assignment of tasks in family therapy

• Sep 17, 2023

10 Family Therapy Activities For Building Relationships

Pressure from workplaces, social interaction, or other outside influences can sometimes weigh heavily on family relationships, leading to inexplicable conflicts between family members. Getting frustrated and stuck in a cycle of unhelpful thoughts and behaviors related to negative family dynamics is easy. Will family therapy activities restore your relationships?

So, how do you establish or bring back happy family dynamics? How do you help your children, spouse, and other family members rediscover the joy in being together? How do you help them cope with the pressures of living in today's world? How do you encourage someone to be present with the family and see beyond their phone screen?

Could family therapy activities be the answer?

Family therapy is a smart step toward building relationships and restoring familial bonds. It involves activities designed to help the members express their emotions, understand each other better, and break down barriers, allowing families to function better together as one unit.

You can attend family therapy in person or from the comfort of your home, online via Teleheath .

Family therapy activities enhance overall connections within the family and encourage a healthier environment for everyone, young or old.

Understanding the Importance of Family Therapy

Family therapy empowers each family member to understand their roles within the family. It also helps build empathy and understanding of one another's feelings in a safe, trusting, and non-judgmental environment. More specifically, they learn and form healthy identities and create an atmosphere of collaboration and support within the family unit, while teaching families how to better manage their relationships.

In short, they help families gain a greater sense of well-being and operate in ways that are more open, empathetic, and curious in everyday life.

In this piece, we will explore the most common and effective family therapy activities for building relationships that can help you foster an environment of trust, love, and understanding within your family.

1. Open Communication Sessions

One of the fundamental aspects of any healthy relationship is open and honest communication. Family therapy often starts with dedicated sessions where each family member can express their thoughts, feelings, and concerns in a safe and non-judgmental environment.

These sessions are facilitated by an experienced family therapist who ensures everyone can speak and be heard.

During these sessions, family members learn to actively listen to each other without interrupting. The therapist may introduce communication exercises like "active listening," where one person speaks, and the others listen without offering immediate feedback.

This practice promotes a deeper understanding of each other's perspectives and encourages empathy.

2. Role-Playing Exercises

Role-playing can be a powerful tool in family therapy. It allows family members to step into each other's shoes and better understand the challenges and perspectives of others within the family. For example, a child may role-play as a parent and vice versa. This exercise helps family members see situations from different angles and can lead to increased empathy and compassion.

Role-playing is also a great way to practice new behaviors and skills. For example, if one family member often has difficulty expressing their emotions, they can practice this in a safe environment with the therapist's guidance.

3. Art and Creative Therapy

For families who find it challenging to express themselves verbally, art therapy can be incredibly beneficial. Individuals can convey their emotions and thoughts nonverbally through painting, drawing, or other creative mediums. This can be especially helpful for children struggling to articulate their feelings. Art therapy provides an outlet for self-expression and can uncover underlying emotions that are difficult to put into words.

4. Chinese Whispers

Chinese whispers, also known as the Telephone Game, is a fun and educational activity highlighting the importance of clear communication. Family members sit in a circle, and one person whispers a message to the next person, who then passes it along to the next. The message continues until it reaches the last person, who shares it with the entire group. Often, the final message is quite different from the original, illustrating how miscommunication can occur within families. This activity emphasizes the need for clear and direct communication to avoid misunderstandings.

5. The Miracle Question

The miracle question is a thought-provoking exercise that encourages family members to envision a future where their problems are miraculously solved. The therapist asks each family member to describe what their life would be like if, overnight, their issues disappeared. This exercise helps family members articulate their goals and desires, providing a positive vision to work towards. It also opens up discussions about the steps needed to move closer to that ideal future.

6. Emotions Ball

The activity works well to express emotions, especially in teenagers or children who might not be comfortable articulating their feelings through words. The activity only requires a pen and a ball (preferably a beach ball) because it is big enough to write various emotions, and passing it around is more manageable.

On each colored section of the ball, write down different emotions, such as joy, happiness, sadness, etc.

Gather the family members in a circle and have them pass the ball back and forth.

When a family member catches the ball, encourage them to share a personal experience or moment when they felt the specific emotion written on the section they caught.

This exercise is meant to facilitate open discussions about various emotions within your family while practicing active listening and expressing your feelings.

7. Mirroring Activity

The mirroring activity is designed to improve non-verbal communication and enhance empathy within the family. Family members pair up and take turns mirroring each other's movements and facial expressions. They mimic the other person's movements while avoiding physical contact. Those involved become more in tune with each other's gestures and expressions, helping them develop a stronger bond of understanding.

This exercise encourages family members to be attentive to non-verbal cues, which are often essential in understanding each other's emotions. Mirroring can help family members connect on a deeper level and develop a heightened awareness of each other's non-verbal signals.

8. Lily Pad Swamp Crossing

The lily pad swamp crossing is a problem-solving activity that promotes teamwork and cooperation within the family. It involves creating a "swamp" on the floor using cushions or pieces of paper as a "lily pad." Family members, now frogs, must work together to cross the swamp without falling into the "water." This activity teaches important lessons about trust, communication, and collaboration.

The therapist listens and observes how the family interacts as they complete the activity. It provides insight into how family members work together, and they can use this insight to identify communication patterns or problem-solving strategies that can be improved. They learn to support each other through challenges, fostering a sense of unity and shared achievement.

9. Family Genogram

Creating a family genogram is like constructing a family tree but with a deeper emotional dimension. It helps family members understand their history, connections, and the patterns that may be affecting their relationships. In a family therapy session, a therapist guides the family in creating a visual representation of their family structure, including relationships, roles, and significant life events. This tool can reveal patterns of behavior and relationship dynamics that contribute to current challenges. It also helps family members see how their family history influences their present relationships.

10. The Magic Key

The magic key activity is a metaphorical exercise that encourages family members to collaboratively explore solutions to their problems. In this exercise, family members imagine they have a "magic key" that can unlock solutions to their challenges. They take turns sharing about one thing they believe money can never buy that they want to unlock in the family. This exercise aims for family members to identify their common values and develop a shared vision. It can help them recognize their similarities instead of focusing on their differences, thereby strengthening relationships within the family.

Building Trust and Empathy

Trust-building exercises:.

Trust is the bedrock of any healthy relationship. Family therapy often includes trust-building activities that allow family members to work on regaining trust or establishing it for the first time. These exercises create a safe space where family members can express vulnerabilities and fears without judgment.

Trust-building activities may include sharing personal stories, setting boundaries, and gradually rebuilding trust through consistent actions and open communication. The therapist guides these activities and ensures each family member feels heard and supported.

Empathy-Building Games:

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. Various games and exercises in family therapy are designed to enhance empathy among family members, promoting a more compassionate atmosphere. One common exercise involves family members taking turns sharing their feelings while the others practice active listening and reflecting on what they've heard. This practice helps family members connect on a deeper emotional level and fosters empathy, which is essential for resolving conflicts and building stronger bonds.

Conflict Resolution Strategies

Active listening techniques:.

One of the keys to resolving conflicts is active listening. Family members are taught how to listen attentively and without interruption, fostering a deeper understanding of each other's perspectives. Active listening involves not only hearing words but also paying attention to non-verbal cues and emotions. This skill is invaluable in family therapy and everyday family life, as it promotes effective communication and reduces misunderstandings.

Negotiation and Compromise Activities:

Learning how to negotiate and compromise is crucial in any relationship. Family therapy often includes exercises that teach these skills, enabling family members to find mutually beneficial solutions. These activities may involve role-playing scenarios where family members practice negotiation techniques or work together to find compromises in real-life situations.

Strengthening Bonds

Group activities:.

Participating in group activities as a family can be incredibly bonding. These could include outings, games, or even volunteering together, fostering a sense of unity and shared experiences.

Group activities provide opportunities for family members to create positive memories, strengthen their connections, and enjoy each other's company outside of the therapy setting.

Family Meetings:

Regular family meetings can provide a structured and safe space for discussing important issues, setting goals, and celebrating achievements. Family members can use these meetings to check in with each other, share their thoughts and feelings, and collaboratively make decisions. These meetings help establish a sense of routine and structure within the family and ensure that everyone's voice is heard.

Final thoughts...

Family therapy activities play a pivotal role in strengthening and nurturing familial bonds. The dynamics within a family can be complex, and challenges can arise for various reasons.

These activities, conducted under the guidance of a family therapist, offer effective strategies for addressing these challenges and improving family relationships.

They help family members build trust, increase empathy, resolve conflicts, and strengthen their connections. Family therapy activities create a safe environment for positive changes to occur, enabling families to move forward with healthier dynamics and more meaningful bonds.

Commonly Asked Questions

1. when is the best time to schedule family therapy activities.

Timing plays a crucial role when considering the ideal time to conduct these activities because it can really make a big difference in how your family processes and implements. Consider these activities when:

Dealing with a significant life event, such as a chronic illness, mental health condition, or substance abuse.

During transitions, for example, remarriage, a new sibling, or a new school.

Post-trauma or crisis, such as divorce, loss, abuse, or other traumatic experiences.

Addressing persistent or recurring issues, like communication breakdowns, arguments, and power struggles.

Resolving underlying issues that keep the family from functioning optimally.

2. How long does family therapy typically last?

Family therapy can vary in duration, but it often spans several weeks to several months, depending on the specific issues being addressed. The therapist will work with the family to determine the appropriate length of therapy based on their goals and progress.

3. Is family therapy only for families facing severe problems?

No, family therapy can be beneficial for families dealing with a wide range of issues, from minor conflicts to more significant challenges. It can help improve communication, resolve conflicts, and strengthen relationships at any stage.

4. How can I find a qualified family therapist?

You can search for family therapists through professional associations, online directories, or by asking for referrals from people you know, your primary care physician or other professionals.

You can also find qualified family therapists at Healing Collective Therapy Group. We offer free consultations so you can get a feeling if the therapist you speak to is the right one for you.

It's important to choose a therapist who has experience in family therapy and with the specific issues your family is facing. Look for the therapists family therapy experience on our website.

5. Are family therapy activities suitable for children?

Many family therapy activities are designed to be inclusive of children and can help them understand and navigate family dynamics better. Therapists adapt activities to suit each family member's age and developmental level.

6. Can family therapy be done virtually?

With the advancement of technology, many family therapy sessions can now be conducted online, making it more accessible and convenient for families. Virtual therapy sessions can be just as effective as in-person sessions when conducted by a qualified therapist.

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• Indian J Psychiatry
• v.62(Suppl 2); 2020 Jan

Family Interventions: Basic Principles and Techniques

Mathew varghese.

Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Vivek Kirpekar

1 N.K.P. Salve Institute of Medical Sciences, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India

Santosh Loganathan

Introduction.

Mental health professionals in India have always involved families in therapy. However, formal involvement of families occurred about one to two decades after this therapeutic modality was started in the West by Ackerman.[ 1 ] In India, families form an important part of the social fabric and support system, and as a result, they are integral in being part of the treatment and therapeutic process involving an individual with mental illness. Mental illnesses afflict individuals and their families too. When an individual is affected, the stigma of being mentally ill is not restricted to the individual alone, but to family members/caregivers also. This type of stigma is known as “Courtesy Stigma” (Goffman). Families are generally unaware and lack information about mental illnesses and how to deal with them and in turn, may end up maintaining or perpetuating the illness too. Vidyasagar is credited to be the father of Family Therapy in India though he wrote sparingly of his work involving families at the Amritsar Mental Hospital.[ 2 ] This chapter provides salient features of broad principles for providing family interventions for the treating psychiatrist.

TYPES AND GRADES FOR FAMILY INTERVENTIONS

Working with families involves education, counseling, and coping skills with families of different psychiatric disorders. Various interventions exist for different disorders such as depression, psychoses, child, and adolescent related problems and alcohol use disorders. Such families require psychoeducation about the illness in question, and in addition, will require information about how to deal with the index person with the psychiatric illness. Psychoeducation involves giving basic information about the illness, its course, causes, treatment, and prognosis. These basic informative sessions can last from two to six sessions depending on the time available with clients and their families. Simple interventions may include dealing with parent-adolescent conflict at home, where brief counseling to both parties about the expectations of each other and facilitating direct and open communication is required.

Additional family interventions may cover specific aspects such as future plans, job prospects, medication supervision, marriage and pregnancy (in women), behavioral management, improving communication, and so on. These family interventions offering specific information may also last anywhere between 2 and 6 sessions depending on the client's time. For example, explaining the family about the marriage prospects of an individual with a psychiatric illness can be considered a part of psychoeducation too, but specific information about marriage and related concerns require separate handling. At any given time, families may require specific focus and feedback about issues such issues.

Family therapy is a structured form of psychotherapy that seeks to reduce distress and conflict by improving the systems of interactions between family members. It is an ideal counseling method for helping family members adjust to an immediate family member struggling with an addiction, medical issue, or mental health diagnosis. Specifically, family therapists are relational therapists: They are generally more interested in what goes on between the individuals rather than within one or more individuals. Depending on the conflicts at issue and the progress of therapy to date, a therapist may focus on analyzing specific previous instances of conflict, as by reviewing a past incident and suggesting alternative ways family members might have responded to one another during it, or instead proceed directly to addressing the sources of conflict at a more abstract level, as by pointing out patterns of interaction that the family might not have noticed.

Family therapists tend to be more interested in the maintenance and/or solving of problems rather than in trying to identify a single cause. Some families may perceive cause-effect analyses as attempts to allocate blame to one or more individuals, with the effect that for many families, a focus on causation is of little or no clinical utility. It is important to note that a circular way of problem evaluation is used, especially in systemic therapies, as opposed to a linear route. Using this method, families can be helped by finding patterns of behavior, what the causes are, and what can be done to better their situation. Family therapy offers families a way to develop or maintain a healthy and functional family. Patients and families with more difficult and intractable problems such as poor prognosis schizophrenia, conduct and personality disorder, chronic neurotic conditions require family interventions and therapy. The systemic framework approach offers advanced family therapy for such families. This type of advanced therapy requires training that very few centers, such as the Family Psychiatry Center at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India offer to trainees and residents. These sessions may last anywhere from eight sessions up to 20 or more on occasions [ Table 1 ].

Types and grades of family interventions

Goals of family therapy

Usual goals of family therapy are improving the communication, solving family problems, understanding and handling special family situations, and creating a better functioning home environment. In addition, it also involves:

• Exploring the interactional dynamics of the family and its relationship to psychopathology
• Mobilizing the family's internal strength and functional resources
• Restructuring the maladaptive interactional family styles (including improving communication)
• Strengthening the family's problem-solving behavior.

Reasons for family interventions

The usual reasons for referral are mentioned below. However, it may be possible that sometimes the reasons identified initially may be just a pointer to many other lurking problems within the family that may get discovered eventually during later assessments.

• Marital problems
• Parent–child conflict
• Problems between siblings
• The effects of illness on the family
• Adjustment problems among family members
• Inconsistency parenting skills
• Psychoeducation for family members about an index patient's illness
• Handling expresses emotions.

CHALLENGES FACED BY THE NOVICE THERAPIST

Whether one is a young student, or a seasoned individual therapist, dealing with families can be intimidating at times but also very rewarding if one knows how to deal with them. We have outlined certain challenges that one faces while dealing with families, especially when one is beginning.

Being overeager to help

This can happen with beginner therapists as they are overeager and keen to help and offer suggestions straight away. If the therapist starts dominating the interaction by talking, advising, suggesting, commenting, questioning, and interpreting at the beginning itself, the family falls silent. It is advisable to probe with open-ended questions initially to understand the family.

Poor leadership

It is advisable for the therapist to have control over the sessions. Sometimes, there may be other individuals/family members who maybe authoritative and take control. Especially in crisis situations, when the family fails to function as a unit, the therapist should take control of the session and set certain conditions which in his professional judgment, maximize the chances for success.

Not immersing or engaging/fear or involving

A common problem for the beginning therapist is to become overly involved with the family. However, he may realize this and try to panic and withdraw when he can become distant and cold. Rather, one should gently try to join in with the family earning their true respect and trust before heading to build rapport.

Focusing only on index patient

Many families believe that their problem is because of the index patient, whereas it may seem a tactical error to focus on this person initially. In doing so, it may essentially agree to the family's hypothesis that their problem is arising out of this person. It is preferable, at the outset to inform the family that the problem may lie with the family (especially when referrals are made for family therapies involving multiple members), and not necessarily with any one individual.

Not including all members for sessions

Many therapeutic efforts fail because important family members are not included in the sessions. It is advisable to find out initially who are the key members involved and who should be attending the sessions. Sometimes, involving all members initially and then advising them to return to therapy as and when the need arises is recommended.

Not involving members during sessions

Even though one has involved all members of the family in the sessions, not all of them may be engaged during the sessions. Sometimes, the therapist's own transference may hold back a member of the family in the sessions. Rather, it is recommended that the therapist makes it clear that he/she is open to their presence and interactions, either verbally or nonverbally.

Taking sides with any member of the family

It may be easy to fall into the trap of taking one member's side during sessions leaving the other party doubting the fairness and judgment of the therapist. For example, after meeting one marital partner for a few sessions, the therapist, when entering the couple, discussions may be heavily biased in his views due to his/her prior interaction. Therapists should be aware of this effect and try to be neutral as possible yet take into confidence each member attending the sessions. Therapist's countertransference can easily influence him/her to take sides, especially in families that are overtly blaming from the start, or with one member who may be aggressive in the sessions, or very submissive during the sessions can influence the therapist's sides; and one needs to be aware of this early in the sessions.

Guarded families

Some families put on a guarded façade and refuse to challenge each other in the session. By being neutral and nonjudgmental, sometimes, the therapist can perpetuate this guarded façade put forth by families. Hence, therapists must be able to read this and try to challenge them, listen to microchallenges within the family, must be ready to move in and out from one family member to another, without fixing to one member.

Communicating with the therapist outside sessions

Many families attempt to reduce tension by communicating with therapist outside the session, and beginning therapist are particularly susceptible for such ploys. The family or a member/s may want to meet the therapist outside the sessions by trying to influence the therapist to their views and opinions. Therapists must refrain from such encounters and suggest discussing these issues openly during the sessions. Of course, rarely, there may be sensitive or very personal information that one may want to discuss in person that may be permissible.

Ignoring previous work done by other therapists

It is easy for family therapists to ignore previous therapists. The family therapist's ignorance of the effects of previous therapy can serious hamper the work. By discussing the previous therapist helps the new therapist to understand the problem easily and could save time also.

Getting sucked to the family's affective state/mood

If transference involves the therapist in family structure, the therapist's dependency can overinvolved him in the family's style and tone of interaction. A depressed family causes both: Therapist to relate seriously and sadly. A hostile family may cause the therapist to relate in an attacking manner. The most serious problem can occur when a family is in a state of anxiety, induces the therapist to become anxious and make his/her comments to seem accusatory and blaming. It is very difficult for the beginning therapist to “feel” where the family is affectively, to be empathic, yet to be able to relate at times on a different affective level-to respond according to situations. It is important to be aware of the affective state/mood of the family but slips in and out of that state [ Table 2 ].

Guidelines for conducting interventions with families

FUNCTIONS OF A FAMILY THERAPIST

• The family therapist establishes a useful rapport: Empathy and communication among the family members and between them and himself
• The therapist clarifies conflict by dissolving barriers, confusions, and misunderstandings
• Gradually, the therapist attempts to bring to the family to a mutual and more accurate understanding of what is wrong
• Counteracting inappropriate denials, conflicts
• Lifting hidden intrapersonal conflict to the level of interpersonal interaction.
• The therapist fulfills in part the role of true parent figure, a controller of danger, and a source of emotional support and satisfaction-supplying elements that the family needs but lacks. He introduces more appropriate attitudes, emotions, and images of family relations than the family has ever had
• The therapist works toward penetrating (entering into) and undermining resistances and reducing the intensity of shared currents of conflict, guilt, and fear. He accomplishes these aims mainly using confrontation and interpretation
• The therapist serves as a personal instrument of reality testing for the family.

In carrying out these functions, the family therapist plays a wide range of roles, as:

• An activator
• Interpreter
• Re-integrator

BASIC STEPS FOR FAMILY INTERVENTIONS

The initial phase of therapy, the referral intake.

• Family assessment
• Family formulation and treatment plan
• Formal contract.

Patients and their families are usually referred to as some family problem has been identified. The therapist may be accustomed to the usual one-on-one therapeutic situation involving a patient but may be puzzled in his approach by the presence of many family members and with a lot of information. A few guidelines are similar to the approaches followed while conducting individual therapy. The guidelines for conducting family interventions are given in Table 2 . At the time of the intake, the therapist reviews all the available information in the family from the case file and the referring clinicians. This intake session lasts for 20–30 min and is held with all the available family members. The aim of the intake session is to briefly understand the family's perception of their problem, their motivation and need to undergo family intervention and the therapist assessments of suitability for family therapy. Once this is determined the nature and modality of the therapy is explained to the family and an informal contract is made about modalities and roles of therapist and the family members. The do's and don’ts of the family interventions are laid down to the family at the outset of the process of the interventions.

The family assessment and hypothesis

The assessment of different aspects of family functioning and interactions must typically take about 3–5 sessions with the whole family, each session must last approximately 45 min to an hour. Different therapists may want to take assessments in different ways depending on their style. Mentioned below are a few tasks which are recommended for the therapist to perform. Usually, it is recommended that the naïve therapist starts with a three-generation genogram and then follows-up with the different life cycle stages and family functions as outlined below.

• The three-generation genogram is constructed diagrammatically listing out the index patient's generation and two more related generations, for example, patients and grandparents in an adolescent client or parents and children in a middle-aged client. The ages and composition of the members are recorded, and the transgenerational family patterns and interactions are looked at to understand the family from a longitudinal and epigenetic perspective. The therapist also familiarizes himself with any family dynamics prior to consultation. This gives a broad background to understand the situation the family is dealing with now
• The life cycle of the index family is explored next. The functions of the family and specific roles of different members are delineated in each of the stages of the family life cycle.[ 3 ] The index family is seen from a developmental perspective, and the therapist gets a longitudinal and temporal perspective of the family. Care is taken to see how the family has coped with problems and the process of transition from one stage to another. If children are also part of the family, their discipline and parenting styles are explored (e.g., whether there is inconsistent parenting)
• Problem Solving: Many therapists look at this aspect of the family to see how cohesive or adaptable the family has been. Usually, the family members are asked to describe some stress that the family has faced, i.e., some life events, environmental stressors, or illness in a family member. The therapist then proceeds to get a description of how the family coped with this problem. Here, “circular questions” are employed and therapist focuses on antecedent events. The crisis and the consequent events are examined closely to look for patterns that emerge. The family function (or dysfunction) is heightened when there is a crisis situation and the therapist look at patterns rather than the content described. Thus, the therapist gets an “as if I was there” view of the family. The same inquiry is possible using the technique of enactment[ 4 ]
• The Structural Map: Once the inquiry is over, the therapist draws the structural map, which is a diagrammatic representation of the family system, showing the different subsystems, its boundaries, power structure and relationships between people. Diagrammatic notions used in structural therapy or Bowenian therapy are used to denote relationships (normal, conflictual, or distant) and subsystem boundaries, in different triadic relationships. This can also be done on a timeline to show changes in relationships in different life cycle stages and influences from different life events
• What the client is trying to convey through his/her symptoms?
• What is the role of the family in maintaining these symptoms?
• Why has the family come now?

This circular hypothesis can be confirmed on further inquiry with the family to see how the “dysfunctional equilibrium” is maintained. At this stage, we suggest that a family formulation is generated, hypothesized and analyzed. This leads to a comprehensive systemic formulation involving three generations. This formulation will determine which family members we need to see in a therapy, what interventional techniques we should use and what changes in relationships we should effect. The team will also discuss the minimum, most effective treatment plan which emerges considering the most feasible changes the family can make

• Formal Contract: A brief understanding of the family homeostasis is presented to the family. Sometimes, the full hypothesis may be fed to the family in a noncritical and positive way (“Positive Connotation”), appreciating the way in which the system is functioning the therapist presents the treatment plat to the family and negotiates with the members the plan and action they would like to take up at the present time. The time frame and modality of therapy is contracted with the family, and the therapy is put into force. The frequency and intensity of sessions are determined by the degree of distress felt by the family and the geographical distance from the therapy center, i.e., families may be seen as inpatients at the center if they are in crisis or if they live far away.

The Family Psychiatry Center at The NIMHANS, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, is one of the centers where formal training in therapy is regularly conducted. An outline of the Family Assessment Proforma[ 5 ] used at this center is given in Figure 1 . Several other structured family assessment instruments are available [ Figure 1 ].

Family assessment proforma (Obtained with permission from the Family Psychiatry Center, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India)

Middle phase of therapy

This phase of therapy forms the major work that is carried out with the family. Depending on the school of therapy, that is used, these sessions may number from a few (strategic) to many sessions lasting many months (psychodynamic). The techniques employed depend on the understanding of the family during the assessment as much as the family – therapist fit. For example, the degree of psychological sophistication of the clients will determine the use of psychodynamic and behavioral techniques. Similarly, a therapist who is comfortable with structural/strategic methods would put these therapies to maximum use. The nature of the disorder and the degree of pathology may also determine the choice of therapy, i.e., behavioral techniques may be used more in chronic psychotic conditions while the more difficult or resistant families may get brief strategic therapies. We will now describe some of the important techniques used with different kinds of problems.

Psychodynamic therapy

This school was one of the first to be described by people like Ackerman and Bowen.[ 1 , 6 ] This method has been made more contextual and briefer by therapists like Boszormenyi-Nasgy and Framo.[ 7 , 8 ] Essentially, the therapist understands the dynamics employed by different members of the family and the interrelationships of these members. These family ego defenses are interpreted to the members and the goal of therapy is to effects emotional insight and working through of new defense patterns. Family transferences may become evident and may need interpretation. Therapy usually lasts from 15 to 30 sessions and this method may be employed in persons who are psychologically sophisticated, and able to understand dynamics and interpretations. Sustained and high motivation is necessary for such a therapy. This method is found useful in couples with marital discord from upper middle-class backgrounds. Time required is a major constraint.

Behavioral methods

Behavioral techniques find use in many types of therapies and conditions. It has been extensively used in chronic psychotic illnesses by workers such as Fallon et al. , (1986) and Anderson et al. [ 9 , 10 ] Psychoeducation and skills training in communication and problem-solving are found very useful among families which do not have very serious dysfunction. Techniques such as modeling or role-plays are useful in improving communication styles and to teach parenting skills with disturbed children. Obviously, motivation for therapy is a major requisite and hence techniques such as contracting, homework assignments are used in couples with marital discord. Behavioral techniques used in sexual dysfunction are also possible when adapted according to clients’ needs.

Structural family therapy

Described by Minuchin; Fishman and Unbarger[ 4 , 11 , 12 ] has become quite popular over the past few years among therapists in India. This is possibly because of many reasons. Our families are available with their manifold subsystems of parents, children, grandparents and structure is easily discerned and changed. In addition, in recent years most clients present with conduct and personality disorders in adolescence and early adulthood. Hence, techniques like unbalancing, boundary-making are quite useful as the common problems involve adolescents who are wielding power with poor marital adjustments between parents. These techniques are useful for many of our clients.

Strategic technique

We have found that these brief techniques can be very powerfully used with families which are difficult and highly resistant to change. We usually employ them when other methods have failed, and we need to take a U-turn in therapy. Techniques employed by the Milan school[ 13 , 14 ] reframing, positive connotation, paradoxical (symptom) prescription have been used effectively. So also have techniques like prescription in brief methods advocated by Erikson, Watzlawick et al. ,[ 15 , 16 ] been useful. Familiarity and competence with these techniques is a must and therapy is usually brief and quickly terminated with prescriptions [ Table 3 ].

Summaries of the different schools of therapies

SES – Socioeconomic status

FAMILY INTERVENTIONS IN SPECIFIC DISORDERS

Techniques to promote family adaptation to illness.

• Heighten awareness of shifting family roles – pragmatic and emotional
• Facilitate major family lifestyle changes
• Increase communication within and outside the family regarding the illness
• Help family to accept what they cannot control, focus energies on what they can
• Find meaning in the illness. Help families move beyond “Why us?”
• Facilitate them grieving inevitable losses–of function, of dreams, of life
• Increase productive collaboration among patients, families, and the health-care team
• Trace prior family experience with the illness through constructing a genogram
• Set individual and family goals related to illness and to nonillness developmental events.

Schizophrenia

Family EE and communication deviance (or lack of clarity and structure in communication) are well-established risk factors for the onset of schizophrenia.

Psychoeducational interventions aim to increase family members’ understanding of the disorder and their ability to manage the positive and negative symptoms of psychosis.

Simple strategies would include reduction of adverse family atmosphere by reducing stress and burden on relatives, reduction of expressions of anger and guilt by the family, helping relatives to anticipate and solve problems, maintenance of reasonable expectations for patient performance, to set appropriate limits whilst maintaining some degree of separation when needed; and changing relatives’ behavior and belief systems.

Programs emphasize family resilience. Address families’ need for education, crisis intervention, skills training, and emotional support.

Bipolar mood disorder

To recognize the early signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder.

Develop strategies for intervening early with new episodes and assure consistency with medication regimens.

Manage moodiness and swings of the patient, anger management, feelings of frustration.

Family conflict and rejection, low family support, ineffective communication, poor expression of affect, abuse, and insecure attachment bonds are primary focus of family therapy associated with depression cognitive-behavioral and interpersonal interventions for depression.

Family-based treatment for anxiety combines family therapy with cognitive-behavioral interventions.

Targets the characteristics of the family environment that support anxiogenic beliefs and avoidant behaviors.

The goal is to disrupt the interactional patterns that reinforce the disorder.

To assist family members in using exposure, reward, relaxation, and response prevention techniques to reduce the patients’ anxieties.

Eating disorders

Target the dysfunctional family processes, namely, enmeshment and overprotectiveness.

To help parents build effective and developmentally appropriate strategies for promoting and monitoring their child's eating behaviors.

Childhood disorders

The primary focus is the development of effective parenting and contingency management strategies that will disrupt the problematic family interactions associated with ADHD and ODD.

Family-based interventions for autism spectrum disorder

Parents taught to use communication and social training tools that are adapted to the needs of their children and apply these techniques to their family interactions at home.

Substance misuse

Enhance the coping ability of family members and reduce the negative consequences of alcohol and drug abuse on concerned relatives; eliminate the family factors that constitute barriers to treatment; use family support to engage and retain the drug and/or alcohol user in therapy; change the characteristics of the family environment that contribute to relapse Al-Anon, AL-teen.

Termination phase

This last phase of therapy is finished in a couple of sessions. The initial goals of therapy are reviewed with the family. The family and the therapist review together the goals which were achieved, and the therapist reminds the family the new patterns/changes which have emerged. The need to continue these new patterns is emphasized. At the same time, the family is cautioned that these new patterns will occur when all members make a concerted effort to see this happen. Family members are reminded that it is easy to fall back to the old patterns of functioning which had produced the unstable equilibrium necessitating consultation.

At termination, the therapist usually negotiates new goals, new tasks or new interactions with the family that they will carry out for the next few months in the follow up period. The family is told that they need to review these new patterns after a couple of months so as to determine how things have gone and how conflicts have been addressed by the family. This way the family has a better chance of sustaining the change created. Sometimes booster sessions are also advised after 6–12 months especially for outstation families who cannot come regularly for follow-ups. These booster sessions will review the progress and negotiate further changes with the family over a couple of sessions. This follow-up period, after therapy is terminated is crucial for working through process and ensures that the client-therapist bond is not severed too quickly. It is easy to deal with the clients’ and therapist’ anxieties if this transition phase is smooth.

SPECIAL SOCIOCULTURAL ISSUES IN THERAPY SPECIFIC TO INDIA

Most Indian families are functionally joint families though they may have a nuclear family structure. Furthermore, unlike the Western world more than two generations readily come for therapy. Hence, it becomes necessary to deal with two to three generations in therapy and also with transgenerational issues. Our families also foster dependency and interdependency rather than autonomy. This issue must also be kept in mind when dealing with parent–child issues. Indians have a varied cultural and religious diversity depending on the region from which the family comes. The therapist has to be familiar with the regional customs, practices, beliefs, and rituals. The Indian family therapist has to also be wary of being too directive in therapy as our families may give the mantle of omnipotence to the therapist and it may be more difficult for us to adopt at one-down or nondirective approach. Hence, while systemic family therapy is eminently possible in India one must keep in mind these sociocultural factors so as to get a good “family-therapist fit.”

Constraint factors in therapy

The economic backwardness of most out families makes therapy feasible and affordable, in terms of time and money spent, only to the middle and upper classes of our society. The poorer families usually drop out of therapy as they have other more pressing priorities. The lack of tertiary social support and welfare or social security makes it less possible to network with other systems. We are also woefully inadequate in terms of trained family therapists to cater to our large population. In our country, distances seem rather daunting and modes of transport and communication are poor for families to readily seek out a therapist. We work with these constraint factors and so the “family-therapy” fit is an important factor for families that are seeking and staying in family therapy. 17

CONCLUSIONS

Over the last few years, a systemic model has evolved for service and for training. The model uses a predominantly systematic framework for understanding families and the techniques for therapy are drawn from different schools namely the structural, strategic, and behavioral psychodynamic therapies.

Appendix: Glossary of terms

The repetitive patterns of interaction that organize the way in which family members relate and interact with each other.

Boundaries are the rules defining who participates in the system and how, i.e., the degree of access outsiders have to the system.

It may comprise of a single person, or several persons joined together by common membership criteria, for example, age, gender, or shared purpose.

When alignments stand in opposition to another part of the system (i.e., when several family members are against another member/s.

The joining together of two or more members. It popularly designates appositive affinity between two units of a system.

Channels of communication are a mechanism that defines “who speaks to whom.” When channels of communication are blocked, needs cannot be fulfilled, problems cannot be solved, and goals cannot be achieved.

Enmeshed families

In which, there is extreme sensitivity among the individual members to each other and their primary subsystem.

Financial support and sponsorship

Conflicts of interest.

There are no conflicts of interest.

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What Is Strategic Family Therapy?

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Ivy Kwong, LMFT, is a psychotherapist specializing in relationships, love and intimacy, trauma and codependency, and AAPI mental health.  

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Effectiveness

Things to consider, how to get started, what is strategic family therapy (sft).

SFT is a type of short-term family therapy often used with children and adolescents who have behavioral issues. A therapist helps the family by designing individualized interventions to resolve specific problems and create behavioral change.

Strategic family therapy is based on the premise that the family plays the most important role in the life and development of children. This type of therapy seeks to identify and change the structural interaction patterns that make up the family environment. By addressing family behaviors and interactions that contribute to problem behavior, this approach helps families function better so that kids can overcome issues they are experiencing.

This article discusses how strategic family therapy works, its uses, and its efficacy. It also covers how to get started if you think this approach could be helpful for your family.

Types of Strategic Family Therapy

Brief strategic family therapy is a short-term model that typically takes place over 12 sessions. It is often used to address specific behavioral problems such as delinquency, drug use, and high-risk sexual behavior.

Related types of therapy that also focus on treating families include family systems therapy , functional family therapy, and structural family therapy . 

SFT focuses on changing behavior rather than finding the sources of the family's problems.

Techniques of Strategic Family Therapy

SFT is individualized and tailored to each family's unique situation. Some of the techniques that a therapist may draw on as they coach families through interactions designed to produce change are listed below.

The first step involves creating a therapeutic alliance with the family. This relationship involves mutual respect and consideration that helps the family feel that the therapist is on their side.

It allows the therapist to temporarily gain acceptance into the family unit so that they can better understand the family's experiences, relationships, and interactions.

Tracking and Diagnosing

Once a therapeutic relationship has been established, the therapist will then work to learn more about the family's behavior patterns and problems . In doing so, they can identify strengths and weaknesses that will allow them to develop a treatment plan.

Restructuring

This technique involves applying different strategies to help address the problems with behaviors and relationships that are contributing to behavioral issues. This might involve utilizing a variety of techniques centered around behavior management, communication, parenting skills, and conflict resolution.

The goal of restructuring is to help promote more productive, constructive interactions that then motivate people to change.

A strategic family therapist will utilize techniques including joining, tracking and diagnosing, and restructuring to understand and change problematic family dynamics and behaviors.

What Strategic Family Therapy Can Help With

Strategic family therapy can be helpful for:

• Aggressive behaviors
• Conduct problems
• Delinquency
• Noncompliance
• Substance use problems
• Risky sexual behavior
• Violent behavior

This approach is often used in situations where young people have come into the juvenile justice system due to drug use, delinquency, or violent behaviors. It can be helpful for improving family functioning, increasing positive parental interactions and parental involvement, strengthening peer relationships, and improving prosocial behaviors.

Benefits of Strategic Family Therapy

Strategic family therapy can benefit families in a number of different ways. Some of the key benefits of this type of therapy are that it: 

• Improves communication between family members
• Helps form, strengthen, or enforce healthy boundaries
• Improves positive parenting
• Strengthens conflict resolution skills
• Builds family cohesion

The basic premise of strategic family therapy is that how the family functions and interacts plays a pivotal role in a child's symptoms. By changing how the family functions, this treatment reduces the risk factors that contribute to behavior problems and helps protect kids from future issues that may arise. 

Flexibility is another important benefit of structural family therapy. Because it is adaptable, it can be utilized in a broad variety of family situations including single-parent households, multigenerational households, and stepfamilies. 

Strategic family therapy can help people from a range of different backgrounds when practiced by a culturally-sensitive therapist. 

Some of the key benefits of strategic family therapy include improving family cohesiveness, improving communication, and improving parenting behaviors.

Evidence suggests that strategic family therapy can be effective in treating teens who are experiencing substance use, mental health conditions, and other difficulties.

• One clinical trial found that a Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) improved family engagement and retention. It also improved parent-reported family functioning. However, there were no significant differences in self-reported adolescent drug use between the BSFT group and the treatment-as-usual group.
• Another study found that teens who had mental health problems exhibited fewer internalizing and externalizing symptoms after treatment with strategic family therapy. In post-therapy interviews, parents also reported feeling more effective as parents and engaged in more authoritative parenting practices as opposed to permissive or authoritarian ones.  

While strategic family therapy can be beneficial and effective, it is important to recognize that there may also be some challenges. While strategic family therapy can be helpful in many cases, it is not always the right choice for every problem or issue.

Participation

It is important for family members to participate in the treatment process. One problem, however, is that the same dynamics that play a part in contributing to behavior problems can often interfere with families working together to get help. It is not uncommon for some family members to be less cooperative or to refuse to attend therapy sessions altogether.

How people come into treatment may also have an impact on participation and outcomes. Teens are often referred to strategic family therapy through the criminal justice system. Researchers suggest that those entering treatment often feel hopeless and blame others, including family members, for their problems. This can make initiating and maintaining treatment more challenging.

Difficult Emotions

It is also important to recognize that the treatment process involves talking in-depth about emotional problems, conflicts, and difficult relationships. This can be upsetting for many people and it isn't uncommon to go through a period of feeling worse before the situation improves. Because of this, it is important to work with a skilled professional who can help members of the family deal with strong or difficult emotions.

Strategic family therapy isn't right for every situation and there can be challenges that may affect the treatment process. Working with a skilled therapist can help address some of these issues.

The brief form of strategic family therapy is typically short-term, lasting a period of approximately 12 weeks. However, it may also last longer depending on a family's needs and the problems that are being treated. 

It may involve all members of the family, but in some cases, it may involve those who are able or willing to take part in treatment.

If you think this type of treatment would be helpful for your family, you can start by asking your healthcare provider for a referral to a professional in your area. You may also be referred to a therapist through a social worker or a school counselor.

Another option is to search for a therapist using the online directory provided by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. 

Once you find a potential therapist , ask them about their background, experience, and approach to treatment. Therapists who offer this type of treatment often have a master's or doctorate degree in a field such as psychology, social work, counseling, or marriage and family therapy .

American Psychological Association. Strategic family therapy . APA Dictionary of Psychology.

Szapocznik J, Schwartz SJ, Muir JA, Brown CH. Brief strategic family therapy: an intervention to reduce adolescent risk behavior . Couple Family Psychol . 2012;1(2):134-145. doi:10.1037/a0029002

Szapocznik J, Muir JA, Duff JH, Schwartz SJ, Brown CH. Brief Strategic Family Therapy: implementing evidence-based models in community settings . Psychother Res . 2015;25(1):121-133. doi:10.1080/10503307.2013.856044

Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. Brief strategic family therapy (BSFT) . A Sourcebook of Delinquency Interventions .

Robbins MS, Feaster DJ, Horigian VE, Rohrbaugh M, Shoham V, Bachrach K, Miller M, Burlew KA, Hodgkins C, Carrion I, Vandermark N, Schindler E, Werstlein R, Szapocznik J. Brief strategic family therapy versus treatment as usual: results of a multisite randomized trial for substance using adolescents . J Consult Clin Psychol . 2011;79(6):713-27. doi: 10.1037/a0025477

Jiménez L, Hidalgo V, Baena S, León A, Lorence B. Effectiveness of structural⁻strategic family therapy in the treatment of adolescents with mental health problems and their families . Int J Environ Res Public Health . 2019;16(7):1255. doi:10.3390/ijerph16071255

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

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How to conduct a family therapy session?

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Family therapy, or family counseling, is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on improving the relationships, communication, and dynamics within a family system. It involves working with multiple family members together in a therapeutic setting to address problems, issues, conflicts, or concerns affecting the family.

The goal of family therapy is to build understanding, enhance empathy, and increase support among family members, cultivating a more cohesive and functional family unit. By identifying and changing patterns, family therapy promotes positive changes that benefit the entire family's resilience. An individual's psychological and emotional well-being is closely linked with family system dynamics and interactions. So, by involving all family members, the therapist can help the family identify and understand patterns of behavior, communication styles, roles, and interactions that contribute to problems and challenges the family is facing.

Family therapists facilitate sessions, guide discussions, and suggest interventions aimed at:

• fostering healthier communication.
• resolving conflicts.
• establishing boundaries.
• addressing issues such as addiction, abuse, and so on.
• improving relationships.

Various therapeutic approaches and techniques can be tailored to the specific needs and dynamics of the family.

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Why Would a Family Seek Therapy?

Families may seek therapy for various reasons, including:

Communication problems – difficulties communicating effectively may lead to misunderstandings, conflicts, or constant arguments.

Major life transitions – adjusting to significant life events like divorce, remarriage, relocation, childbirth, death of a family member, or blended families.

Behavioral problems – dealing with a child or adolescent's behavioral issues, such as defiance, aggression, or substance abuse.

Grief and loss – coping with the loss of a family member or dealing with a traumatic event.

Mental health concerns – addressing mental health issues affecting one or more family members, such as depression, anxiety, or chronic stress.

Parent-child conflicts – struggles may include disagreements about discipline, boundaries, or differing parenting styles.

Blended family challenges – navigating complexities arising from combining families due to remarriage or cohabitation, such as stepparent-stepchild relationships or sibling rivalries.

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Chronic illness or disability – chronic illness or disability may require coping strategies, role adjustments, and stress management.

Trauma or abuse – addressing the effects of past trauma or abuse within the family system often requires professional intervention to heal and rebuild trust.

Enhancing family dynamics – strengthen relationships, improve communication skills, and foster a healthier family environment.

Therapy provides a safe space for families to explore their dynamics, improve understanding, develop healthier patterns, and learn effective strategies to manage challenges. Ultimately the goal is to foster a more functional and supportive family unit.

Ideas to Run an Effective Family Therapy Session

The effectiveness of a family therapy session relies on several important ideas and practices that cultivate an environment conducive to meaningful engagement and progress. Here are the steps to running an effective family therapy session.

• Build Trust and Rapport. Foundational in family therapy, this initial step involves creating a safe and non-judgmental space where each family member feels comfortable expressing themselves. Your role is to:
• demonstrate empathy. Show genuine understanding and empathy toward each family member's experiences and emotions.
• engage respectfully. Establish an environment where everyone feels heard, respected, and validated, irrespective of differing opinions or conflicts.
• emphasize privacy and confidentiality. Assure family members their privacy is respected and explain the meaning of confidentiality.

When a trustworthy and respectful atmosphere is fully established, family members are more likely to open up, share their thoughts and feelings, and actively engage in the therapeutic process.

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2. Teach Active Listening Skills. Active listening involves not just hearing the words spoken but also understanding the underlying emotions and perspectives. Focus on:

• encouraging open communication. Promote an atmosphere where family members attentively listen without interrupting or judging each other.
• demonstrating reflective responses. Teach family members to repeat what they've heard, ensuring a clear understanding of each other's viewpoints.
• validating emotions. Acknowledge and validate everyone’s feelings, even if they differ from one another.

Active listening fosters empathy, enhances understanding, and minimizes misunderstandings – promoting healthier communication within the family.

3. Set Clear and Achievable Goals . This involves:

• collaborative goal setting. Engage all family members in defining specific, measurable, and realistic therapy goals and objectives. Ensure the goals are aligned with the family's needs.
• clarifying expectations. Clearly explain the purpose of therapy, what changes are expected, and the potential outcomes.
• reviewing and modifying goals as needed. Regularly revisit and reassess the goals to gauge progress and make any necessary adjustments.

Clear goals provide direction and focus during therapy, guiding interventions and helping family members track their progress.

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4. Emphasize Healthy Communication Skills. Improving communication within the family is a primary aim of family therapy. You can:

• offer tools, resources, and techniques. Teach assertiveness, effective expression of feelings, and conflict resolution strategies.
• use role-playing exercises. Engage family members in role-playing scenarios to practice new communication skills in a safe environment.
• assign homework. Provide activities and tasks that encourage applying communication skills in everyday family interactions.

Building strong communication skills equips all family members with the necessary tools to effectively express themselves and constructively navigate conflicts.

5. Encourage Participation. Active participation from each family member is vital for the therapy's success. This involves:

• equal opportunity for contribution. Ensure all family members have the chance to express their thoughts, beliefs, and feelings each session.
• validating contributions. Acknowledge and appreciate each family member's input, emphasizing the value of their perspective.
• address power imbalances. Ensure that no one dominates the conversation and encourage quieter family members to speak up.

Encouraging participation ensures that all voices are heard, promotes a sense of ownership in the therapeutic process, and reinforces the idea that each person’s contributions support positive change.

These foundational ideas lay the groundwork for a successful family therapy session by establishing trust, improving communication, setting clear goals, and fostering an inclusive and participative environment. If you utilize these strategies, you will facilitate a more effective and impactful therapeutic journey.

How to Conduct an Initial Family Therapy Session

The initial session serves as an introduction to you and the therapeutic process. Follow these steps.

• Start with Introductions. Allow each family member to introduce themselves, sharing their reason for seeking therapy and their expectations. Introduce yourself and provide a bit of background.
• Use Assessment Techniques . Gather information about family dynamics, relationships, and concerns. Identify strengths and challenges within the family.
• Establish Goals. Discuss the family's aspirations. What does the family want to get out of therapy?
• Discuss Expectations. Explain the therapy process, confidentiality, roles of family members, and the commitment required for progress.
• Complete the Intake Process . Ask the adults to complete and sign any consent or release forms, as well as any other necessary paperwork.

How to Structure Family Sessions

Create a framework that facilitates effective communication, problem-solving, and progress toward therapeutic goals. Here's a detailed breakdown of each phase.

Opening Phase

• Check-in. To understand each family member’s emotional state and concerns, begin the session by allowing each member to briefly share their current thoughts, feelings, and any updates.
• Set the Agenda . Collaboratively establish the focus for the session and identify pressing issues that require discussion. This step ensures that everyone feels heard and that the session addresses relevant concerns.
• Review Goals . Recap goals and review the progress made to track the family's progress and identify what needs to be addressed.

Middle Phase

• Discuss and Explore . Guide discussions around identified problems while encouraging open communication, active listening, and nonjudgmental sharing. Explore family dynamics, patterns, and underlying emotions.
• Utilize Therapeutic Interventions . Employ therapeutic techniques and exercises tailored to the family's needs. These might include role-play, communication exercises, genograms, narrative therapy, or art-based interventions. Use these tools to facilitate understanding, encourage empathy, and promote healthy interactions.
• Encourage Open Communication . Create a safe environment where each family member feels comfortable expressing themselves. Encourage respectful communication and help members understand each other's perspectives.

Closing Phase

• Summarize Key Points. Review the primary insights, discussions, and conclusions reached during the session. This reinforces important takeaways and ensures everyone is on the same page.
• Review Progress. Evaluate the progress made toward previously set goals. Acknowledge achievements and identify areas that still need work.
• Assign Homework . Assign exercises or tasks for the family to work on between sessions. This may include practicing communication skills, implementing specific strategies, or reflecting on certain topics through journaling.
• Set Goals. Collaboratively establish new goals and decide on the net session’s focus to maintain a sense of direction and purpose.

By structuring family therapy sessions in this manner, you can create an atmosphere that promotes understanding, collaboration, and progress toward positive changes within the family system.

Types of Family Therapy

• Structural Family Therapy
• focuses on family structure, roles, and boundaries
• views problems as rooted in dysfunctional family structure, boundaries, and interactions
• therapist observes and intervenes to restructure the family dynamics
• goal is to restructure the family system to create clear, healthy boundaries and roles, facilitating more functional interactions among family members

Techniques Used: Mapping family hierarchies, joining family interactions to observe dynamics, and implementing interventions that reorganize relationships and boundaries for better communication and problem-solving.

2. Strategic Family Therapy

• focuses on problem-solving techniques and behavior-change strategies
• views problems as the result of ineffective family patterns or communication styles
• emphasizes direct and focused interventions aimed at solving specific problems within the family system
• goal is to achieve specific, targeted changes in family interactions or behaviors to resolve identified problems or conflicts

Techniques Used: Prescribing rituals, reframing, paradoxical interventions, and assigning directives or homework to change behavior and communication patterns.

3. Narrative Therapy

• focuses on reauthoring family stories and exploring alternative perspectives
• views problems as stemming from the dominance of negative or problematic narratives in a family member's life
• focuses on helping families identify and reframe their stories, separating the problem from the person, and creating alternative, more empowering narratives.
• goal is to create new, more empowering narratives that redefine members’ identities and relationships, enabling them to overcome the influence of problematic stories

Techniques Used: Externalizing the problem, deconstructing problem-saturated narratives, and exploring alternative stories or perspectives.

4. Bowenian Therapy

• focus is to reduce emotional distance and improve individual self-differentiation within the family
• sees emotional distancing and lack of individual differentiation as causes of family dysfunction
• emphasizes improving individual self-awareness and differentiation within the family system, reducing emotional fusion, and promoting healthier relationships
• goal is to enhance individual self-awareness and differentiation among family members to reduce emotional reactivity, and conflicts while improving overall family functioning.

Techniques Used: Genograms, detriangulation techniques, and coaching to differentiate members’ emotions from family influences.

Each type of family therapy offers a unique perspective and set of techniques to address different aspects of family dynamics and challenges. You may integrate aspects of these approaches based on the specific needs and circumstances of the families you work with.

Tips for Conducting Family Therapy Sessions

Effectively conducting family therapy sessions requires a comprehensive set of skills and approaches. Here are more tips:

• Cultivate Empathy and Understanding
• Have a nonjudgmental attitude: Foster an environment where each family member feels safe, accepted, and respected – regardless of their viewpoints or behaviors.
• Utilize empathic listening: Demonstrate genuine empathy by actively listening and validating the emotions and experiences expressed by each family member.

2. Establish Clear Boundaries and Structure the Sessions

• Set ground rules: Establish clear guidelines for communication, respectful behavior, and session participation.
• Manage time: Structure the session to allow each family member to speak, ensuring equitable participation.

3. Encourage Open Communication

• Promote dialogue: Encourage members to express themselves openly and honestly while emphasizing the importance of active listening and respect for differing opinions.
• Clarify misunderstandings: Prevent conflicts by intervening to clarify miscommunications that may arise during discussions.

4. Teach Conflict Resolution Strategies

• Teach practical skills: Equip family members with constructive conflict resolution techniques, such as compromise and assertive communication.
• Utilize mediation: Intervene when conflicts escalate, guiding the family toward respectful resolution and problem-solving.

5. Foster Collaboration Using a Strengths-Based Approach

• Identify Strengths: Recognize and highlight the family's strengths and positive attributes to facilitate change and resilience.

6. Stay Objective and Neutral

• Maintain neutrality: Avoid taking sides or displaying favoritism, ensuring that each family member feels equally heard and validated.
• Be aware: Respect and acknowledge cultural differences, considering how cultural backgrounds influence perspectives and behaviors.

7. Adaptability and Flexibility

• Tailor interventions: Customize therapeutic interventions to suit the unique dynamics and needs of each family member, remaining flexible in your approach.
• Adjust to family dynamics: Be adaptable in responding to unexpected developments or shifts in family interactions during sessions.

8. Monitor and Review Progress

• Regular evaluation: Continuously assess the family's progress toward therapy goals, revisiting and adjusting as needed.
• Celebrate milestones: Acknowledge and celebrate achievements or positive changes made by the family, reinforcing motivation and progress.

9. Foster Hope and Positivity

• Instill hope: Inspire optimism and hope by focusing on their strengths, progress, and the potential for positive change.
• Encourage resilience: Help the family cultivate resilience by emphasizing their ability to overcome challenges and adapt to change.

By implementing these tips, you can create a supportive and effective therapeutic environment, enabling families to address issues, improve communication, and foster healthier relationships.

Benefits of Conducting Family Therapy Sessions

Here are some of the benefits of family therapy:

Improved Communication: Family members learn effective communication skills, such as active listening and assertiveness, which can lead to reduced misunderstandings within the family.

Conflict Resolution: Family therapy provides a safe and structured environment for families to address conflicts and disagreements. You can facilitate discussions and teach conflict-resolution strategies to help each member manage issues more effectively.

Enhanced Family Relationships: Family therapy can strengthen bonds and relationships among family members. By addressing underlying issues, families can develop a deeper understanding of each other's perspectives and create a more supportive and nurturing environment.

Behavior Modification: Family therapy can be helpful when dealing with kids’ and teens’ behavioral problems. It can help parents and caregivers understand the causes of problematic behavior and develop strategies to address it.

Support During Life Transitions: Families often face challenges during major life transitions such as divorce, loss, or relocation. Family therapy can provide support and guidance to help families adapt to these changes and navigate them with greater ease.

Reduced Stress: Addressing family issues can reduce the stress and tension that accompany conflicts. This can have a positive impact on the mental and emotional well-being of all family members.

Improved Mental Health: Involving the family in the treatment process creates a more supportive environment for members dealing with conditions like depression or addiction.

Prevention: By addressing and resolving conflicts and dysfunction, family therapy can help prevent future problems and promote healthier relationships.

Education and Skills Development: Family therapy provides valuable tools and skills to manage relationships and effectively cope with challenges.

Increased Empathy: Family members may develop a deeper sense of empathy and compassion for one another, leading to greater emotional intimacy and connection.

The effectiveness of family therapy depends on various factors, including the willingness of all family members to participate and engage in the process. A skilled and experienced family therapist plays a vital role in facilitating positive outcomes.

The 5 Stages of Family Therapy

This framework provides a structured process to guide family therapy sessions to facilitate understanding, identify appropriate interventions, and track progress.

Initially, focus on creating a strong therapeutic alliance with the family. This involves:

• Developing Rapport: Building trust with each family member.
• Setting Goals: Collaborating with the family to establish clear, specific, and achievable therapy goals that are aligned with the family's concerns and motivations for seeking therapy.
• Establishing Expectations: Clarify the roles of each family member while explaining the therapeutic process and discussing the commitment required for progress.

2. Assessment

Gather information to gain a deeper understanding of the family's dynamics, relationships, and presenting issues. This phase provides valuable insights into the family's strengths, challenges, and underlying patterns, serving as a foundation for formulating targeted interventions. This involves:

• Family History: Explore significant events, relationships, and patterns across generations.
• Observation and Interaction: Observe family interactions during sessions to identify communication styles, roles, and power dynamics.
• Assessment Tools: Use standardized assessments or questionnaires to gather information about members' perceptions, emotions, and relationships.

3. Formulation

Collaborate to identify specific problem areas, behavioral patterns, and underlying issues. This phase aims to create a shared understanding of the problems and dynamics within the family, leading to targeted interventions. This involves:

• Pattern Recognition: Highlight recurring themes, conflicts, or dysfunctional patterns.
• Problem Identification: Collaboratively identify specific issues or challenges that limit the family's functioning or well-being.
• Focus on Strengths: Recognize the family's strengths and resources that can be leveraged to address concerns.

4. Intervention

Implement therapeutic approaches and techniques to address identified issues. Therapeutic interventions facilitate positive changes, improve communication, and enhance relationships. This includes:

• Therapeutic Techniques: Utilize approaches tailored to the family's needs, such as narrative therapy, structural therapy, communication exercises, role-play, or art therapy.
• Skill-Building: Teach the family coping strategies, communication skills, conflict resolution techniques, and problem-solving methods.
• Restructuring Dynamics: Reframe negative patterns, establish healthier boundaries, and promote more adaptive behaviors.

5. Evaluation

Periodically assess progress, reassess goals, and modify strategies as required. This phase ensures that sessions remain focused, responsive, and aligned with the family's changing dynamics, fostering continued progress and growth. This includes:

• Progress Review: Evaluating whether the family has made advancements toward their goals and addressing any setbacks.
• Goal Reassessment: Reviewing and potentially adjusting therapy goals based on changes in the family's dynamics or priorities.
• Strategy Modification: Adapting therapeutic strategies or interventions to better suit the family's evolving needs.

The 5 stages provide a systematic roadmap for you to engage with families, assess their dynamics, collaboratively identify issues, implement targeted interventions, and continuously evaluate and adjust strategies to facilitate positive change.

What Does a Family Therapy Session Look Like?

Family therapy sessions are flexible, fluid, dynamic, and adaptable, tailored to meet the family’s needs, dynamics, and goals. Create a supportive environment where family members can explore, communicate, and work together toward positive change. Follow these steps:

• Set the Agenda
• Begin by creating a warm and welcoming environment to put family members at ease.
• Start with a check-in where family members briefly share how they're feeling or any updates since the last session.
• Collaborate with the family to establish the session's goals or topics to be addressed, based on the family's current needs and progress.

2. Open Discussions and Communication

• Guide the conversation, encouraging open and respectful communication among family members.
• Demonstrate active listening and allow members to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences while listening attentively to others.
• If conflicts arise, mediate discussions, helping family members constructively express themselves to identify resolutions.

3.Therapeutic Exercises and Techniques

• Role-Play: Engage in role-playing exercises to explore different perspectives, practice new communication skills, or address specific situations.
• Genogram or Family Map: Use visual tools like genograms or family maps to illustrate family relationships, dynamics, and patterns across generations.
• Art or Play Therapy: Utilize creative approaches, which is particularly helpful for younger members to express themselves.

4. Individual Sessions or Breakout Activities

• Individual Focus: You may conduct individual sessions with specific family members to explore personal issues, concerns, or emotions.
• Breakout Activities: Assign activities for smaller groups within the family to work on specific tasks or exercises, fostering collaboration and problem-solving.

5. Guided Closure and Homework Assignments

• Summarize Key Points: Highlight key takeaways and goals set during the session.
• Homework Assignments: Provide tasks or activities for family members to practice between sessions, reinforcing new skills or communication techniques.

6. Continuous Evaluation and Follow-Up

• Assess Progress: Periodically assess the family's progress toward goals and discuss any challenges or improvements.
• Adjust Strategies: Modify therapeutic strategies or interventions based on the family's evolving dynamics or changing needs.
• Plan for Future Sessions: Collaboratively plan the focus areas or goals for subsequent sessions.

7. Emphasis on Confidentiality and Respect

• Confidentiality: Reinforce the importance of confidentiality within the therapeutic space, ensuring that personal disclosures are treated with respect and privacy.
• Respectful Interaction: Encourage respectful communication and interaction.

A family therapy session is a collaborative and structured process where you act as a guide, facilitating discussions, teaching new skills, and fostering an environment where family members can explore and address concerns in a supportive and constructive manner. Sessions may vary in content and format based on the family's needs and therapeutic goals.

Preparing for Documentation of a Family Session

Documentation serves many purposes, including record-keeping, monitoring progress, and ensuring ethical and legal compliance. Here's a more detailed breakdown:

Before the Session

• Prepare Forms
• Intake Forms: Collect basic demographic information, family history, presenting issues, and goals. They help you understand the family's context before the session.
• Consent Forms: Ensure that all necessary consent forms for treatment, confidentiality, and release of information are prepared and signed by each family member. These essential forms outline their rights and responsibilities within the therapeutic relationship.
• Assessment Tools : Have any specific assessment tools or questionnaires ready to gather information about family dynamics, communication patterns, or other relevant factors. These tools aid in understanding the family's functioning and guide the session.

During the Session

2. Note-Taking

• Key Points: Take notes on essential information discussed during the session, such as identified issues or significant events.
• Interventions Used: Document the therapeutic techniques, exercises, or interventions implemented during the session.
• Goals: Note any goals established during the session. Goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART goals).

Ethical Considerations

3. Confidentiality and Data Protection

• Informed Consent: Ensure family members understand the limits of confidentiality. Discuss exceptions to confidentiality, such as mandatory reporting obligations in case of harm to self or others.
• Compliance with Laws: Ensure compliance with ethical guidelines, state laws, and regulations concerning data protection and confidentiality. Securely store documentation and limit access.
• Data Storage and Retention: Establish protocols for storing and retaining documentation, including electronic records, always adhering to legal requirements regarding data retention and disposal.

After the Session

4. Documentation Review and Completion

• Review Notes: Organize your session notes, ensuring accuracy and completeness of information.
• Documentation Completion: Complete any necessary forms, progress notes , or summaries promptly after the session while details are fresh in your mind.
• Follow-Up Planning: Plan for follow-up actions, such as assigning homework tasks or scheduling the next session, and document these plans for continuity of care.

Ongoing Documentation Practices

5. Continual Updating and Integration

• Ongoing Progress Notes: Update progress notes after each session, highlighting changes, developments, or challenges faced by the family.
• Integration of Information: Integrate information from previous sessions into subsequent documentation to maintain a comprehensive and clear record of the family's therapeutic journey.
• Collaboration with Team Members: If working in a multidisciplinary team, ensure effective communication and documentation sharing among team members.

Professional Responsibility and Reflection

6. Supervision and Reflective Practice

• Supervision: Seek supervision or consultation to review documentation practices, address ethical dilemmas, and enhance professional growth.
• Reflective Practice: Reflect on your documentation practices regularly, considering how documentation can better serve the therapeutic process and adherence to ethical guidelines.

Approach documentation as an integral part of your professional responsibilities and strive for accuracy, confidentiality, and ethical compliance in all documentation practices.

Conclusion:

Conducting family therapy sessions requires a balance of expertise, compassion, and structured intervention. By implementing effective communication strategies and appropriate therapeutic techniques while maintaining a supportive environment, you can facilitate meaningful progress and positive change within the family system.

All examples of mental health documentation are fictional and for informational purposes only.

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Attachment-Based Family Therapy

• Living reference work entry
• First Online: 18 January 2018
• Cite this living reference work entry

• Guy Diamond 4 ,
• Jody Russon 4 &
• Suzanne Levy 4  

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Name of Model

Introduction.

Attachment-based family therapy (ABFT; Diamond et al. 2014 ) is a trust-based, emotion-focused, empirically supported treatment that aims to repair interpersonal ruptures and rebuild secure, protective caregiver-child relationships. ABFT is designed to improve the family’s capacity for affect regulation, relational organization, and problem solving. This strengthens family cohesion, which can buffer against depression, suicidal thinking, and risk behaviors (Restifo and Bogels 2009 ). This framework is particularly relevant to adolescents for whom the family context is inescapable (Maccoby and Martin 1983 ). ABFT is rooted in structural family therapy, multidimensional family therapy, emotionally focused therapy, and contextual family therapy. The ABFT manual is interpersonal and process-focused, but offers a structure and roadmap for how to facilitate depth-oriented therapy in a 12 to 16 week period. The model unfolds in five...

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Asarnow, J. R., Emslie, G., Clarke, G., Wagner, K. D., Spirito, A., Vitiello, B., et al. (2009). Treatment of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor-resistant depression in adolescents: Predictors and moderators of treatment response. Journal of the American of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 48 (3), 330–339.

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Diamond, G.S., Siqueland, L., & Diamond, G.M. (2003). Attachment-based family therapy for depressed adolescents: Programmatic treatment development. Clinical Child and Faily Psychology Review, 6 (2), 107–127.

Diamond, G. M., Diamond, G. S., Levy, S., Closs, C., Ladipo, T., & Siqueland, L. (2012). Attachment-based family therapy for suicidal lesbian, gay, and bisexual adolescents: A treatment development study and open trial with preliminary findings. Psychotherapy, 49 (1), 62–71. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026247

Diamond, G. S., Diamond, G. M., & Levy, S. A. (2014). Attachment-based family therapy for depressed adolescents . Washington, DC: American Psychological Association Press.

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Diamond, G. S., Russon, J., & Levy, S. (2016a). Attachment- based family therapy: A review of the empirical support. Family Process, 55 (3), 595–610. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12241

Diamond, G. M., Shahar, B., Sabo, D., & Tsvieli, N. (2016b). Attachment-based family therapy and emotion focused therapy for unresolved anger: The role of productive emotional processing. Psychotherapy, 53 (1), 34–44. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000025

Diamond, G. S., Wagner, I., & Levy, S. A. (2016c). Attachment-based family therapy in Australia: Introduction to a special issue. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 37 , 143–153. https://doi.org/10.1002/anzf.1148

Israel, P., & Diamond, G. S. (2013). Feasibility of attachment based family therapy for depressed clinic-referred Norwegian adolescents. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 18 (3), 334 350. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359104512455811

Maccoby, E. E., & Martin, J. A. (1983). Socialization in the context of the family: Parent-child interaction. In E. M. Hetherington (Ed.), Mussen manual of child psychology (pp. 1–102). New York: Wiley.

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Diamond, G., Russon, J., Levy, S. (2018). Attachment-Based Family Therapy. In: Lebow, J., Chambers, A., Breunlin, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_158-1

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10 Family Therapy Activities

Oct, 14 2020.

Life's pressure from school, workplaces, social interactions consumes everyone in the family. Unexplainable conflict arises at home.

What's happening? Anxiety is the new norm. The dynamics break trust, and all the tears wash away the love that once filled the air.

You can feel the tension in every room. The household is a minefield with stress explosives, anger grenades, and chocking grief.

How do you bring back your family members to the table and involve them in activities?

How do you help your children cope with sudden changes such as a divorce, a family member's death, a severe physical or mental health disorder? How about an adolescent lost in themselves they can't see beyond their phone screen?

Could family therapy be the solution?

What is family therapy anyway?

Family therapy is a class of psychotherapy crafted to help family members identify problems, patterns, mental and behavior disorders in each family member. Therapy for family helps therapists analyze the habits presented by their clients and use proven methods to solve and mend interpersonal relationships.

Communication is one great way therapists use in family therapy.

What is the Goal For Family Therapy

Family therapy primarily seeks to open up communication in the family. Once there is talking, the therapist helps your family walk through every person's issues. They make you understand each loved one point of view. You learn how to handle delicate family situations in an open and safe environment.

Family therapy also helps family members cope with a mental health condition. What other family members thought was a burden becomes more comfortable. Because you learn how to love and nature for the one affected mentally.

Other notable situations, for example, merging stepfamilies, can be overwhelming for most people. However, a therapist, through family therapy activities, walks you and your family through the discomfort and hurdles of the merger. Death, another joy stealer can render a family dysfunctional, especially when the main contributor passes on. A therapist holds your hand through the process of grieving.

How Does Family Therapy Work?

In family therapy, "family" is defined as anyone who has and is playing a long term nurturing and supportive role in your life. A family goes beyond blood relations to members in the same household.

A family gives you a source of direction and being. It plays a significant part in your psychological health. When there is a dysfunction in your family, a therapist takes time to help solve the underlying issues. The whole family might opt to see the therapist, or is reserved for one member. However, therapists advocate attendance for everyone.

The therapy time will typically last about an hour over 12 detailed sessions. However, your family situation and depth of the matter, coupled with your therapist's recommendation, will determine the length.

What to expect during your sessions with your family therapist;

During the therapy for families, the counselor will examine your family's problem-solving skills. Here, everyone expresses their thoughts and emotions in a safe and trusting environment.

You might be asked to;

• Describe each person's hopes and aspirations
• Clarify your beliefs, needs, values, and assumptions. This creates a better understanding of each individual
• Stop blame games and accommodate weaknesses positively
• Learn and stop hurtful language embracing love and kindness in daily life.

Therapy will help every member talk about their life challenges and how to overcome them. Additionally, you learn how to work through setting goals for success.

You shall explore and define family roles, rules, and behavioral patterns to spot conflict triggers and use the information to work through the triggers.

Family therapies help identify your family's strong points and how to nurture them to better yourselves. Moreover, the time spent in treatment also helps weed out the weakness like lack of communication. You learn how to handle mental health issues easily.

Family Therapy Activities

For the therapy sessions to be successful, the specialist incorporates group therapy activities to ensure clients are active and willing to get through the storm together. The activities are based on the initial conversations and build-up activities to help through the sessions.

Some family therapy activities include;

Coloured Candy Go Around

For icebreaking activities, the colored candy go works well. It engages everyone and allows them to let loose. You will need like M&M or Skittles. Give each member seven pieces of candy and let them sort them out by color. Instruct them, depending on the number of colors each has, to respond to the following prompts;

• Green - Use words to describe the family
• Orange - What needs to be improved in the family set up
• Red - What worries them
• Yellow - Describe their favorite memories
• Purple - To describe fun activities the family does

Emotions Ball

Among the family therapy activities, this one works well to express emotions, especially in children who might be uncomfortable describing what they are feeling. Using a beach ball(preferred) on each color, write a sentiment on it. Have the members gather in a circle and toss the ball back and forth. You might have emotions like joy, happiness, sadness, etc. on the ball. Once a family member catches the ball, let them describe a time when they the particular emotion.

The goal of this group therapy activity is to help families discuss their emotions while the rest listen.

Miracle question

Everyone has dreams and aspirations for their future. The goal is to allow others to listen in and understand the future desires of each member. With this understanding, supporting each other becomes effortless.

Family Gift

During family therapy, members are provided with art supplies and a gift bag. The family comes up with a gift idea that every member wants, and it should be useful for the whole team.

Watch how each member takes on the work. The goal is to create teamwork, define roles, analyze how they overcome conflict and challenges. The activity helps therapists better under family interactions.

A genogram represents a schematic of your family tree. While it can be used to map out blood and medical relations, a therapist similarly uses it to draw a family's emotional relationships.

With the genogram, your family can root out emotional ties and their impacts. For example, abuse and divorce are major family disruptions.

Mirroring Activity

In this activity, each member will play a mirror for the other. The goal is to copy every move of the lead without touching each other. This way, members become more in tune with each other's gestures and emotional reactions.

Stand Up, Sit Down

Therapy will be more fun with this activity, as some truths will be revealed. How? A member will make a statement, and if it applies to another in reality, they sit down. This gives the team a chance to open up in a fun and casual manner with no reservations.

Feelings Hot potato /Stress balls

Depending on what you chose a potato or a stress ball, play some music as they pass the ball around. The music stops, whoever has the ball shares a thought, a memory, or an idea depending on the topic. Therapy activities are meant to be fun, and this one will surely bring in the giggles.

Feelings Walk - Family Therapy Activities

Like in musical chairs but with a twist, arrange sits in a circle and place sticky notes with feeling words on them. As the music plays, each member goes around and sits when it stops. When they sit, call out the word and let members give you an emotion relating to the name. It helps you understand members easily.

Feelings Charade in Therapy

Using feelings on written charade cards, clients pick cards and act out the emotion written. This allows the therapist to analyze how clients express their feelings in family therapy activities. Best for teens and very therapeutic.

Feeling Faces

Like in feelings walk, while you describe situations, each member walks towards a face drawn on a poster. The posters can be distributed in the room randomly.

Each family member has a part to play for the sessions in activities for group therapy to be fruitful. It takes time to heal past deep wounds or navigate change. Include every member in discussions and define their part to making family therapy worthwhile and its effects long-lasting.

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Empower Your Clients: Effective Therapy Homework Ideas Unveiled

The power of therapy homework, what is therapy homework.

Therapy homework refers to assignments or tasks that are given to clients by therapists, psychologists, coaches, or practitioners as part of the therapeutic process. These assignments are designed to be completed outside of therapy sessions and are tailored to address specific therapeutic goals and objectives.

Therapy homework can take various forms, depending on the therapeutic approach and the client’s needs. It may involve activities such as journaling, practicing mindfulness exercises, completing worksheets or thought records, engaging in self-reflection, or working on specific skills. The purpose of therapy homework is to actively involve clients in their own healing process and empower them to take ownership of their growth and development.

Benefits of Assigning Therapy Homework

Assigning therapy homework offers numerous benefits for both clients and therapists. Some of the key advantages include:

• Continuity and Reinforcement : Therapy homework provides an opportunity for clients to reinforce and apply what they have learned in therapy sessions to their daily lives. It helps to bridge the gap between sessions, ensuring that progress continues beyond the therapy room.
• Active Engagement : Engaging in therapy homework encourages clients to actively participate in their treatment. It promotes a sense of agency and responsibility, empowering clients to take an active role in their own healing journey.
• Skill Development : Therapy homework allows clients to practice and develop new skills, strategies, and coping mechanisms in real-life situations. It helps to reinforce positive changes and build resilience.
• Generalization of Learning : Through therapy homework, clients have the opportunity to generalize the insights gained in therapy to different contexts and relationships. It supports the transfer of therapeutic gains into their day-to-day lives.
• Increased Self-Awareness : Therapy homework often involves self-reflection and introspection, which can deepen clients’ self-awareness and understanding of their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. This increased self-awareness can be a catalyst for personal growth and transformation.
• Collaborative Process : Assigning therapy homework fosters a collaborative therapeutic relationship between clients and therapists. It encourages open communication, feedback, and discussion, leading to a more effective and tailored treatment approach.

By incorporating therapy homework into the therapeutic process, therapists can enhance the effectiveness of their interventions and facilitate meaningful change in their clients’ lives.

To explore therapy homework ideas for different therapeutic needs, refer to our articles on  therapy homework assignments ,  therapy homework for anxiety ,  therapy homework for depression , and many more.

Finding the Right Therapy Homework Ideas

When it comes to assigning therapy homework,  tailoring  the activities to each individual client is essential for maximizing their engagement and progress. By customizing the homework, therapists can address specific needs and help clients work towards their therapeutic goals. Additionally, incorporating the client’s  goals and interests  into the assignments can enhance motivation and make the process more enjoyable.

Tailoring Homework to the Client

To ensure the therapy homework is effective, it’s crucial to consider the unique characteristics and preferences of each client. Tailoring the assignments involves taking into account factors such as the client’s age, cultural background, learning style, and personal circumstances.

For example, if a client is struggling with anxiety, it may be beneficial to assign homework that focuses on relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation. On the other hand, a client who is working on building assertiveness skills may benefit from practicing role-plays or assertiveness exercises outside of therapy sessions.

By tailoring the therapy homework to the client’s specific needs and challenges, therapists can provide targeted support and facilitate progress towards their therapeutic goals. For more ideas on therapy homework assignments, check out our article on  therapy homework assignments .

Incorporating Client Goals and Interests

Incorporating the client’s goals and interests into therapy homework is an effective way to increase motivation and engagement. By aligning the assignments with the client’s aspirations, they are more likely to be actively involved in the therapeutic process.

For example, if a client is working towards improving their self-esteem, therapy homework could involve engaging in self-affirmation exercises or creating a self-compassion journal. If a client is interested in mindfulness, incorporating mindfulness exercises and  meditation  into the homework can be highly beneficial.

By connecting the therapy homework to the client’s personal goals and interests, therapists can foster a sense of ownership and investment in the therapeutic journey. This approach helps to create a more meaningful and impactful therapeutic experience.

Remember, therapy homework is most effective when it is tailored to the client’s individual needs and incorporates their goals and interests. By taking these factors into account, therapists can empower their clients to actively engage in their own healing process.

Therapy Homework Ideas for Different Needs

When it comes to therapy homework, tailoring the assignments to the unique needs of each client is essential. This ensures that the homework aligns with their therapeutic goals and interests. In this section, we will explore therapy homework ideas for different needs, including  Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques ,  mindfulness and meditation exercises ,  journaling and writing prompts , and  creative expressive arts activities .

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Techniques

CBT techniques are widely used in therapy to help individuals identify and modify negative thought patterns and behaviors. Assigning CBT-based homework can provide clients with practical tools to challenge unhelpful thoughts and develop healthier coping mechanisms. Some therapy homework ideas for CBT may include:

• Thought Records : Encourage clients to keep a thought record where they write down and examine their negative thoughts, identify cognitive distortions, and reframe them with more realistic and positive alternatives.
• Behavioral Experiments : Suggest clients engage in real-life experiments to test the validity of their negative beliefs and assumptions, helping them gather evidence to challenge and modify those beliefs.
• Activity Scheduling : Encourage clients to create a schedule of activities that promote positive emotions, engagement, and a sense of accomplishment. This can help them break the cycle of negative thoughts and behaviors.

To discover more therapy homework ideas for specific topics or concerns, such as anxiety, depression, self-esteem, or assertiveness, check out our article on  therapy homework assignments .

Mindfulness and Meditation Exercises

Mindfulness and meditation exercises can be valuable homework assignments to help clients develop present-moment awareness, reduce stress, and cultivate emotional well-being. Some therapy homework ideas for mindfulness and meditation include:

• Breathing Exercises : Encourage clients to practice deep breathing exercises, focusing on their breath as it enters and leaves their body. This can help promote relaxation and reduce anxiety.
• Body Scan Meditation : Suggest clients engage in a body scan meditation, guiding their attention from head to toe, paying attention to physical sensations and releasing tension.
• Mindful Eating : Encourage clients to practice mindful eating by fully engaging their senses, savoring each bite, and paying attention to the tastes, textures, and smells of their food.

For more mindfulness and meditation exercises, along with guided scripts, consider referring to our article on  therapy homework for mindfulness .

Journaling and Writing Prompts

Journaling and writing prompts can be effective tools for self-reflection, emotional expression, and personal growth. Assigning writing exercises as therapy homework allows clients to explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a safe and structured way. Some therapy homework ideas for journaling and writing prompts include:

• Gratitude Journal : Encourage clients to keep a gratitude journal, writing down three things they are grateful for each day. This practice can help shift their focus towards positive aspects of their lives.
• Letter Writing: Suggest clients write a letter to themselves, expressing self-compassion , forgiveness, or encouragement. This can be a powerful exercise for promoting self-acceptance and self-care.
• Emotional Release Writing : Encourage clients to engage in free-writing, allowing their thoughts and emotions to flow onto the paper without judgment or self-censorship. This can be a cathartic exercise for emotional processing.

To explore more journaling and writing prompts for therapy homework, consider referring to our article on  therapy homework for journaling .

Creative Expressive Arts Activities

Engaging in creative expressive arts activities can provide clients with a unique and alternative way to explore their emotions, enhance self-expression, and gain insights into their inner world. Some therapy homework ideas for creative expressive arts activities include:

• Art Therapy : Encourage clients to engage in art therapy exercises, such as drawing, painting, or collaging, to express their emotions and access their subconscious mind.
• Music Therapy : Suggest clients create a playlist of songs that resonate with their emotions and help them process their feelings, or encourage them to engage in music improvisation as a form of expression.
• Drama Therapy : Encourage clients to engage in role-playing exercises or create and act out scenes to explore different perspectives and gain insights into their own experiences.

For additional therapy homework ideas for creative expressive arts activities, refer to our article on  therapy homework for self-expression .

By incorporating therapy homework ideas that align with the specific needs and interests of each client, therapists can empower their clients to actively participate in their own healing journey and make progress towards their therapeutic goals.

Implementing Effective Therapy Homework

To ensure the effectiveness of therapy homework assignments, it is crucial to follow certain guidelines. This section will discuss three key aspects of implementing effective therapy homework:  providing clear instructions ,  setting realistic expectations , and  encouraging accountability and follow-up .

Providing Clear Instructions

When assigning therapy homework, it is essential to provide your clients with clear and concise instructions. Clearly outline the purpose of the assignment, the specific tasks or exercises involved, and any guidelines or resources they may need. Using simple and straightforward language will help ensure that your clients understand what is expected of them.

Additionally, consider providing written instructions or  therapy homework worksheets  that your clients can refer to as they complete their assignments. This will serve as a helpful reminder and guide, increasing the likelihood of successful completion.

Setting Realistic Expectations

Setting realistic expectations is crucial when assigning therapy homework. Take into account your clients’ individual circumstances, such as their available time, resources, and personal commitments. Tailor the assignments to their specific needs and abilities to ensure they can be realistically accomplished within the given timeframe.

By setting achievable goals, you will motivate your clients and increase their confidence in their ability to complete the assignments. This, in turn, will enhance their engagement and overall progress during therapy.

Encouraging Accountability and Follow-up

Encouraging accountability and follow-up is essential for effective therapy homework. Regularly check in with your clients to inquire about their progress and address any challenges or questions they may have. This demonstrates your support and commitment to their growth.

Encourage your clients to keep a record of their experiences, insights, or reflections related to their therapy homework. This can be in the form of a journal, a digital document, or even a dedicated  therapy homework app  that allows them to track their progress and thoughts.

By reviewing their completed assignments and discussing their experiences during therapy sessions, you can provide valuable feedback and insights. This feedback will reinforce their efforts and help them integrate their learnings into their daily lives.

Remember to offer encouragement and praise for your clients’ hard work and dedication. Celebrate their achievements, no matter how small, as it will motivate them to continue their therapeutic journey.

As you implement these strategies for effective therapy homework, you will empower your clients to actively engage in their healing process. Providing clear instructions, setting realistic expectations, and encouraging accountability and follow-up will ensure that therapy homework becomes a valuable tool for their growth and progress.

Enhancing Client Engagement

When it comes to therapy homework,  client engagement  is vital for effective progress and positive outcomes. Building a supportive relationship, offering feedback and encouragement, and addressing challenges and concerns are key elements in fostering client engagement .

Building a Supportive Relationship

Establishing a supportive and trusting relationship with clients is essential for effective therapy. Creating a safe and non-judgmental environment allows clients to feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Actively listening, demonstrating empathy, and validating their feelings are effective ways to build rapport and foster a strong therapeutic alliance.

By developing a supportive relationship, clients are more likely to engage in therapy homework willingly and openly. They will feel understood, respected, and motivated to actively participate in their therapeutic journey.

Offering Feedback and Encouragement

Providing feedback and encouragement throughout the therapy process can significantly enhance client engagement. Regularly acknowledging their progress, recognizing their efforts, and celebrating their achievements can boost their motivation and self-confidence.

Offering constructive feedback that highlights their strengths and areas of improvement can help clients gain valuable insights. It’s essential to provide feedback in a compassionate and non-judgmental manner, ensuring that clients feel supported and encouraged to continue their growth.

Addressing Challenges and Concerns

Therapy is not always a smooth journey, and clients may encounter challenges or have concerns along the way. As a therapist, it is crucial to address these issues promptly and effectively. Actively listen to their concerns, validate their emotions, and work collaboratively to find solutions.

By addressing challenges and concerns, clients will feel heard and supported, which promotes their engagement in therapy. Whether it’s modifying therapy homework assignments, exploring different strategies, or adjusting treatment goals, adapting the therapy process to meet their specific needs can enhance client engagement and overall therapeutic outcomes.

Remember, client engagement is a dynamic process that requires ongoing attention and effort. By building a supportive relationship, offering feedback and encouragement, and addressing challenges and concerns, therapists can empower their clients and create a collaborative therapeutic environment. This environment promotes active engagement in therapy homework and facilitates positive change.

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49 Communication Activities, Exercises & Games

Read on to learn about how important communication is in a relationship and how you can work on improving your communication skills.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Communication Exercises (PDF) for free . These science-based tools will help you and those you work with build better social skills and better connect with others.

This Article Contains:

What are communication activities, exercises, and games, the role of communication in a relationship, how can we develop better communication skills, 18 communication games and activities for adults, 17 exercises to help improve communication in a relationship, the importance of communication in the family unit, 14 family therapy activities for communication, a take-home message.

The resources in this piece include tips, techniques, exercises, games, and other activities that give you the opportunity to learn more about effective communication, help guide your interactions with others, and improve your communication skills.

Some might feel like a chore you need to cross off your to-do list while others may make you forget you’re not just having fun with your family , but actually boosting vital life skills; however, they all have one thing in common: they will help you become a better, more effective, and more positive communicator with those who mean the most to you.

But what’s the deal with these activities, exercises, and therapy games ? Are they really that important or impactful? Do we really need to work on communicating when it seems like we’re pretty good at it already?

Check out this quote from Stephen R. Covey and take a minute to think about how vital communication really is.

The most important ingredient we put into any relationship is not what we say or what we do, but what we are. And if our words and our actions come from superficial human relations techniques rather than from our own inner core, others will sense that duplicity. We simply won’t be able to create and sustain the foundation necessary for effective interdependence.

Stephen R. Covey

As Covey notes, communication is the foundation of all of our relationships , forming the basis of our interactions and feelings about one another.

According to Australia’s Better Health Channel, communication is “ the transfer of information from one place to another ” and within relationships, it “ allows you to explain to someone else what you are experiencing and what your needs are ” (Victoria Department of Health & Human Services, n.d.).

When communication is good, we feel good about our relationships. Dr. Susan Heitler (2010) puts it this way:

When people say, ‘We have a great relationship,’ what they often mean is how they feel when they talk with one another. They mean, ‘I feel positive toward that person when we interact. I send and I receive positive vibes with them.’

Besides making our relationships easier, there are also relationship-boosting benefits to good communication:

• Effective communication shows respect and value of the other person.
• It helps us to better understand each other; not all communication is about understanding—some are intended to fight, dismiss, invalidate, undermine, etc.—but it should be!
• It makes us feel more comfortable with each other and encourages even more healthy and effective communication (Abass, n.d.).

Download 3 Communication Exercises (PDF)

These detailed, science-based exercises will equip you or your clients with tools to improve communication skills and enjoy more positive social interactions with others.

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Fortunately, all it takes to develop better communication skills is a commitment to do so and a little bit of effort.

These tips from Australia’s Better Health Channel can help guide you toward better communication with your partner or spouse (these tips can also apply to any other relationship in your life with a little tweaking):

• Set aside time to talk without interruption from other people or distractions like phones, computers or television.
• Think about what you want to say.
• Be clear about what you want to communicate.
• Make your message clear, so that your partner hears it accurately and understands what you mean.
• Talk about what is happening and how it affects you.
• Talk about what you want, need and feel – use ‘I’ statements such as ‘I need’, ‘I want’ and ‘I feel’.
• Accept responsibility for your own feelings.
• Listen to your partner. Put aside your own thoughts for the time being and try to understand their intentions, feelings, needs and wants (this is called empathy ).
• Share positive feelings with your partner, such as what you appreciate and admire about them, and how important they are to you.
• Be aware of your tone of voice.
• Negotiate and remember that you don’t have to be right all the time. If the issue you are having is not that important, sometimes let the issue go, or agree to disagree (Victoria Department of Health & Human Services, n.d.).

If you’re experiencing high levels of conflict in your relationship(s), the Better Health Channel has some specific recommendations for you:

• Avoid using the silent treatment.
• Don’t jump to conclusions. Find out all the facts rather than guessing at motives.
• Discuss what actually happened. Don’t judge.
• Learn to understand each other, not to defeat each other.
• Talk using the future and present tense, not the past tense.
• Concentrate on the major problem, and don’t get distracted by other minor problems.
• Talk about the problems that hurt your or your partner’s feelings, then move on to problems about differences in opinions.
• Use ‘I feel’ statements, not ‘You are’ statements (Victoria Department of Health & Human Services, n.d.).

8 Tips on How to Teach Communication Skills

This useful framework comes from Alice Stott at Edutopia (2018):

• Physical: How a speaker uses their body language, facial expressions, and voice.
• Linguistic: The speaker’s use of language, including their understanding of formality and rhetorical devices.
• Cognitive: The content of what a speaker says and their ability to build on, challenge, question, and summarize others’ ideas.
• Social and emotional : How well a speaker listens, includes others, and responds to their audience (Stott, 2018).

Once you have a good framework for understanding communication, try these 8 ways to foster effective communication in your children or students:

• Teach your kids empathy so they can get a sense of what the other person is thinking and feeling.
• Teach your kids conversation skills with techniques like puppets and video modeling, which they can then apply in exercises and activities.
• Establish listening and speaking procedures in the classroom or at home (e.g., Dr. Allen Mendler’s SLANT strategy : Sit up straight, Listen, Answer and ask questions, Nod to show interest, Track the speaker; Mendler, 2013).
• Teach respectful vocabulary and remind students that being “cold” (passive) or “hot” (angry) will probably result in less understanding and more conflict.
• Teach the power of pausing (e.g., encourage them to pause, think, and ask questions like “What do you mean by that?” and “Why?”).
• Have your kids practice speaking and listening in natural settings (e.g., outside of the home and classroom).
• Encourage introspection in your children; it will help them understand themselves better as well as those around them.
• Practice taking turns with a talking stick or a ball, teaching your children that they can speak when they have the object but they are expected to listen when others are talking (Stanfield, 2017).

One of the most effective ways to avoid unnecessary disputes is to practice non-violent communication (NVC). According to Rosenberg (1999), non-violent communication methods can serve us in three ways:

• It can increase your ability to live with choice, meaning, and connection
• It helps connect empathically with yourself and others to have more satisfying relationships
• It shares resources so everyone is able to benefit

In an effort to exemplify the various forms that communication can take, we want to share some key differences between passive, assertive, and aggressive communication styles.

• Specifically, a passive communicator prioritizes the needs of others, even at their own expense. This often leads to being taken advantage of and having their own needs disregarded by others as well.
• An assertive communicator mirrors the values of NVC, which is what we should aim for. This communication style emphasizes the importance of all parties’ needs and is defined by confidence and the willingness to compromise
• Aggressive communication, also referred to as violent communication, disregards any other parties involved and consists of constant disrespect, interrupting, and domination.

Now that you are familiar with these types of communication styles, it’s time to analyze how you convey your thoughts to others (and if there is any room for improvement).

If you’re looking for some concrete ways to build communication skills in adults, you’ve come to the right place. Below are 18 games, activities, and exercises that you can use to help adults develop more effective listening and communication skills.

5 Communication Activities for Adults

To get started improving your (or your team’s, or your student’s) communication skills, give these 5 activities a try.

1. Card Pieces

This exercise from the team at MindTools is a good way to help participants develop more empathy, consider other perspectives, build their communication and negotiation skills.

First, make sure you have enough people for at least three teams of two, enough playing cards to give out between 4 and 6 cards to each person, and 15 minutes to spare.

Here’s how the activity works:

• Cut each playing card into half diagonally, then in half diagonally again, so you have four triangular pieces for each card.
• Mix all the pieces together and put equal numbers of cards into as many envelopes as you have teams.
• Divide people up into teams of three or four. You need at least three teams. If you’re short of people, teams of two will work just as well.
• Give each team an envelope of playing card pieces.
• Each team has three minutes to sort its pieces, determine which ones it needs to make complete cards, and develop a bargaining strategy.
• After three minutes, allow the teams to start bartering for pieces. People can barter on their own or collectively with their team. Give the teams eight minutes to barter.
• When the time is up, count each team’s completed cards. Whichever team has the most cards wins the round.

Afterward, you can use these questions to guide discussion on the exercise:

• Which negotiation strategies worked? Which didn’t?
• What could they have done better?
• What other skills, such as active listening or empathy, did they need to use?

2. Listen and Draw

This game is easy to play but not so easy to “win.” It requires participants’ full attention and active listening.

Gather your group of participants together and hand out a piece of paper and a pen or pencil to each player. Tell them you will give them verbal instructions on drawing an object, one step at a time.

For example, you might give them instructions like:

• Draw a square, measuring 5 inches on each side.
• Draw a circle within the square, such that it fits exactly in the middle of the square.
• Intersect 2 lines through the circle, dividing the circle into 4 equal parts.

As the exercise continues, it will get progressively harder; one misstep could mean that every following instruction is misinterpreted or misapplied. Participants will need to listen carefully to ensure their drawing comes out accurately. Once the instructions have all been read, compare drawings and decide who won.

For added engagement, decide in advance on what the finished product is supposed to represent (e.g., a spiderweb, a tree).

3. Communication Origami

This is a great exercise to help people understand that we all hear and interpret things differently, even if we are given the exact same information.

Here’s how it works:

• Give one sheet of standard-sized paper (8.5 x 11 inches) to each participant.
• Tell your participants that you will be giving them step-by-step instructions on how to fold their piece of paper into an origami shape.
• Inform your participants that they must keep their eyes and mouths closed as they follow instructions; they are not allowed to look at the paper or ask any clarifying questions.
• Give the group your instructions on how to fold the paper into the origami shape of your choice.
• Once the instructions have all been given, have everyone open their eyes and compare their shape with the intended shape.

You will likely find that each shape is a little bit different! To hit the point home, refer to these discussion points and questions:

• Make the point that each paper looks different even though you have given the same instructions to everybody. What does this mean?
• Ask the group if you think the results would have been better if they kept their eyes open or were allowed to ask questions.
• Communicating clearly is not easy, we all interpret the information we get differently that’s why it’s very important to ask questions and confirm understanding to ensure the communicated message is not distorted.

4. Guess the Emotion

Another useful exercise from the Training Course Material website is called “ Guess the Emotion .” As you might expect, it involves acting out and guessing emotions. This helps all participants practice empathy and better understand their coworkers or group members’ reactions.

Follow these instructions to play this engaging game:

• Divide the group into two teams.
• Place on a table (or put in a box) a packet of cards, each of which has a particular emotion typed on it
• Have a participant from Group A take the top card from the table and act out (pantomime) the emotion for his/her group. This is to be done in a fixed time limit (such as a minute or two).
• If the emotion is guessed correctly by Group A, they receive ten points.
• Now have a participant from Group B act out an emotion; award points as appropriate.
• Rotate the acting opportunities between the two groups.
• After 20 to 30 minutes of acting and guessing, call time and announce the winning team based on its point total.

If you have a particularly competitive group, consider giving a prize to the winning team!

5. The Guessing Game

Finally, another fun and engaging game that can boost communication skills: “ The Guessing Game. ” You will probably recognize this game, as it’s similar to what many people know as “ Twenty Questions ,” except there is no hard limit on the number of questions you can ask.

To start, separate the group into two teams of equal (or roughly equal) size. Instruct one player from each team to leave the room for one minute and come up with a common object that can be found in most offices (e.g., a stapler, a printer, a whiteboard).

When this person returns, their teammates will try to guess what the object is by asking only “Yes or No” questions (i.e., questions that can only be answered with “yes” or “no”). The team can ask as many questions as they need to figure it out, but remind them that they’re in competition with the other team. If there’s time, you can have multiple rounds for added competition between the teams.

Take the last 10 minutes or so to discuss and debrief. Use the following points and questions to guide it:

• Tell the group that obviously it took a long time and effort for us to find out the object in each round, but what if we didn’t have time and only had one question to ask to find out the object, what would that question be?
• The question would be “What is the object?” which is an open-ended question.
• Open-ended questions are an excellent way to save time and energy and help you get to the information you need fast, however, closed questions can also be very useful in some instances to confirm your understanding or to help you control the conversation with an overly talkative person/customer.

5 Listening Activities for Adults

If you’re intent on improving listening skills, in particular, you have lots of options; give these 5 activities a try.

1. Telephone Exercise

This classic exercise from Becky Norman (2018) at Sift’s Training Zone illustrates why listening is such an important skill, and why we shouldn’t ignore any opportunities to improve it.

Split your group into two even lines. At opposite ends of each line, whisper a phrase or short sentence to the person on the end and tell them to pass it on using only whispers, one person at a time. They can only repeat the phrase or sentence once.

While participants are busy passing the message along to the next person in line, play music or engage them in conversation to create some white noise. This will make it a bit more difficult but it will mimic real-life conditions, where distractions abound.

When the messages have made it to the end of each line, have the last person to receive the message in each line report out on what they heard. Next, have the first person to receive the message in each line report the original message and compare it to the final message received.

2. Stop Listening Exercise

This exercise , also from Becky Norman’s piece (2018), will show participants the emotional consequences of not listening and—hopefully—encourage them to practice better listening skills.

Split your group into two smaller groups of equal size and take one group outside the room. Tell them that they are instructed to stop listening to their partner after about 30 seconds, and to be open in showing their disinterest. Tell the other group to think of something that they are passionate about and be prepared to tell their soon-to-be partner a meaningful or personally relevant story about this topic.

Bring the other group back in, put all the participants into pairs, and tell them to get started. Observe the behavior from the listeners and the reactions from the speakers until you’re sure each speaker has picked up on what’s happening. Stop the conversations at this point and explain the instructions that were given to each group.

Facilitate a group discussion on the importance of listening, how to use active listening, and what indicates that someone is truly listening.

3. Listener and Talker Activity

The “Listener and Talker” activity is another good activity for showing the importance of active listening and giving participants a chance to practice their skills.

Divide your group into pairs, with one partner assigned to the talker role and the other assigned to the listener role. The talker’s job is to describe what he or she wants from a vacation without specifying a destination. The listener’s job is to listen attentively to what is being said (and what is not being said) and to demonstrate their listening through their behavior.

After a few minutes of active listening, the listener should summarize the three or main criteria the talker is considering when it comes to enjoying their vacation. Finally, the listener should try to sell the talker on a destination for their vacation. After a quick debrief on how well the listener listened, the two should switch roles and try the exercise again.

This exercise gives each participant a chance to practice talking about their wants and needs, as well as an opportunity to engage in active listening and use the knowledge they gained to understand and relate to the speaker.

4. Memory Test Activity

This great activity from TrainingCourseMaterial.com is called the “Memory Test” activity.

• Tell participants that you are going to read them a list of words to test their memory.
• Instruct them to listen carefully, as they cannot write down any of the words. Tell them you will test them later to see how many of the words they can remember.
• When you finish reading the list of words, distract your participants by talking about something else for at least one full minute.
• Once you have finished talking, have each participant write down as many words as they can remember from the list.

You (and your participants) will find that it’s pretty difficult to remember a list of somewhat-random words, especially when there is a break in time and another discussion in between hearing them and recalling them! Relate this to real-life listening by emphasizing the importance of paying attention to people when they are speaking to you, especially if it’s an important conversation.

5. Just Listen Activity

This activity comes from the folks at MindTools.com and offers participants a chance to communicate their feelings and provide a recap or rephrasing of another person’s feelings on a subject.

To get started, you will need an even number of people to pair off (or prepare to partner with one yourself) and eight index cards per pair. These index cards should have one topic written on each card; try to make sure the topics are interesting but not too controversial, as you don’t want listeners to dislike the speakers if they disagree with their viewpoint (e.g., you should probably avoid politics and religion).

Use these instructions to conduct the activity:

• Have the team members sit down in their pairs.
• Give each pair eight of the index cards.
• Instruct one partner to choose a random card and then speak for three minutes on how he or she feels about the topic.
• Instruct the other partner to stay quiet while the first partner talks, just listening instead of speaking.
• After the three minutes is up, the listener has one minute to recap what the speaker said (not agree, disagree, or debate, just recap).
• Have each pair switch roles and repeat the exercise so both partners get a chance to speak and to listen.

After each participant has played both roles, end the activity and guide a discussion with the following questions:

• How did speakers feel about their partners’ ability to listen with an open mind? Did their partners’ body language communicate how they felt about what was being said?
• How did listeners feel about not being able to speak about their own views on the topic? How well were they able to keep an open mind? How well did they listen?
• How well did the listening partners summarize the speakers’ opinions? Did they get better as the exercise progressed?
• How can they use the lessons from this exercise at work?

You will find this activity at this link , exercise #4.

6 Nonverbal Communication Activities for Adults

Nonverbal communication is just as important as verbal communication, if not more so!

Use these 6 activities to practice reading and “speaking” effective nonverbal messages.

1. Power of Body Language

This activity from TrainingCourseMaterial.com will help your participants work on their body language skills.

• Tell the participants that you are going to give them a series of instructions and you want them to follow them as fast as they can.
• Put your hand to your nose.
• Clap your hands.
• Touch your shoulder.
• Stamp your foot.
• Cross your arms.
• Put your hand to your mouth (but while saying this one, put your hand to your nose).
• Observe how many participants copied what you did instead of what you said.

Share this observation with your group and lead a discussion on how body language can influence our understanding and our reactions. It can reinforce what we hear or it can interfere with the verbal communication we receive. The more aware we are of this possibility, the better communicators we become. It’s vital to keep your own body language in mind, just as it’s vital to notice and understand others’ body language.

2. Clap and Follow

The “Clap and Follow” activity is a great way to practice using your body in conjunction with verbal communication.

It works like this:

• Tell your group that this is a game that requires their full concentration.
• When they hear one clap from the leader (you), tell them this means they should stand up.
• When they hear two claps from the leader, they should hop once in place.
• When they hear three claps, they should rub their belly.
• When they hear four claps, they should do a 360-degree turn on the spot.
• When they hear five claps, they should pat their head.
• Begin the activity! Start with one clap, then two claps, and so on until you have given the group each instruction once.
• Now, mix it up! Switch between the five different instructions and begin to pick up the pace. This is when the eliminations begin.
• Each time a participant engages in the wrong activity, eliminate them from the game. Continue until there is one clear winner.

If you have a competitive group, you may want to bring a prize to ensure active engagement with the exercise. It will give participants a chance to practice nonverbal communication in a fun context.

3. Wordless Acting

This activity from Grace Fleming (2018) at ThoughtCo will show your participants how much we “speak” with our body language and facial expressions.

Here are the instructions:

• Separate your group into pairs.
• Assign one participant in each pair to be Partner A and the other to be Partner B.
• Give each participant a copy of the script (copied below).
• Instruct Participant A to read his or her lines out loud, but instruct Participant B to communicate his or her lines in a nonverbal way.
• Provide Participant B with a secret emotional distraction written on a piece of paper (e.g., Participant B is in a rush, is really bored, or is feeling guilty).
• Have each pair work through the script.
• After each pair has finished working through the script, have the “A” participants guess what emotion their partner was feeling.

This is the script you will give each participant:

A: Have you seen my book? I can’t remember where I put it. B: Which one? A: The murder mystery. The one you borrowed. B: Is this it? A: No. It’s the one you borrowed. B: I did not! A: Maybe it’s under the chair. Can you look? B: Okay—just give me a minute. A: How long are you going to be? B: Geez, why so impatient? I hate when you get bossy. A: Forget it. I’ll find it myself. B: Wait—I found it!

After the activity, guide a discussion on how much information we can pick up from nonverbal communication and how important it is to regulate our bodies and our facial expressions when communicating, even if we’re also using verbal communication.

4. We Have to Move Now!

Another great exercise from Grace Fleming (2018) is called “We Have to Move Now!” and it will help your participants learn how to express and detect several different emotions.

These are the instructions for this activity:

• Cut several strips of paper.
• On each strip of paper, write down a mood, feeling, or disposition, like guilty, happy, suspicious, paranoid, insulted, or insecure.
• Fold the strips of paper so you can’t see what is written on it and place them in a bowl or jar. These are your prompts.
• Have each participant take a prompt from the bowl or jar and read the exact same sentence to the class, but with the emotion the prompt specifies.
• The sentence everybody will read is: “We all need to gather our possessions and move to another building as soon as possible.”
• Have the participants guess the emotion of each reader by writing down what they think the speaker is feeling (or what they are supposed to be feeling).

After each participant has had a chance to read the sentence based on one of the prompts, run through the emotions displayed and see how many each participant guessed correctly. Finally, lead a debriefing discussion on how things like tone and body language can impact the way a message is received.

5. Stack the Deck

All you’ll need for this exercise is a deck of playing cards, a blindfold for each participant, and some space to move around.

Here’s how “Stack the Deck” works:

• Shuffle the deck of cards and hand one out to each participant.
• Instruct the participants to keep their cards a secret; no one should see the suit or color of another participant’s card.
• Tell the participants that they will not be allowed to talk at all during this exercise.
• Instruct your participants to assemble into four groups according to their suit (hearts, clubs, diamonds, spades), but using only nonverbal communication.
• If you have the time and your participants have the inclination, try blindfolding each participant and giving the same instructions—it makes it much more difficult and more time-consuming!
• Once participants have all gathered into one of the four groups, have them line up according to their rank (Ace is the lowest, King is the highest); again, they cannot speak or show their cards to anyone during this part of the exercise.
• The group that lines up in the right order first wins!

As always, you can offer a prize to the winning team to motivate your participants.

This exercise will show how difficult it is to communicate without words, but it will also show your participants that it is not only possible, it gets easier as they start to pick up on one another’s nonverbal cues.

You can find this exercise at this link (Activity #3).

6. Silent Movie

Finally, facilitate this activity to really drive home the importance of effective nonverbal communication.

Divide your participants into two groups. For the first half of the activity, one group will be screenwriters and the other group will be actors. In the second half, the two groups will switch roles.

Instruct the screenwriters to write a silent movie, but to keep these things in mind:

• Silent movies tell a story without words. It’s important to start the scene with the actor doing an obvious task, like cleaning the house or rowing a boat.
• The scene must be interrupted when a second actor (or several actors) enter the scene, and their arrival should have a big impact. The character(s) could be anyone (or anything), including burglars, salesmen, children, or even animals.
• A physical commotion must occur.
• The problem that is caused by the commotion must be resolved by the end of the scene.

Give the screenwriters time to write out their script, then have the actors perform the script. Once the scene is finished, have the groups switch roles.

The communication game – Asgar Hussain

2 Communication Group Activities

Other great activities for group communication include the “Square Talk” and “Follow All Instructions” activities.

1. Square Talk Activity

For this activity , you will need one blindfold for each participant, one long piece of rope for each team (teams should be composed of around 5 participants each), and 25 minutes.

Follow these steps to give this activity a try:

• Divide your group of participants into groups of about 5 each.
• Clear the room so you have as much space as possible.
• Blindfold each participant and tell them their objective: to make a square from a rope (i.e., stand in the shape of a square with their team).
• Disorientate each participant by moving them a bit, spinning them around, etc.
• All team members are blindfolded and must remain so for the duration of the activity.
• The rope you are holding is approximately ___ feet in length.
• The role you are holding is knotted together to form a circle; it must not be undone.
• You must not let go of the rope.
• You will be told when you have 5 minutes remaining.
• Allow the teams to work on the activity and inform them when they have 5 minutes left.

Once the teams have given this activity their best shot, use these 5 discussion questions to review the importance of good group communication:

• Do you feel as a group you communicated effectively?
• During the Activity, what communication skills did you use effectively?
• During the activity, what communication skills could you have used to improve performance?
• How important is communication in the workplace? Why?
• What key points have you learned about communication from this activity, that you wish to apply in the workplace?

2. Follow All Instructions Activity

This activity from TrainingCourseMaterial.com is a great one for young people, but it can be used with participants of all ages. All you’ll need is a set of instructions for each participant.

• Write all of your teams initials at the top right-hand corner of this sheet.
• Write your first name on your sheet of paper.
• Write the total of 3 + 16 + 32 + 64 here: __________________
• Underline instruction 1 above.
• Check the time by your watch with that of one of your neighbor’s.
• Write down the difference in time between the two watches at the foot of this page.
• Draw three circles in the left-hand margin.
• Put a tick in each of the circles mentioned in 6.
• Sign your signature at the foot of the page.
• On the back of the page, divide 50 by 12.5.
• When you get to this point in the test, stand up, then sit down and continue with the next item.
• If you have carefully followed all these instructions, call out ‘I have’.
• On the reverse of this page, draw quickly what you think an upright bicycle looks like from overhead.
• Check your answer to Item 9, multiply it by 5 and write the result in the left-hand margin opposite this item.
• Write the 5th, 10th, 9th and 20th letters of the alphabet here: ___________________
• Punch three holes with your pen here: o o o
• If you think you are the first person to get this far, call out ‘I’m in the lead’.
• Underline all the even digits on the left-hand side of the page.
• Draw triangles around the holes you punched in Item 15.
• Now you’ve finished reading all the instructions, obey only 1, 2, 20 & 21.
• Stand up and say, “We’re the greatest team in the World!”

As you can see, the instructions include lots of silly directives (e.g., “When you get to this point in the test, stand up, then sit down and continue with the next item.”) that will identify who is following the directions and who is not—but the person that stands is actually the one not following directions!

The first and only verbal instruction you will give participants is to read all the written instructions first before engaging in any of the directives. The first person to complete the list will be declared the winner of the activity. You can offer a prize to the winner if you think the group would be motivated by it.

This exercise is a fun way to see who is paying attention and who is skipping the most vital instruction—to read everything before acting.

7 Communication Games for Couples

Defeating Divorce shares the following three games aimed at improving communication in a romantic relationship.

This game is goal-directed, meaning the couple is working towards a common goal, and that goal requires effective communication.

• The couple sits back to back with an identical set of building blocks in front of each of them.
• One partner uses their blocks to create some sort of building or structure.
• The builder partner then relays a series of instructions to the other partner to help him or her build the exact same structure.
• The listener partner must try to build the same structure based on the speaker partner’s instructions.

This game takes some serious teamwork and good communication, and it can be repeated as needed to help a couple build their skills.

2. Minefield

“Minefield” is a physical game that will not only get both partners up and moving, but it will also require a great deal of trust and communication to complete the challenge.

You will need a blindfold for one partner, some space to navigate, and some objects with which you can create a minefield or obstacle course. Once the course is ready to go, blindfold one partner and bring them into the room.

The challenge here is for the non-blindfolded partner to guide the blindfolded partner through the obstacle course using only verbal communication. The couple will only succeed if the blindfolded partner has trust in their partner and the non-blindfolded partner is an effective verbal communicator.

Feelings of frustration are common in this game, but it can be a great way to highlight issues in communication or, alternately, highlight the couple’s communication strengths.

3. Give Me a Hand

This game is another one that can be frustrating for the couple but ultimately provides a great opportunity to build effective communication skills and unite the two in a common goal.

In this game, the couple will be given a seemingly easy task to complete, such as buttoning a shirt or tying a shoe, but with a catch—each partner will have one arm tied behind their back. The couple will find that the lack of one arm makes the task much more difficult than they might expect!

To complete the task, the couple will need to communicate effectively and coordinate their movements. It will be tough, but immensely satisfying to successfully complete this challenge!

4. Twenty Questions Times Two

If you remember the game “Twenty Questions”, you’ll recognize this game. It can be used to help couples communicate, share important details, and strengthen their connection.

Here’s how:

• The couple should schedule some time alone, without distractions.
• Before playing the game, each partner should come up with a list of 20 detailed personal questions to ask the other partner. The couple should feel free to get creative here!
• Both partners take turns asking each other one question at a time.
• When they’ve finished asking each other their questions, they should reverse them! Instead of asking questions like, “What is your favorite color?” each partner will ask, “What is my favorite color?”

This fun twist on a familiar game will result in greater knowledge and understanding of your spouse and, hopefully, better communication skills.

5. Eye-to-Eye

This game is a good way for couples to work on communicating and improving their connection, and all you need is your eyes!

Here’s how to do it:

• The couple sits facing each other, close enough to hold hands.
• Each partner looks directly into the other partner’s eyes.
• Each partner should take a minute to notice the feelings they are experiencing at this point.
• One partner begins talking about something simple and easy to discuss, like what happened that day, what they had for lunch, or something they are grateful for.
• The other partner reciprocates with a similar conversation, all while holding eye contact.
• The couple continues sharing things one at a time until each partner has shared at least three or four times.
• The couple discusses what the experience was like.

Many people find this game uncomfortable at first, but with practice, it can greatly enhance your sense of intimacy with your partner.

6. The Top Three

Similar to the “three good things” exercise, this game’s aim is to boost a couple’s gratitude for one another and give them both a chance to practice expressing it. Couples should schedule a time for this game every day, but the good news is that it doesn’t take long—just a few minutes will do.

To play “The Top Three”, couples should follow these instructions:

• At the end of each day, take some time to reflect on your day. Think about what your partner has done for you today.
• Take turns sharing those three things with your partner and tell them what each thing meant to you.
• Don’t forget to say “thank you” or otherwise verbally express your gratitude to your partner!

This game gets couples to practice vocalizing their appreciation and expressing gratitude, two things that are not necessarily in everyone’s daily communications but can have a big impact on a relationship.

7. Make a Playdate

Playdates are not just for kids or puppies—they are a great idea for couples as well! A play date is not your average, regularly scheduled programming sort of date, but something that is different, spontaneous, unique, and/or just plain fun!

Here are the three ground rules for the playdate:

• It has to be something for just the couple to do and they cannot include the kids or discuss mundane things like chores or bills.
• It has to be something that requires both partners to be present in the moment; think sailing, rock climbing, or dance lessons rather than seeing a movie or going out to dinner.
• The couple should take turns picking the activity and try to surprise their partner with something new.

Planning this date will not only make it easier to feel connected and closer to one another, but it also provides couples with an opportunity to communicate their love for one another through their actions. Depending on the date activity, it can also provide some much-needed time for the couple to talk.

5 Exercises and Activities for Married Couples

These exercises , also from Defeating Divorce, are not just for married couples, but for anyone in a committed relationship.

1. Fireside Chats

This communication exercise is based on President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “fireside chats,” in which he addressed the American people with the intention of making it feel as if he was speaking directly into their living room, carrying on a calm and rational discussion of important issues.

The intention of this exercise for couples is similar: to make the couple feel more connected, more aware of what is going on in each other’s lives, and to maintain a pulse on how the relationship is going.

The two partners should schedule a 15 to 30-minute “fireside chat” each week to practice their ability to speak calmly, respectfully, and effectively about important and relevant issues. They should minimize the chances of distraction (turn off the TV, put their phones on silent, etc.) and focus only on one another for these chats.

What the couple discusses is up to them, but if there are salient relationship issues, this is a good time to talk about them. If the issues are very serious, it may be a good idea to start out this exercise talking about less intense, less emotional topics before moving on to the problem areas.

2. High-Low Activity

The high-low activity also aims to help couples feel more connected and in touch with one another, which requires measured and thoughtful communication. Engaging in this exercise daily will give the couple a chance to practice their communication skills on a regular basis, as well as their active listening skills.

Here’s how the exercise works:

• Wait until the end of the day (e.g., at the end of dinner, around bedtime) to put it into practice.
• The couple will then “check-in” with each other about the other’s day.
• Each partner will ask the other to share their “high” of the day or the best part of their day.
• Next, each partner will ask the other to share their “low” of the day or the worst or most disappointing part of their day.
• As one partner is sharing, the other should practice active listening techniques, conveying their empathy and understanding to their partner.

This simple activity will result in a more intimate and understanding relationship between the two partners, all for just a few minutes a day.

3. Listening Without Words

If a couple wants to practice both their verbal and nonverbal communication, this is a great way to do it. The “Listening Without Words” activity allows each partner to apply both verbal and nonverbal communication skills, as it involves switching between only speaking and only listening.

This is how to practice it:

• The couple will schedule some time for themselves without kids, work, or other responsibilities interrupting them.
• They set a timer for somewhere between 3 to 5 minutes.
• Until the timer goes off, one partner acts as the speaker and the other acts as the listener. The speaker will talk about any subject they’d like to talk about.
• While the speaker talks, the listener will attempt to show the speaker compassion, empathy, and understanding through nonverbal communication only (e.g., smiling, nodding, taking their partner’s hand).
• When the timer goes off, the partners will have a chance to process what they experienced and discuss any thoughts or feelings that came up.
• Finally, the partners switch roles and repeat the exercise.

This exercise is a great way to boost your bond and your skills at the same time.

4. Eye See You

Similar to a previous exercise (“Eye-to-Eye”), this exercise relies heavily on eye contact; however, unlike the previous exercise, this one does not allow talking until the end.

Here’s how to give it a try:

• The couple should be in a quiet and relaxing environment, with as few distractions as possible.
• They sit in two chairs facing one another, near to one another but not touching.
• The couple sets a timer for five minutes and settles in their respective seats, making and holding eye contact with one another. They will hold eye contact but refrain from speaking or touching until the timer goes off.
• Both partners should be encouraged to note any thoughts, feelings, or sensations that come bubbling up during these five minutes.
• Once the timer goes off, the two should try to guess what the other person was thinking and feeling during the five minutes. Once they have a chance to guess, they should discuss these things that bubbled to the surface as they maintained eye contact.

It might surprise some people to hear what their partner was thinking and feeling during the activity, but a strong relationship depends on understanding and empathizing with one another, making communication like this a necessity.

5. Send Me a Postcard

Although we’ve mostly focused on verbal communication and communications via body language, facial expressions, and touch, there is another form that we haven’t mentioned: written communication. This activity guides the couple in developing more effective written communication skills.

Both partners should have two blank postcards and something to write with for this exercise. On one postcard, each partner will write down a message to the other partner communicating a frustration, a feeling, or a desire. They should take a few minutes to create a thoughtful message to their partner.

Once they have their postcard ready to “mail” each partner will deliver their message to their partner without any verbal communication. They will both read their partner’s message and take a few moments to process. When they feel ready, they will use their remaining blank postcard to craft a response to their partner’s message.

When both partners have finished writing their response, they will deliver those messages to one another as well. After they have both read the response postcards, the couple can debrief and discuss their messages to one another.

5 Communication Exercises for Couples Therapy

If you’re hungry for more couples’ communication exercises, maybe these five exercises will hit the spot!

1. Active Listening

Active listening is not the easiest skill to master, but it is an important one to develop. This exercise from marriage counseling expert Racheal Tasker will give you a chance to practice it with the person closest to you.

The next time you and your partner are talking about something important or sensitive, put these tips and techniques into practice:

• The speaker should remain focused on a single thought or idea.
• The listener should listen attentively to the speaker, concentrating on understanding their perspective and attempting to gain new insights into their thoughts and feelings.
• The speaker and listener should switch roles after a while to allow each to practice both types of communication.
• Both partners should practice speaking and listening with patience and love, allowing their feelings for their partner to guide them toward true understanding rather than just reacting (Tasker, n.d.).

2. Sharing Emotions Freely

It can be tough to be truly open with our emotions, but it’s vital for effective communication and a healthy relationship. Try this exercise to work on this skill.

The couple should agree to try this exercise together and follow these instructions:

• Decide on a specific time and place to put this exercise into practice.
• Let your partner know what you need to feel safe sharing your feelings, and listen to what your partner needs to feel safe sharing his or her feelings.
• Be sure to also ask your partner what would make him or her feel more comfortable as you share your feelings, as it can be just as difficult to hear as it is to share.
• Share with your partner! If it helps, use a timer to limit how much sharing can occur and to ensure equal time to share feelings.
• Listen to what your partner tells you and discuss what, if any, concrete steps you can take based on the information you’ve both shared. Commit to using the information you gained to improve your communication skills and your relationship in general (Tasker, n.d.).

3. Use Positive Language

Another great exercise from Racheal Tasker is focused on using positive language with one another. It can be surprisingly easy to slide into a pattern of mostly neutral or even negative language with your partner, but you can use this exercise to counter that tendency.

Here’s what to do:

• Commit to using positive language when you communicate with your partner.
• Ask your partner to make the same commitment to positive language.
• Avoid being overly critical or negative when communicating with your partner.
• Use a positive and encouraging tone when you speak to your partner.
• Keep an eye on the words you use; try to incorporate words like “love”, “feel”, “appreciate”, and ditch words like “fault”, “never”, and “hate” (e.g., “I hate it when you do X!”).

As partners continue to practice this exercise on a regular basis, they will find that their communication style grows more positive with less effort, and their relationship will flourish (Tasker, n.d.).

4. Take a Trip Together

There’s nothing like traveling with someone to work on your communication skills! Making a trip successful requires tons of communication, coordination, and clear expectations, but it can also open you up to fun new experiences and relaxation. To practice communicating with your partner, try planning and taking a trip together.

Plan your trip with a focus on doing things you both like, going to a place you’d both like to visit, and trying new food, activities, and other experiences together. Getting out of your routine and into a novel environment can do wonders for your communication—not to mention your overall mood.

Use some of the other tips and techniques mentioned in this article when you are planning your trip and while you are enjoying your trip; you’re sure to see some improvements to your communication with your partner (Tasker, n.d.).

You can find this exercise at this link , second exercise from the bottom.

5. I Feel (Blank)

The final exercise from Tasker is called “I Feel _____” and it’s a simple one.

We often have trouble sharing our feelings, even (or especially) with those we are closest to. A great way to work on communicating your feelings more often—and more effectively—is to practice saying “I feel (blank).”

The next time you are experiencing strong emotions or discussing a sensitive or difficult subject with your partner, try beginning your sentences with “I feel…” and continue from there. So, if you’re upset with your partner for forgetting about an important appointment or canceling plans at the last minute, instead of saying “You don’t respect my time,” try “I feel like you don’t respect my time.”

Framing your discussion in this manner—as a statement of your feelings rather than a personal attack or blaming session—is not only conducive to greater understanding, it also shows your partner that you care about having a constructive conversation and that your intentions are not to hurt them but to help them see from your perspective.

According to researchers Peterson and Green (2009), family communication is so important because:

“…it enables members to express their needs, wants, and concerns to each other. Open and honest communication creates an atmosphere that allows family members to express their differences as well as love and admiration for one another.”

The benefits of high-quality communication make spending time on improving the way family members relate to one another a task that is well worth the time spent on it. If you’re interested in working on your communication skills as a family, give the following activities and exercises a try.

These 14 activities are great tools to use in family therapy, but you can also try them at home.

4 Group Exercises for the Family

These four group exercises are a great introduction to communication skill-building as a family. They’re fun, engaging, and good for all ages!

1. What If?

The best time to work on communication skills is when families take the time to just sit and relax together. This simple game is a great way to do that, allowing families to improve how they communicate with one another while laughing together and putting their imagination to good use.

You will need strips of paper, a pencil or pen for each family member, and two bowls.

• Get two slips of paper and something to write with for each family member.
• On the first slip, have each family member write a question off the top of his or her head; it can be silly, serious, or anywhere in between. Put all the questions in one of the bowls and give them a good mix.
• On the second slip of paper, have each family member write an answer to the question they came up with. Place these slips in the second bowl and mix them up.
• Pass each bowl around the room and have each family member take one question slip and one answer slip.
• Have each family member read the question and the answer that they have in their hand. The questions and answers might fit well together or they may result in absurd combinations!
• Continue the game with two more slips of blank paper. It may take a few rounds for everyone to get the hang of the game, but family members will get more comfortable with the game and enjoy it more as they go along.

Use the following questions to guide your discussion as a family:

• Did the activity spark your imagination?
• Why did the questions and answers get funnier after several rounds?

2. Expressing Individuality

Although families usually share values, norms, and beliefs, that doesn’t mean all family members will see things the same way. It can be hard for some family members to communicate their thoughts and feelings when they feel like the odd one out or a “black sheep” in the family.

To make sure your family is a safe space for everyone to share their thoughts and feelings, give the “Expressing Individuality” activity a try. It will help each family member understand that they are a valuable part of the family and that they are always free to share their unique perspective.

You’ll need about an hour for this activity, 15 minutes to make the dough and 45 minutes for the activity itself. Use one of the recipes below to make your own play dough as a family.

If you want to make reusable play dough, mix together:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup water (add food coloring to water if you want colored clay)
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 tablespoon oil

After mixing these ingredients together, put over low heat and stir slowly. When the dough has formed into a small ball, remove it from the heat and knead while still warm. Store the clay in a sealed container.

If you plan on baking your designs at the end of this activity to preserve them, mix together:

• ½ cup water
• Food coloring (if desired—you can also paint the figures after you bake them)

Follow these instructions to encourage each family member to express their individuality:

• If you love Boy Scouts, you may want to mold the image of a person sitting on a log by a campfire.
• If you received an award as the “Employee of the Month,” you may want to mold the image of something that represents hard work, or dependability.
• If friendliness is a personal characteristic that you value, you may want to mold a face with a pleasant smile, or if you have a great love for animals, you may want to mold several of your favorite animals.
• After creating your unique design, you can preserve it by placing it on a cookie sheet and baking it in the oven on warm for several hours (until hard). This will harden the clay hard so that it maintains its shape. If you did not use food coloring to color the clay, or if you like to paint, you could paint the hardened figure. Once everyone has completed a mold, display these molds in the home.

To continue working on communicating your individuality as a family, ask these questions and discuss your answers together:

• Why did you choose to make what you did?
• What does it mean to you?

If the idea of creating a figure out of play dough doesn’t appeal to you, you can also try these two alternatives:

• You could draw pictures using plain white paper and colored pencils/crayons. Drawing may allow you to express more ideas than if you use clay. Make sure that you do not place an emphasis on artistic abilities. It is okay to draw simple stick figures that represent people or other objects.
• You could cut pictures out of old magazines and paste them on a poster board. After each person has completed a mold, picture, or collage, allow each family member to explain how their collage, picture or mold represents them.

3. Hints of Anger

Anger is a normal human emotion, and we will all get angry at some point. Instead of trying to avoid or deny anger, it’s vital that families learn how to manage their anger and communicate it to others in a healthy way. This activity will help family members identify their anger cues (the signs that indicate they are getting angry) and help them regulate their emotions to ensure they don’t say or do something they will regret.

Here’s how to do this activity as a family:

• Tell family members to think about a time when they were angry or upset, and consider how they felt.
• Were your hands relaxed or clenched in a fist?
• Was your heart rate normal or beating fast?
• Were your muscles relaxed or tight with tension?
• What kind of thoughts was going through your head?
• As a family, discuss any discrepancies between what you think about your anger cues and what other family members think.
• How did your body feel during this period of time?
• In which scenario did you feel more comfortable, angry, or happy?
• Discuss the importance of knowing when you are getting upset and might need to take a break and think.

After the activity, discuss these questions as a family:

• Why is it important to recognize the signs that you are angry?
• Why is it important to control your anger?
• What do you feel like specifically, when you are upset?
• What are the things you are going to do to manage your anger so it does not hurt your family relationships?
• Can recognizing anger cues help in managing your anger?

4. Family Meetings

Family meetings are a good idea for a lot of reasons, but yet another benefit of these get-togethers is the potential for building and developing better communication skills as a family. Regular family meetings can help family members learn how to:

• Make joint decisions
• Plan together
• Accept responsibility
• Show concern for others
• Spend some quality time together

Pick one night of the week when your family can consistently get together for a weekly family meeting that lasts 30 to 60 minutes, and make sure it’s scheduled on everyone’s calendar.

Here’s how to conduct good family meetings:

• Set a regular time. Setting a regular time and place gives the family council a position of importance and results in it becoming a permanent part of family operations. If everyone knows that the family is meeting together regularly, they find that most problems can wait a few days to be discussed. For this reason, some families like weekly meetings.
• Use an agenda. Post a paper during the week where family members can list concerns they want brought up (possibly, the message center). Discuss things in the order listed. This also reduces problems between meetings when parents can say, “List it on the agenda and we’ll discuss it at the meeting.”
• Attendance is voluntary . All members of the family are invited to attend — but attendance is voluntary. However, if a member is not present, he/she is still expected to abide by any decisions made by the family council.
• Each person has an equal voice . Everyone should be encouraged to contribute ideas and suggestions. All members must be treated the same, regardless of age. Using the steps of negotiation to (1) introduce the problem, (2) discuss solutions, and (3) vote on a solution. This gives everyone a chance to be involved. Councils do not always run smoothly. Teenagers are often suspicious that the new program is just another way for parents to gain compliance with their demands. In the first council meetings, rebelliousness may be exhibited to deliberately test whether parents are sincere about including them in family decision-making.
• Use rules of order . If participation is to be equal, then some type of order must be maintained. If a person has the right to express himself, then he also has the right to be heard — which implies that others have the obligation to listen. Rules of order help this situation.
• Rotate chairmanship . If the same person conducts all meetings, that person eventually begins to assume an air of superiority. To help maintain a feeling of equality, family members should take turns conducting the councils. This allows each person to experience the privileges and the responsibilities of this position.
• Accentuate solutions . Family council should not be “just a gripe session” — a time to get together and complain. In order to prevent this, you may decide that the person presenting a problem must also suggest one possible solution. Family members could then discuss alternate solutions or modify the one presented. In practice, some solutions do not work as well as anticipated. As family members begin to live with a decision, they may decide it needs to be changed. This change, however, must wait until the next regular meeting. Children soon recognize a need for better solutions and they learn by experience to make wiser choices. When family council is held regularly, each member learns to project ahead and anticipate problems. When this occurs, the emphasis at council meetings shifts from problem-solving to problem prevention and planning. Family council can also be a time to plan fun things like vacations or family outings. Families can talk about different places to visit and how they want to spend the time available.
• Decide on the authority level . The family council can be the final authority for the family, or a family can have a modified version of decision making. For it to be effective, however, most decisions made by the council need to be binding. If parents always overrule the council, children will soon lose interest.
• Keep a record . There sometimes develops a difference of opinions as to who conducted the last meeting, what matters were discussed, and what plans were agreed upon. For this reason, a secretary to record minutes is most helpful. The secretary can rotate with each meeting.

After your first family meeting, discuss these questions as a family:

• How did your first family meeting go?
• What about the meeting was good? What was bad?
• What do you want to incorporate in future meetings?

4 Active Listening Exercises

Active listening is a vital part of communication and can greatly improve relationships between family members. These four active listening exercises are a great way to boost your skills.

1. Precision Communication

Another activity that can help your family build and continue to develop good communication skills is called “Precision Communication.” It’s focused on active listening, which is a vital part of communication and conducive to better understanding and stronger, healthier relationships.

Here’s how to put this activity into practice:

• Set up a maze in your home using furniture, such as kitchen chairs or other pieces of furniture that can act as a barrier.
• Tie string or yarn between the furniture to create a clear path through the maze.
• Select a family member that will try to walk through the maze blindfolded. This person must not see the maze prior to being blindfolded.
• Have someone give voice instructions so the family member can be directed through the maze.

This activity’s aim is to see if the family member giving instructions can help the blindfolded family member get through the maze without bumping into the furniture, walls, or string. This means that not only must the speaking family member communicate clear and detailed instructions, but the blindfolded family member must also use their active listening skills to receive the instructions and implement them effectively.

Use these discussion questions to debrief and maximize this learning opportunity:

• Why was clear detailed communication necessary for this exercise?
• How important was it to listen carefully to the one giving instructions? Why?
• What were some of the difficulties associated with helping a family member complete this exercise?
• Using some of the ideas from this exercise, how can you, as a family, improve your communication skills?

If you want more from this activity, try this follow-up:

Draw a simple picture or pattern on a piece of paper. Without letting family members see the diagram, tell them what they need to do to make a copy of your picture that matches as closely as possible. After giving detailed instructions, see how accurately the pictures match up.

2. End of the Word—Beginning of the Next

This is a fun game on the Encourage Play website that can keep your kids actively engaged in building their listening skills.

Here’s how to play:

• One person (probably an adult) starts the game by giving out one word—it can be any word, it just needs to be one that every family member knows how to spell.
• The next family member must listen to the word the previous person said, then come up with a word that starts with the letter the last word ended with.

This is an easy game to play since you don’t need any materials, just a few minutes and the ability to hear one another! That makes it a great game for car rides, waiting in restaurants, or standing in a long line. To make it more challenging, give it a bit of complexity by limiting the words to a category, like animals or cities.

3. Red Light Green Light

Another exercise from the Encourage Play website is a familiar one. It’s based on the classic “Red Light, Green Light” game in which the leader gives instructions by color: saying “red light” means stop and saying “green light” means go.

To make the game a bit more challenging and really emphasize the importance of active listening, incorporate these three variations to the game:

• Different colors refer to different types of movement; for example, yellow light could mean skipping, purple light could mean crab walking, and blue light could mean hopping.
• Pretend to be a different animal for different colors (yellow = lion, green = bunny, purple = frog, etc.).
• Use words that rhyme with red or green to see if the players catch the difference (e.g., “Bread Light! Teen Light!”).

4. Tell a Group Story

Group stories are a great way to practice active listening with the whole family. It also gives kids a chance to be creative and silly, which helps to keep them engaged in the activity.

• The first person (probably an adult) starts a story with just one sentence (e.g., “Once upon a time, there was a very curious brown bunny”).
• The next person adds onto the story with just one sentence as well (e.g., “This bunny lived with her mother and father in a cozy little burrow under a willow tree”).
• The story continues until everyone has contributed at least a couple of sentences to the story.

This activity boosts active listening skills because it requires careful and attentive listening to what has already been said in order to make a good contribution to the story.

3 Assertive Communication Exercises

One of the best skills to teach your kids is how to be assertive instead of aggressive or passive (or passive-aggressive). Use these three assertive communication activities to help them learn this important skill.

1. Assertive Communication Worksheet

This worksheet is a great way to help older kids understand the difference between types of communication and to learn how to communicate assertively.

The worksheet first provides a good working definition of assertive communication:

“A communication style in which a person stands up for their own needs and wants, while also taking into consideration the needs and wants of others, without behaving passively or aggressively.”

It also outlines the traits of people who are assertive communicators, including:

• Clearly state needs and wants
• Eye contact
• Listens to others without interruption
• Appropriate speaking volume
• Steady tone of voice
• Confident body language

Next, it shares four tips on communicating assertively:

• Respect yourself—your wants and needs are as important as everyone else’s.
• Express your thought and feelings calmly rather than using the silent treatment or yelling and threatening.
• Plan out what you’re going to say before you say it.
• Say “no” when you need to, say it clearly, and do it without lying.

After some examples of assertive communication, we get to the active part of the worksheet. It’s geared toward adults, but the scenarios can be tweaked to fit kids as well.

There are four situations presented and space to write out your own assertive response to each. These situations are:

• Your partner says, “ I know you have plans for the weekend, but I really need you to watch the kids. I have a friend coming to town, and we made plans .”
• Situation: You’ve just received your food at a restaurant, and it was prepared incorrectly. Your sandwich seems to have extra mayo, instead of no mayo.
• Your friend says, “ Hey, can I borrow some money? I want to buy these shoes, but I left my wallet at home. I’ll pay you back soon, I swear. It won’t be like last time .”
• Situation: Your neighbor is adding an expansion to their house, and the crew starts working, very loudly, at 5 am. It has woken you up every day for a week.

Working through these scenarios as a family can help your kids see what healthy assertive communication looks like and show them that it’s okay to say “no” sometimes.

2. The Aggressive Alligator

The Aggressive Alligator is a great tool from Kristina Marcelli-Sargent, for teaching assertiveness over-aggressiveness or passiveness. It makes what can be a dry and boring subject more interesting and engaging.

Start by giving simple definitions to the terms “passive,” “aggressive,” and “assertive.” Next, show them a list of animals or a bin of small stuffed animals and allow them to choose an animal that they feel represents each definition. The aggressive animal doesn’t need to be an alligator, it can be anything that makes sense to your children.

After your kids have chosen an animal for each term, describe some social situations and instruct your kids to act them out with their animals. Each animal should act according to the definition it represents (e.g., the aggressive alligator should act aggressively, the passive panda should act passively, and the assertive anteater should act assertively).

Once all scenarios have been acted out, talk to your kids about how the outcomes differed between the three animals. Point out which one(s) resulted in a positive outcome and which one(s) should probably be avoided. In the future, you can refer back to the assertive anteater to remind your kids to be assertive instead of passive or aggressive (Sargent, 2015).

3. Keeping Cool

A great lesson for kids to learn is that assertive communication is about being firm and direct without being angry or upset. This activity will help you teach healthy assertiveness to your kids or students.

Here’s how to go about it:

• First, ask your kids how people might feel when they are bullied. If they have trouble coming up with answers, talk about how people might feel angry, scared, sad, upset, embarrassed, or confused.
• Next, ask your kids what kinds of things people want to do when they feel this way. If they can’t think of things people might do when they feel upset, angry, or sad, mention that they might yell, throw something, hit something, hide, cry, or do something else to make another person feel as bad as they feel.
• Ask your kids if they think these are good or helpful things to do. Explain how everyone has strong, negative feelings like this sometimes, and that it’s okay to feel them. These feelings have a purpose; they tell us that something is wrong or that something needs to be fixed, but they can also encourage us to do the wrong thing unless we learn how to keep a cool head.
• Close your eyes and take several slow deep breaths
• Count to ten
• Relax the muscles in your face and body
• Talk silently to yourself and repeat a soothing phrase, such as “Keep calm” or “I control my feelings”
• Get a drink of water
• Go sit by a person you trust

Discuss these options with the whole group and decide together on what the best techniques are, then practice using them together.

Click here to read about this exercise from the Education Development Center’s Bullying Prevention program.

3 Nonverbal Communication Exercises

Finally, although verbal communication is generally the focus of skill-building exercises and activities, nonverbal communication is also a vital skill to develop.

Use these 3 exercises to help your kids build their nonverbal skills.

1. Understanding Non-Verbal Communication

Things like tone of voice, facial expressions, body posture, and hand gestures are all non-verbal, but they are hugely important in our communication with others. If we say one thing with our words and another with our face or body, we can end up giving mixed messages and confusing others.

To make sure we are saying what we want to say with our words and our face, body, and tone, help your kids learn how to understand and “speak” non-verbal communications.

Here’s s description of this activity:

“As a family, make a list of different non-verbal actions. For example, folding your arms, snorting, frowning, etc… Select a TV program or a segment of a video. Watch about 5 to 7 minutes of the program with the volume off. While watching the program without volume, identify the different non-verbal messages, especially the feelings that are expressed. After 5 to 7 minutes, turn off the TV and discuss what you observed. You could even carry on the discussion as the program continues.”

To get the discussion started, use questions like:

• What were the non-verbal messages that you observed?
• How important do you think the non-verbal messages are in helping you to enjoy the movie and understand what was going on in the movie?
• Did you observe any confusing non-verbal messages?
• What feelings were expressed through non-verbal communication?
• What were some of the difficulties of this activity?
• What can you do to be more aware of non-verbal messages?
• Did everyone think the non-verbal message meant the same thing?
• Are non-verbal messages always obvious in real life?

If you want more from this exercise, try this follow-up activity. Seat two family members away from each other and have them carry on a conversation about giving directions to somewhere or explaining how to do something. As they talk, they should focus on trying to understand the other person’s feelings.

After doing this for a few minutes, the two should turn around, face each other, and continue the discussion—they will likely find it much easier!

Use the following questions to guide your discussion after the follow-up:

• When you had your backs to each other, did a lack of non-verbal communication affect your ability to communicate with the other person? If so, how?
• What feelings did you experience as you communicated with your back to the other person?
• When you spoke to the other person face-to-face, did this improve your ability to communicate and understand the other person’s feelings? If so, how?
• Did face-to-face communication improve your ability to understand the other person’s feelings?
• How can you increase your awareness of non-verbal messages you do not mean to be sending?
• How can you be aware of how we may misinterpret someone else’s non-verbal messages?”

2. Charades

Charades is a popular game with kids since it’s fun, easy to play, and can result in some seriously silly situations.

Here’s what you need to do:

• Animals: Monkey, dog, cat, rabbit, kangaroo, snake
• Activities: brushing teeth, playing cards, shining a flashlight, fishing, playing frisbee
• Emotions: scared, sad, bored, angry, happy, wary, proud

Acting out these prompts will give kids an opportunity to practice communicating non-verbally, a skill that they can easily build over time (Simmons, n.d.).

This nonverbal communication activity  is available from Sue Simmons at Equinox Family Consulting.

3. Silent Snack

Finally, another activity from Sue Simmons is called “ Silent Snack ” and it gives young children a chance to have fun while building their nonverbal communication skills.

Follow these instructions to give it a try:

• Put out a few different snacks in individual bowls.
• Tell everyone it’s “Silent Snack Time,” meaning there’s no talking allowed!
• Offer each person a taste of each snack.
• Each player should take turns sharing their opinion on each snack. They can use indicators like thumbs up and thumbs down or facial expressions to communicate their opinions.

It’s a simple activity, but an effective one! Give it a try at your next snack time.

17 Exercises To Develop Positive Communication

17 Positive Communication Exercises [PDFs] to help others develop communication skills for successful social interactions and positive, fulfilling relationships.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

I hope you leave this piece with a treasure trove of new resources you can use to improve your own life or the lives of your clients.

Communication skills are one of the most important skills a person can have, making it well worth your while to devote some time and energy to develop them.

What are your favorite ways to work on communicating with your spouse? Do you schedule a time to talk about how your relationship is doing or do you just let it flow naturally? What do you think are the best ways to build, enhance, and maintain your communication skills? Let us know in the comments section.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Communication Exercises (PDF) for free .

• Abass, S. (n.d.). 3 benefits of effective communication in a relationship. Lifehack. Retrieved from https://www.lifehack.org/509189/3-benefits-effective-communication-relationship
• https://defeatingdivorce.com/communication-exercises-for-couples/
• Fleming, G. (2018). 4 helpful nonverbal communication activities. ThoughtCo. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/nonverbal-communication-activities-1857230
• Heitler, S. (2010). What does communication have to do with a good relationship? GoodTherapy. Retrieved from https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/what-does-communication-have-to-do-with-good-relationship
• Lee, T. R., & Pyfer, T. (n.d.). Helping youth succeed: Strengthening family ties: A workbook of activities designed to strengthen family relationships . Utah State University Extension. Retrieved from https://www.families-first.net/uploads/userfiles/files/FL_Youth_02.pdf
• Mendler, A. (2013). Teaching your students how to have a conversation. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/teaching-your-students-conversation-allen-mendler
• Norman, B. (2018). Trainers’ tips: Active listening exercises. Training Zone . Retrieved from https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/develop/cpd/trainers-tips-active-listening-exercises
• Peterson, R., & Green, S. (2009). Helping Youth Succeed: Keys to successful family functioning: Communication . Virginia Cooperative Extension. Retrieved from https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/350/350-092/350-092_pdf.pdf
• Reichmann, D. (n.d.). 5 communication games guaranteed to bring you closer. Engaged Marriage . Retrieved from https://www.engagedmarriage.com/5-communication-games/
• Rosenberg, M. B. (1999). Nonviolent communication: A language of compassion. Del Mar.
• Sargent, K. M. (2015). The aggressive alligator: Fun ways to teach assertiveness to children. Art of Social Work . Retrieved from https://kristinamarcelli.wordpress.com/2015/10/21/the-aggressive-alligator-fun-ways-to-teach-assertiveness-to-children/
• Simmons, S. (n.d.). Nonverbal games: 10 simple activities . Equinox Family Consulting, Ltd. Retrieved from https://equinoxfamilyconsulting.com/communication/nonverbal-games-10-simple-activities/
• Stanfield, J. (2017). 8 tips to teach effective communication skills. James Stanfield. Retrieved from https://stanfield.com/blog/2017/11/8-tips-teach-effective-communication-skills/
• Sott, A. (2018). Teaching communication skills. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/teaching-communication-skills
• Tasker, R. (n.d.). 6 amazing couples therapy exercises for improving communication . GuideDoc . Retrieved from https://guidedoc.com/couples-therapy-exercises-for-improving-communication
• Victoria Department of Health & Human Services. (n.d.). Relationships and communications . Better Health Channel. Retrieved from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/relationships-and-communication

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Table of Contents

List of Family Therapy Worksheets (5+ Therapist-Approved Options)

As a BetterHelp affiliate, we may receive compensation from BetterHelp if you purchase products or services through the links provided.

The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter.  The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.

This page provides you with family therapy worksheets.

Family therapy worksheets aim to help people to get closer to their families by developing good communication, affection skills, problem-solving abilities, empathy, and other positive gestures. 

Some of these family therapy worksheets have been made by us while some of them have been curated from prestigious third-party websites, after reviewing relevant material in detail and selecting the most effective worksheets for you. 

Family Therapy Worksheet – Improving Communication 

Family therapy is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on the problems in a family.

Family therapy helps the members of a family to adopt a healthy, effective communication style to communicate their conflicts with their family members and resolve them together.

It helps the family members interacting with each other in a healthy way to nurture their relationship with each other.

Family therapy aims to help members of a family respect the perspectives of other members and acknowledge the fact that their actions, words, and behaviors affect their family members.

Family therapy helps individuals learn basic tactics for communicating with each other, identifying and resolving conflicts effectively, and expressing their perspectives in a way that other’s feelings are not hurt.

Family Therapy Worksheet- Developing Empathy

Empathy is the ability of an individual to travel to the world of another person, feel what he is feeling and come back to his own world.

Empathy enables an individual to understand the feelings, emotions, and actions of others and act accordingly to refrain from any guilt in the future.

Empathy is also helpful in emotion regulation .

Empathy plays a significant role in a family setting.

It enables an individual to feel the current situation of the other person and help him learn how he should communicate, what things he should avoid and what he can do to make the other person feel better at present.

Some ways to show empathy to others include listening to them carefully and feeling what they going through, refraining from judging them and passing comments, asking questions and telling them you can understand what they are feeling, showing concern and communicating with them for as long as they wish for and providing them emotional support etcetera.

Family Therapy Worksheet- Identifying and Resolving the Root Cause of Familial Issues

Often conflicts in a family arise when family members fail to communicate with each other effectively and part from each other.

Identifying and resolving the root cause of familial issues is the key to eliminate family problems.

Some of the most common issues that arise in a family include different perspectives and failure to respect the other member’s perspective, the difference in personalities, different belief system, family crisis such as divorce or separation or postpartum issues, sexuality issues, substance abuse or any other form of addiction etcetera.

The issues in a family can be resolved by sitting together, identifying the root cause of familial problems and communicating effectively to resolve them.

Effective problem resolution not only eliminates issues but also brings family members closer to each other.

It increases intimacy, love, and care for each other.

Family Therapy Worksheet- Family Questions Activity

Family questions activity is interesting and at the same time an effective activity for bringing family members closer to each other.

This activity helps to increase care, concern, affection, and rapport in a family.

It is helpful in spotting common values of two or more members in a family.

This worksheet contains questions ranging from simple to extensive.

It consists of only two pages and is a great resource for getting closer to each other by identifying how well they know each other and learning more about them. 

This worksheet is easily accessible and can be downloaded in the form of pdf from this site.

Family Therapy Worksheet- Family Mindfulness Schedule Worksheet

Mindfulness is referred to as awareness about oneself and the surroundings.

Mindfulness holds great significance in maintaining healthy relationships and emotional, physical as well as psychological health of an individual.

Mindfulness is important in families as well. It ensures the health and effectiveness of familial relationships.

The family mindfulness schedule worksheet is a great source of getting closer to each other within a family.

This worksheet gives a schedule to the family for various activities that would help them develop mindfulness and bring all the family members closer to one another. 

This worksheet can be downloaded in the form of pdf from this site.

Family Therapy Worksheet- Good Qualities Worksheet

The majority of the conflicts of an individual vanish when he focuses on the positive aspects rather than the negative ones.

Similarly, considering the good qualities of a person can help an individual get closer to him and appreciate him for his good attributes.

Good qualities worksheet enables an individual to magnify the positive attributes of an individual, the good time spent with him and his care and affection for him.

This helps increase the gratitude, intimacy, and strength of a relationship.

This worksheet is easily available on the internet.

You can download it in the form of a pdf from this site.

Family Therapy Worksheet- About Your Partner Worksheet

About your partner worksheet consists of various questions about one’s partner, ranging from his childhood to the present time.

This worksheet is based on mindfulness and aims to help individuals see how much they know about their partners.

It is a source of acknowledging how much more an individual needs to learn about his partner to get closer to him and strengthen their relationship.

This worksheet can be easily accessed in the form of pdf through this site.

This page displays some of the most effective family therapy worksheets.

These worksheets aim to bring the members of a family closer and help them resolve their conflicts by adopting effective management skills such as skillful communication, positive attributes, and mindfulness etcetera.

Some of these worksheets were created by us while some of them were curated from reputable third-party websites.

If you have any questions or queries regarding these worksheets, let us know in the comment section.

We will be glad to assist you in this regard.

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