by Petro Maritz

Created on: January 29, 2009

Psychology has come a long time since therapy was just therapy. As personal needs changed and the field evolved, so too did counselling.

What is the difference between marriage or family therapy and individual therapy? The answer lies with the problem.

In some cases the problem lies in the relationship that family members, or marriage partners, have with each other. Family and marriage therapy is the obvious choice here, as the focus of these types of counselling lies with the interaction of the members of the group.

When the problem lies with an individual, individual therapy is the answer.

It's as easy as that. Or is it? To ease the argument, I use the example of a married couple. This same example can be transferred to a family or any other close family unit.

When a married couple have been going through a difficult time for a while, I suggest they go for marriage therapy. In therapy the interaction between the individuals will be evaluated and changes will be suggested to change the overall behaviour of the couple.

But the destructive behaviour had to start somewhere. And being in a rough relationship for a while would surely have caused some pain, anger and frustration in both the participating individuals.

That's when I suggest that both individuals in the relationship go for individual therapy too. This will help then get to terms with the pain caused in the dysfunctional relationship. It should also inspire them to give the relationship another chance.

An even more important factor of individual therapy paired up with marriage therapy is that the therapist can evaluate where the destructive behaviour started. Usually destructive behaviour is a symptom of much deeper lying emotional problems. When the therapist helps the client to work through these underlying problems, it prevents destructive behaviour patterns to be repeated.

For the same reasons I suggest that an individual that have been going through therapy do take his family for therapy session or two. This will help family members letting off steam about the situation. The therapist will also get a chance to prepare family members to aid their loved one in his journey to recovery.

The holistic approach towards finding a solution for a problem usually works better than just treating small parts of the problem. Although it is not necessary that all individuals that undergo therapy take their families for therapy too, it can be a helpful way to eliminate the problem entirely. This will aid and speed up total recovery. The same applies for couples and families undergoing therapy. All the individuals in the group will probably benefit from an individual therapy session or two.

Psychology is a very specialized field that focuses on different aspects of individuals and their interaction. Marriage therapy focuses on the relationship between individuals, and individual therapy focus on the individual itself. Both types of therapy can be used in its own. A powerful tool is created when the therapies are combined and used in support of one another.

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