Family Therapy

Defining Family Therapy

Positive family relationships support the development of healthy personal and social adjustments. [Page 163]One fundamental purpose of family therapy is to acknowledge the need to treat the prisoner and his or her immediate family as a unit. Family therapy involves the inmate, family members, and a family therapist who supports the exploration of frequently uncharted family dynamics. This therapeutic modality attempts to identify dysfunctional family issues and encourage improved communication patterns. The goal is to emphasize positive family relationships and identify the role of effective communication and feedback.

For families of released prisoners that can survive the disintegration of family relationships through lengthy sentences, the prelease stage of incarceration has proven to be the most successful time to attend family therapy sessions.

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The objectives of structural family therapy include an analysis of family structure, the altering of family subsystem patterns, and the establishment of appropriate boundaries. The therapist's emphasis is on communication therapy, effective role expectations, stability, and tools for improved communication.

Successful family therapy programs seek to repair ineffective and sometimes irrational belief systems. Therapy sessions address self-defeating patterns of family interaction that have emerged as dysfunctional and repetitive. The strategy is to defeat detrimental styles of communication that are unwittingly passed from one generation to the next. Strengthening family relationships and alleviating faulty family interaction assist family members in building better relationships and improving communication skills.

Special Population Needs

Female inmates are at significant risk and often require family therapy. Research on female inmates indicates that they suffer serious consequences from family separation. Approximately 75 percent of female inmates represent expectant mothers and mothers who look forward to returning to their children. These children are likely to experience rejection and anger for being left behind and excluded from their mothers' lives. Inmate family backgrounds frequently include abuse, alcoholism, drug addiction, wide-ranging criminal behaviors, and incest. The failure to address unfavorable family dynamics is ill-fated. Ignoring the foundation for an inmate's dysfunctional family and psychological issues supports replication of similar consequences for the next generation.

Pre-Release and Immediate Post-Release Issues

For inmates about to be released or reintegrating into family life just after release, reemerging family demands and responsibilities may prove overwhelming. Resentment over fewer than expected family visits, as well as family hostilities, may surface in the former inmate. The cycle of family pain over the loss of children and the offender's inept-ness and diminished status may increase family tension and anger. Family members may demonstrate resentment for financial losses, social stigma, and additional family readjustment difficulties that have materialized.

Role conflict from family members who assumed responsibilities for social and financial support during the inmate's absence may inflame arguments. Arguments may emerge over child-rearing practices or adjustments that the spouse and other family members must make after having performed the absent inmate's roles and responsibilities during the offender's imprisonment. This conflict may escalate to the point of violence, and the spouse or former inmate may flee the family relationship.

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