but generally should be avoided and thoughtfully considered. Clients that are cutoff from significant others could be coached by therapists to re-engage with others in healthy and selective ways (see Bray, Williamson, & Malone, 1986;McGoldrick & Carter, 2001;Williamson,1982).…”

“…The focus is on turning clients inward and helping them build a foundation of inner-generated knowing, rather than external reactivity. McGoldrick and Carter (2001) provided a discussion of how therapists can coach clients to act in line with their own inner beliefs, even in the face of pressure by family members to do otherwise. (b) As Bowen theorized, it seems advisable for therapists to assist clients in resolving emotional cutoffs and the issues that prompted them.…”

A Longitudinal Perspective on Differentiation of Self, Interpersonal and Psychological Well-Being in Young Adulthood

“…Many young adults leave home as children, without working out mature adult relationships with their parents (McGoldrick and Carter 2001;Nichols 1987). ''Family therapy with one person'' represents a viable approach to assisting these young adults to work out more mature relationships with parents and siblings by stimulating their interest in salient relational patterns in their families of origin, teaching basic ideas about emotional process, and helping them to maintain regular contact with their own parents and siblings (Kerr and Bowen 1988;Titelman 1998;.…”

Descending from the Summit: Aftercare Planning for Adolescents in Wilderness Therapy

“…Among his major contributions are two concepts that address the previous question: differentiation and chronic anxiety. McGoldrick and Carter (2001) describe differentiation as ''… a measure of the extent to which individuals are able to think, plan, know, and follow their own values and self-directed life course, while being emotionally present with others, rather than living reactively by the cues of those close to them'' (p. 284). In other words, a higher level of differentiation is preferable so one can distinguish one's own set of values and identity from those of others, while being able still to attune and connect with others.…”