Relational family therapy understands family as a system. That is because in it the family members continuously adjust and respond to changes in one another and the system as a whole. It explores an individual's deepest experiences in early childhood, which subconsciously control them in future relationships.
Experiential pedagogy has come to find that an experience leaves behind an indelible trace through which an individual forms knowledge, learns skills, and shapes their values. Experiential pedagogy is defined as spending time in nature and engaging in free play with all the senses. It is a way of life of which the modern world deprives us.
Despite both disciplines’ focus on experiences in which an individual develops a sense of self, there is little research about the meaning of experiences in the context of relational family therapy. In this master’s thesis we focused on whether it would be reasonable to integrate elements of experiential pedagogy, through which the experience would reach its full potential, as a foundation for increasing the effectiveness of the therapy process. Additionally, we explored other ways of integration and defined the target group for the said model of therapy. Similar models exist abroad, for example, wilderness therapy and adventure therapy, which bear a weaker empirical and theoretical background.
We performed a qualitative research in cooperation with six relational family therapy and experiential pedagogy experts with an average of seven years of working experiences in the field. The research consisted of two focus groups and thematic analysis was used for the acquired data.
Results have shown that integration of the experiential pedagogy elements would make sense. One way of integration is substituting the therapy room with time in nature, which allows for optimal advantage of the therapeutic effects of nature itself. The second option would be suitable for clients who need to strengthen parental competencies. For this, the therapist would observe the repeating dysfunctional patterns and use the findings for a direct intervention or later in the therapy process. Different therapy goals could be trailed in therapy with carefully thought-out activities in nature as one of the possible interventions. Another possibility is group therapy in nature. Such options would suit the general population, families, especially those in which parental competencies need strengthening, and the youth.
The research brings forth the first concrete directives that open up possibilities for application in the work of therapy, which would need to be supported by research.
|
