The new stepfather of a child diagnosed with a conduct disorder wants to know the reason for including him in family therapy sessions. The nurse explains that the goal of family therapy is to:

Question

1. Increase the probability that the child's mental health will improve.
2. Help the child relive past events and related feelings.
3. Provide an opportunity for the parents to interact with their child in a safe environment.
4. Speak for the child so the parents can become more aware of the child's potential.

Answer 1

1
Rationale: The goal of family therapy is to increase the likelihood that improvements in the child's mental health will occur. Involving step-parents in family therapy builds support in the home for these gains with consistent and sustained family patterns. The nurse uses modeling as an intervention to demonstrate specific ways of interacting with the child, to suggest approaches for the parents to try, to use positive interactions, and to speak for the child so the parents become more aware of the child's potential experience during caregiving. Abreaction, the reliving of past events and related feelings, is one of the purposes of play therapy. Providing a safe environment for interaction is another aspect of increasing the likelihood that improvements will occur. It is not a goal of family therapy for the nurse to speak for the child.