Disarming the family ghost: a family of origin experience

A training method based on family of origin theory was designed to improve health care providers' interactions with difficult patients. The training is divided into five phases. First, leaders introduce participants to basic family of origin issues and the goals and format of the process. Second, participants discuss a difficult case, and, third, construct a family of origin genogram. Fourth, participants analyze the similarities between the two emotional systems. Leaders conclude with a discussion of the symptoms of fusion and develop strategies to avoid fusion during the therapeutic process. Within each phase, leaders present case examples and the participants in dyads proceed through the same process. By going through this process, participants will be better able to understand how family of origin dynamics affect the care they provide patients and why certain patients often prove to be difficult cases.