Family Therapy
Family Therapy with our Solution-Focused Consultation Team
Who is the service for?
This Solution-Focused service is aimed at couples, families, individuals, and business partnerships who are facing relationship challenges that have evolved to become unhelpful and potentially destructive. These impasses may have become chronic leading to feelings of helplessness or even hopelessness about the possibilities of change.
Service Model
Two systemic therapists will meet with the presenting client or client(s). An initial 1.5-hour consultation/assessment will take place which will include a reflecting space for the therapists to discuss their ideas in front of the client(s). This reflecting space is modelled on an idea developed by Norwegian Psychiatrist Tom Andersen and is known as a Reflecting Team. Andersen was influenced strongly by the view that multiple perspectives are essential when working with relationship patterns that are stuck or complex. This model is now widely used in systemic training and other fields. As well as this 1.5-hour consultation both therapists will engage in pre and post consultations reflections together. A letter will be sent to the client(s) highlighting these reflections after the consultation.
Who is in the Solution Focused Consultation team?
Emer Casey is a systemically trained therapist for the past 20 years. She has worked in a wide range of settings including Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Disability Services, Tusla, Student Counselling. She is passionate about the power of collaboration to generate new and creative possibilities. You can read more about Emer’s background and experience here.
Marian Monteiro has a professional background in Nursing and Systemic Family Therapy. She has worked in Adult Mental Health, Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Young Adult Mental Health and Wellbeing Service and private practice. Through the various lenses of professional trainings, Marian brings a biopsychosocial perspective to her therapeutic work. She believes that help seeking should be an understandable and transparent process. You can read more about Marian’s background and experience here.
What will happen in the first consultation?
One member of the team will speak to the client(s)to gain an understanding of the reason for coming for help and the history of the presenting challenges. The other member of the team will listen in silence to this conversation. After 40 mins both members of the team will offer some reflections on this initial conversation while the client(s) will move into a listening position as per the Reflecting Team model. The process facilitates the individual/family/group in being able to listen to what the two therapists are saying in conversation without them having to marshal an immediate response. This frees people up for deep reflection. After listening to the therapists talk, the client(s) are invited to give their reflections with the focus on highlighting the reflections that might offer the most potential for opening up new possibilities. The consultation will conclude with some recommendations from the team about the need/usefulness of further consultations. After the consultation ends the team will reflect further and a note will be sent to the client(s) summarising these reflections. The format will be explained in any subsequent consultation so there is no need for any worries about not knowing the model. The format quickly becomes a familiar process. Our experience of using the Reflection Team process is that people find it an engaging, interesting and validating experience.
Aim of the service
With the support and views of two experienced therapists the aim will be to promote greater clarity and understanding of the past and present for the client(s) so that feelings of helplessness can be reduced. The collaborative approach offered will assist in breaking impasses in order that the client(s) can move forward more coherently or alternatively decide to move in separate directions. This “putting our heads together” as it were, will facilitate the emergence of new and creative possibilities that up to this point have remained unavailable to the client(s). 
Cost
The 2-hour consultation will cost €350. This will consist of a meeting between the therapists and the client (s) for 1.5 hours. Following the 1.5 hour consultation the therapists will reflect together for 30 mins. There will be a follow up note to the client(s) summarising the reflections from the therapists as well as highlighting the useful ideas that have emerged during the consultation. Further consultations may be recommended if appropriate. The process will generally be short -term except in exceptional circumstances.
Appointments
Appointments with Emer and Marian are available as part of our Solution-Focused Consultation Team. If you wish to book a Solution-Focused Consultation Team appointment then please call the clinic on 091 727777 or get in touch via the contact page.
