One of the most important steps in family therapy is to assess family history and to pinpoint why the family is seeking help in the first place. Families rarely enter therapy and already know what causes the problems within their family system. Sometimes patients may be agitated or emotional when entering the first therapy session and need to be given time to talk and express their feelings. However, the therapist should choose a comprehensive method to systematically assess family history, as this step ensures that the succeeding therapy sessions can be productive.
The choice of tool depends on personal preference as well as ideological background of the therapist. First, the therapist would have to determine who should be considered as belonging to the family. In the case study under consideration, the immediate family consists of Jeff and Roger. However, Roger's mother and grandmother, as well as Sherry should be included in the assessment of family history, as these persons might directly or indirectly contribute to the unbalanced family system. The decision as to whether or not include this "extended" family in the assessment process should be discussed with both Jeff and Roger. However, the therapist should try to encourage Jeff and Roger to accept that these persons are also part of the family system and should therefore be included in the assessment (Minuchin & Fishman, 1981).
One technique that appears useful in the context of the case under consideration is the genogram (McGoldrick, Gerson, & Petry, 2008). The genogram is a technique that records both genetic and interpersonal family/household data. This method appears to be particularly suited to identify hereditary and psychological patterns that might be prevalent in a particular family unit. Significantly, a genogram does not only give information about medical history and familial relation but the genogram can also include other information t...