What is Brief Therapy, and How Can it Help During Times of Transition?
A new reality is setting in. Children are home from school and people are being encouraged to work at home or not work at all. As couples and families adjust to these new routines, habits and shared working environments, there may be an increase in feelings of worry, frustration and exhaustion.
Psychologists have predicted that the widespread quarantine will result in increased birth rates and divorces. Some cities in China have already reported an increase in divorce rates since mandating social isolation. The epidemic and social isolation are forcing people to live together, which can highlight problems that are easier to ignore when people are used to spending most of their time apart. Therapy can help.
Many people assume that therapy must be long-lasting, but that is not the case. There are several brief interventions and types of therapies that range from 1-6 sessions. While this model of care is not a fit for everyone, it can provide great benefit for many couples and families undergoing a transition.
How Brief Intervention or Therapy Works: 6 steps
- Work with your therapist to clearly define the problem as well as the desired solution
- Explore previous attempts to resolve the problem
- Identify problematic behaviors
- Set measurable goals for solving the problem
- Identify realistic changes
- Therapy ends
Benefits of Brief Therapy
This solution-focused approach is cost-effective, time-efficient and flexible. If you have called a hotline in a time of crisis or spoken with a social worker after a natural disaster or medical accident, there is a good chance you have been exposed to this brief, solution-focused approach to therapy. Another benefit to brief therapy is it focuses on the “here and now,” and does not look deep into the past, which can be time consuming (though deep work can be meaningful and gratifying in the right time and place). When you are concerned about communication and boundaries with your significant other or children, especially in a period of high stress such as this, consider brief therapy to help with this difficult transition.
The Family Institute is available to work with individuals, couples and families as they navigate this transition. If you are interested in brief therapy during this crisis, consider reaching out to a therapist today.