There are four general stages of family therapy that will be navigated throughout treatment.
The Preparation and Planning Phase
In this phase, family members must accept their challenges and be able to define them. Here is where the present state of affairs will be connected to the desired state and a treatment plan will be developed.
The Transitional or Assessment Phase
During this phase, the family members will confront the crisis at hand and reformulate how to respond in a new way.
The Consolidation and Treatment Phase
Here is where all parties come together and collectively invest themselves into the therapeutic work required to face and overcome past and ongoing challenges with the new skills learned.
The Disengagement or Recontracting Phase
Healing and self-efficacy begin in this phase. Each family member is empowered to move forward with productive skills as they disengage from regular therapy and adapt to the new healthy levels of functioning.
How quickly each family will move through these stages will vary greatly depending on the severity of their challenges and the level of each member’s willingness to participate authentically.