Family meetings are most effective when they are prescribed on a weekly basis. Ask parents to set aside a ninety-minute block of time at a specific time during the week. Like any good meeting, there should be an agenda and rules. It is important that parents and children recognize that a family is not a democracy, where the majority vote determines important decisions. Parents should seek their children's input on every issue, but they must ultimately retain the power for making appropriate decisions.
Family meetings provide an important opportunity to teach children social skills.
For example, parents can model how to listen to others respectfully and to resolve conflicts in such a way that everyone comes out a winner. In families where there are multiple problems, it is usually a good idea to have one or two initial family meetings in the therapist's office. The therapist might help formulate the ground rules for the meeting and then step back and assume the role of coach. An evaluation form, used at the end of the meeting, helps the therapist monitor the effectiveness of the family meeting as a psychotherapeutic technique. This brief form should be filled out by all family members and used to determine whether each person feels that the family meeting was useful in resolving problems and improving communication.