“The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.”
First coined by the philosopher Aristotle, this idiom embodies the spirit of the FST | Family Systems Trauma approach.
Trained to treat traumatized individuals, families and couples from a client-centered approach, mental health professionals employ cognitive therapy, behavioral therapy and developmental therapy models. All great approaches to healing the individual.
Nonetheless, there remains a high risk for relapse when individually-focused therapy clients return to a traumatized environment.
Imagine the possibilities for sustained healing (second-order change) when looking at trauma from a family systems point of view.
- Often the immediate and extended family is likely traumatized as well as the identified client.
- Family members provide support.
- The power of “the village” accelerates the healing process for the identified client, the family and the extended family.
The Family Systems Lens
Do your families experience relapse and then want to quit therapy?
When mental health professionals and wraparound specialists look at trauma through a family systems lens:
- Families become co-collaborators with the therapist.
- Families shift from “just fix my child” to an externalized systemic view of “we all have to change.”
- Even the most difficult parents become engaged, thus increasing the chances of long-lasting healing.
In this video clip, Dr. Sells describes the benefits for mental health professionals, traumatized children and their families when trauma is healed from a systemic approach.
If you’d like to learn more about the FST | Family Systems Trauma approach to working with traumatized clients, request to join our private Facebook group here.
