John and Michael, in their mid 30s, seek couples sessions to deal with their con

Question

John and Michael, in their mid 30s, seek couples sessions to deal with their constant fighting. As their therapist you treat their relationship as you would any other couple's relationship, helping them address communication skills within their relationship. As the work proceeds, it is revealed that John is out to his family (who accepts him entirely) and publicly, while Michael does not want his family to know he is gay. This is frustrating to John, who wants a “normal life, including Michael’s family being part of my family.” Michael reports to the therapist that he wants to communicate to his partner, John the terrible anxiety he feels in light of his family’s religious beliefs, particularly his fear that his family will likely never accept him or his relationship with John. In their most recent session, John and Michael disclose that that have gotten engaged and are planning their wedding as well as discussing a future in which they plan to adopt a child. While this should be a happy time in their relationship, it has led to further dispute due to Michael’s unwillingness to share this news with his family.

Describe the contextual issues the therapist should consider when meeting with John and Michael.

How would you assess this couple within a contextual perspective of LGBTQ issues?

How would you intervene with this couple within a contextual perspective of LGBTQ issues?

What are the Trans-Generational Therapy techniques that you may use when working with this couple?

What are the Milan Therapy techniques that you may use when working with this couple?

Explanation / Answer

In the case of John and Michael, we can see the behavioural problems as well as cultural disputes. As a therapist I would like to make participation of both families and help Michael and John to solve this issue with the help of community intervention. There are many examples of LGBT disputes and these considered as the cultural and social issues, many people thinks that cultural identity of their families will not address appropriately in those kind of cases.

            Being LGBT is not a selection of person and society so that we cannot take it as cultural or social problem. John must talk to Michael family about him as well as help them to understand the biological problem rather than cultural and social problem, LGBT laws in country experiences the problem of cultural identity and do not leave place for such kind of issues so the therapist must understand and make aware their families.

Gradually, John and Michael will develop good and effective communication regarding their biological issues and co-ordination between culture and self-assessment will work to help them.

Use of Trans-Generational therapy- The Trans-generational therapy and help John and Michael and their families to handle issues of LGBT, the trans-generational therapies are more interested in how the past affects the future. In these therapies we can learn how families across generations develops patterns of behaving and responding to stress in the ways that prevents healthy development in their family members and lead to predictable problems. So the families of Michael and John will understand the problems and help them to face cultural and traditional issues.

Use of Milan Therapy- The problem develop in family system because family hierarchies are flawed and family members develops symptom to control others in the family system. So Milan therapy focus on family history and hidden power struggle.

In the case of John and Michael, we will focus on manipulating and outwitting the family and their games by introducing strategies designed to expose their family games and reframe family member’s motives for their behaviours.

We will manipulate the family by exposing behaviours and actions that creates the problems by introducing sneaking strategies to outdo the family rituals. We will place responsibility to family members towards problems.

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