Terapeuters föreställning om och med barn - varför involvera barn i familjeterapi

Abstract

The purpose of this essay is to understand how children and adolescent regard participating in family therapy sessions, and the children´s views on their own contribution to the therapy. Another focus is weather family therapy can strengthen children´s identity and sence of coherence, and thus help them being more able to coping with dificulties in the future. Important questions for this work is to investigate how the attitudes and abilities of family therapists can help the children become participating subjects, and how the collaborative approach contribute to bringing new perspectives and opportunities in the family's relational context and life situation. By using Antonovsky´s salutogenic theory and narrative theory, the aim of this paper is to bring forth ways to approach children as family therapist that helps strengthen the childrens identity, self-esteem and sence of coherence. By analyzing family therapists known for being child-focused, such as Jim Wilson, Michael White, David Epston and Haldor Övreeide, and compare the approach as therapist to the conclusions of the recent studies, this paper wants to emphasize how to approach children, adolescents and parents in a way that helps children contribute to solving the problem and that brings forth new narratives about the childs identity and relational context.