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Published on: September 19, 2019
The relational reframe and parents' problem constructions in attachment-based family therapy
Galia Moran1, Gary M Diamond, Guy S Diamond
1a Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Summary
This study shows that relational reframes in family therapy help parents view problems as interpersonal. Parents' interpersonal focus, particularly in strong therapeutic alliances, encourages therapists to use reframes more often.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Family Therapy
- Adolescent Mental Health
Background:
- Attachment-based family therapy (ABFT) is used for depressed adolescents.
- Therapist interventions can influence parent-child relationship dynamics.
- Understanding the interplay between therapist techniques and parent cognition is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine how relational reframes affect parents' problem constructions.
- To investigate the reciprocal effect of parents' interpersonal problem constructions on therapists' use of relational reframes.
- To explore these dynamics within the first five sessions of ABFT for adolescent depression.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of session transcripts from five early sessions of ABFT.
- Coding of relational reframes and parents' problem constructions (intrapersonal vs. interpersonal).
- Examination of the link between therapist reframes and subsequent parent constructions, and vice versa, considering alliance quality.
Main Results:
- Relational reframes consistently prompted parents to frame problems in interpersonal terms.
- Partial support was found for a shift from intrapersonal to interpersonal problem constructions post-reframe.
- Parents' interpersonal constructions predicted therapists' use of reframes, but only in sessions with a good therapeutic alliance.
Conclusions:
- Relational reframes are effective in shifting parents toward interpersonal problem-solving in ABFT.
- The quality of the parent-therapist alliance moderates the impact of parents' constructions on therapist interventions.
- Further research is needed on the mechanisms and quality of interpersonal problem constructions.
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