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J Child Fam Stud (2011) 20:560568 DOI 10.1007/s10826-010-9428-x
ORIGINAL PAPER
Experiential Activities in Family Therapy: Perceptions of Caregivers and Youth
Sanna J. Thompson Kimberly Bender
Jodi Berger Cardoso Patrick M. Flynn
Published online: 5 October 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010
Abstract Novel and creative therapeutic modalities have been developed in an effort to increase motivation in family therapy for adolescents and families. Many of these approaches incorporate experiential activities or family play, which provides a supplemental approach to traditional talk therapy. Incorporating experiential activities into family therapy sessions has been shown to increase engagement and enhance participation in therapy. Therefore, to understand how families view experiential activities within family therapy, we interviewed nineteen adolescents (age 1217) and their parents/caregivers who were receiving family therapy augmented with experiential activities. We asked a series of open-ended questions to understand the families experiences concerning how they initially felt about participating in family therapy and their perceptions of the experiential activities. The activities involved experiential interactions and skill-building exercises that elicited active participation from all family members and encouraged further discussions. Topics of these activities focused on problem areas the family had identied, such as anger management, problem-solving, improving communication, substance use, expressing feelings, coping, etc. Results showed that most caregivers and youth found the experiential activities helpful in
creating positive family interactions and developing communication skills. Caregivers and adolescents noted that the activities increased their desire to participate in family therapy sessions and they were more motivated to engage in the treatment process. Clinicians using the methods discussed in this intervention should be aware of the studys limitations. Implications for clinical practice and research are discussed.
Keywords Experiential treatment methods Family-
based treatment Family therapy High-risk youth
Treatment engagement
Introduction
Family therapy has long been recognized as an effective therapeutic modality; however, multi-problem adolescents and their families are often difcult to engage and retain in therapy (Berry, Charlson and Dawson 2003; Mosier, Burlingame and Wells 2001). In an effort to increase motivation in family therapy and produce more positive outcomes for adolescents and families, novel and creative therapeutic methods have been developed. One option is to combine family therapy with traditional play therapy techniques. By combining both play therapy and family treatment modalities, all family members participate...