Paradox

A technique called "paradox" is often used in family therapy. This is an unexpected interpretation or suggestion that helps demonstrate the relationship between a psychological symptom and family relationships.

For example, imagine that you have to treat a child who secretly continues to do something that he is not allowed to do. It would seem that the solution to the problem seems obvious - you need to force the child to stop stealing. However, in some cases, this may not be enough.

Using the paradox technique, you can change the attitude of parents and children to the problem. You can offer parents a paradoxical solution - not to forbid the child to steal, but, on the contrary, ask him to continue to do it. This proposal may seem strange, but it has its reasons.

Let's assume that the family is in crisis and the parents no longer notice their child. All their attention goes to work, financial problems and other problems in the family. The child feels unimportant and unloved, and the only way to get the parents' attention is to continue stealing.

The paradox technique is to change the perception of a problem. Instead of viewing stealing as a problem to be solved, you can view it as a way to get your parents' attention. By encouraging your child to continue stealing, you demonstrate to parents that attention to the child is important and that they must find other ways to communicate with him to resolve the problem.

Thus, the paradox technique allows you to change the perception of the problem and helps the family find new ways of communicating and solving problems. It can be very effective if used correctly and with enough care.

In conclusion, paradox is a very interesting and useful technique in family therapy. She can help families find new ways to communicate and solve problems that seemed impossible to solve. If you are facing problems in your family, contact an experienced family therapist who can help you find a solution to the problem using the paradox technique.



A paradox in family therapy is an unexpected interpretation or assumption. It is usually used to show the relationship between a psycho-symptom and the parent-child relationship. One of the techniques that therapists use is paradox interpretation. Here's what to keep in mind when using this technique:

During the therapeutic course of treatment, the therapist pays attention to unexpected interpretations or assumptions that the client has during the session. For example, the client might say something like: “I don’t think my parents understand me at all.” The therapist can then use a paradox interpretation, such as recourse to past experience, in which the therapist can directly refer to his or her feelings or experiences about the event to understand why the statement was made.

For example, a therapist might ask a client, “How well do you think about the role of your family members in your life?” or “How do you feel that your family members know you best?”

Thanks to this technique, the therapist can find out why the client came up with the idea to make this particular statement, its meaning; what event was the reason for such a statement. The therapist can also hear about the client's possible feelings and emotions, as well as the specific problem or dysfunction they have.

The therapist helps the client experience



Paradoxes of family therapy A paradox in family psychotherapy is an unexpected conclusion made by the therapist, which raises many questions and discussions among its participants. During the therapeutic process, some therapeutic concepts may appear paradoxical or unfamiliar to the participants in the procedure. If the therapist is able to identify such a paradox and apply an appropriate approach, it can lead to significant changes in the behavior, thinking and emotions of the participants in therapy. In this context, the paradox of family psychotherapy can be considered the following: the child may continue to behave in such a way as to avoid destroying the family. However, the therapist will need to set boundaries for the child's behavior in order to achieve therapy goals and ensure parental support. During the discussion, the therapist should be interested in the child’s motives, and not just the results of his behavior. To successfully complete the situation, the therapist must trace the moment of prelude to this behavior and find the root of this entire process. According to Allen Sparks, “Although it is difficult to determine the causes and nature of the paradox, it is surprisingly easy to understand its mechanism by identifying and describing: Paradoxes discovered in the treatment process are of three types: \- Goal paradoxes are those moments and questions in psychotherapy that set the goal of completing a procedure from a completely different angle than originally intended; - Paradoxes of action - summing up and changing