Systemic therapy and family violence: an experience of research and intervention

Abstract

This project involved a team of therapists and ten families. Families agreed to take part in the project and signed a consent form. The sessions were recorded and transcribed (average of ten sessions for each family) and an individual and comparative analysis was carried out to find similarities and differences between the families. Therapists had to keep in mind not only the content of the session but also the speech and dominant narratives. Therapists found that in the group of families there was a marked tendency to repeat patterns of intergenerational violence. Due to the parents passing on violent behavior to the children, the children would solve problems with violence. Also the therapists found that the consumption of alcohol and male chauvinism is intimately associated with sustained violence within a family. Finally, therapists achieved change in all ten cases which validates the effectiveness of narrative therapy.