It is theoretically possible to cure one member of a family by treating another. Freud, in the notable “Little Hans” case, did just that, curing a phobia in a small boy through work with the boy’s father. Some people claiming to be family therapists never see families, only individuals, basing their claim on the “ripple” effect of successful individual therapy. Similarly, some family therapists treat all individual intrapsychic problems as family problems, amenable to family therapy techniques. It is true that the resolution of family problems often eases the intensity of the intrapsychic difficulties of family members. Still, these seem inefficient ways of doing therapy: while the individual is being treated, the overall family can deteriorate (such cases are known to the author), or while the family is being treated as a unit, the intrapsychic problems of some members can be slighted or repressed. It would certainly appear to be true, and it has been my own experience (Witkin) that the most efficient individual, dyadic, or family therapy is when all of the significant people in the problem are treated in therapy at an appropriate time.
Holistic therapy, then, is primarily distinguished not by utilizing a variety of modalities but by the therapist’s attitude toward the patient. “What is transpiring in any therapeutic setting is not determined by whether it is distinguished as individual, marital, or family therapy. It is determined by the needs of the patients and the capabilities, versatility, and training of the psychotherapist” (Martin). In brief, the patient is treated as a whole person, the dyad is treated as two whole people trying to maintain a rewarding relationship, and the family is treated as several whole people in various stages of development with various, mutually dependent needs and satisfactions. Many treatment modalities may be required, since techniques sufficient for treating individuals may not be appropriate to treating families.
It seems likely that holistic therapy will develop along the lines of family and dyadic therapy, that is, a host of approaches and techniques deriving from the myriad backgrounds of the practitioners. It also seems likely that the holistic therapist will need a variety of skills and modalities and that among these will be those associated with sex therapy.
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