Family Therapy: A Necessary Core Competence for Psychiatric Trainees

Abstract

Psychiatric disorders interact with the social context of the affected individual. The family interactions may affect the mental health of the individual, and simultaneously, psychiatric disorders affect family members and relationships. As a psychiatrist, it is important to have insights in how patients and families can be stuck in negative circles reinforcing psychiatric symptoms and undermining good outcome. The interactions between psychiatric disorders and family interactions are discussed. Some theoretical concepts and techniques of systemic family therapy will be given, and the importance of family intervention in psychiatric care will be stressed. For the psychiatrist in training, this implicates that he should acquire the skills to perform a systematic assessment and plan intervention with attention for the family system. He should obtain knowledge of family management, interactions, and be able to recognize dysfunctional patterns.