Family Therapy and the Treatment of Chronic Illness in a Multidisciplinary World

Abstract

This article presents a multidisciplinary treatment approach for chronic illness. The impact of chronic illness on family functioning and the inclusion offamily treatment strategiesfor chronic disorders are discussed. Interaction patterms between thefamily, mental health professionals, and other health care professionals are presented. The role of the hospital mental health professional (e.g., family counselor, staff psychologist, social worker) as the coordinator of services andfacilitator of medical and psychotherapeutic cooperation is emphasized. It is proposed that a multidisciplinary approach will increase the family's ability to benefit from a variety of community resources and promote more adaptive responses to the introduction of chronic illness into thefamily system.

The effect of homework compliance on treatment outcomes for participants with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

“…Findings from this study suggest that homework compliance has an active role in improving functioning and symptoms in some domains for participants with ME/CFS. However, because the effects of non-pharmacological interventions do not produce an overall recovery for participants with most chronic illnesses, a multidisciplinary approach to treatment is often recommended (Redinbaugh et al, 2004; Sayger, Bowersox, & Steinberg, 1996). With this in mind, future research should consider providing treatment across multiple domains for participants with ME/CFS (i.e., integrating the best of both biological and nonbiological approaches) in order to provide support for the many detriments caused by this illness (Goudsmit, Ho-Yen, & Dancey, 2009; Jason et al, 2007; Van Houdenhove & Luyten, 2008).…”

Sexual Desire in Couples Living with Chronic Medical Conditions

“…Sexual desire is clearly affected by many chronic diseases and, thus, is an important potential source of marital distress in couples. As the mean age of the adult population in the United States continues to rise and medical technology improves, the number of adults living with a chronic medical condition is expected to continue to increase (Sayger, Bowersox, & Steinberg, 1996). This means that the frequency of couples coping with a serious chronic disease who come to marriage counselors will likely increase.…”

Counseling Adult Clients Experiencing Chronic Pain

“…Unfortunately for both counselors and clients experiencing chronic pain, physicians have been reluctant to refer patients for counseling services. This requires counselors to advocate for clients experiencing chronic pain by initiating the discussion of integrated care with physicians to address the psychological impact of chronic pain (Aitken & Curtis, 2004;Sayger, Bowersox, & Steinberg, 1996).…”

“…Counselors face challenges working in a medical model context because there are differences between the professions in language, values, theories, time constraints, and confidentiality (Sayger et al, 1996). However, counselors offer physicians an opportunity to challenge and reframe a focus on pathology into a focus on the client's strengths, environmental factors, stage of development, resources, and protective factors (Cosgrove, 2005;Thomas & Weinrach, 2004).…”

“…Treating clients experiencing chronic pain is a complex problem that requires an interdisciplinary approach to assessment and management (Haetzman, Elliott, Smith, Hannaford, & Chambers, 2003;Holmes et al, 2006;Sayger et al, 1996). Interdisciplinary treatment has become the standard of care and provides clients with the tools they need to improve functioning and cope with their pain condition.…”