Therapist's experience of working with non-referred siblings in family work

Section one - Literature Review:

Understanding Clients’ Experience of Family Therapy: A Review of the Literature
This section is a critical review of the available literature investigating how clients experience
family therapy sessions. All the literature reviewed was qualitative and a number of themes could
be seen across clients’ experiences. The quality of the research was judged using guidelines to
which and indicated that there is a great degree of variability in the extent to which qualitative
papers meet these guidelines. The clinical implications and future directions are discussed.

Section two - Research Report

Therapists’ Experiences of Working with Non-Referred Siblings In Family Sessions
This study explores therapists’ experiences of working with non-referred siblings in family
sessions and explores the processes which therapists have to manage when working with non
referred siblings. Eight therapists were interviewed and these were analysed using Grounded
Theory. The overarching theme that emerged from participants’ accounts was ‘a complex and
demanding balancing act’. Four main themes were related to this, (1) barriers to working with
siblings, (2) the benefits of involving siblings, (3) therapeutic tools and techniques and (4) change.
These themes influenced the extent to which therapists felt able to involve siblings. The
methodological limitations of the study were also discussed as were the implications of the
research in clinical work and on future research.

Section three - Critical Appraisal

This is a reflective account on the research process and the learning which resulted from this.