For a while now I have wanted to be a therapist. When I was younger, I had some pretty wild career choices in mind but never did I think I would have the desire to be a therapist. I, myself, refused to go to therapy for a long time. I struggled with anxiety issues growing up, and greatly could have benefited from a therapist as I could have solved some issues that instead progressed into my late teenage years. Although still skeptical, I eventually came around and met with an amazing lady who was able to give me very valuable advice. She made me feel my issues and concerns were valid and then helped me learn skills that would help me whenever I felt overwhelmed with anxiety. Later on, I actually decided therapy was something I was seriously interested in and wanted to learn more about. 

I have always wanted to be in a career where I could help people and being a doctor was completely out of the question as I am not the biggest fan of needles, blood, etc. Being a therapist seemed like something I might be successful at. On top of that, I have been curious about how the brain works and why people do what they do. I also love talking to and getting to know people. Long story long, I just feel being a therapist is what I want to do with my life right now. I really appreciate all I have been learning in such a short time, and wanted to share some more of these things with you.

This week, we have been discussing structural family therapy. We have learned some different theories about family systems and subsystems, and have been able to reflect on our own families to see if any of these theories applied. The exchange theory explains that in some relationships, the costs outweigh the rewards for one person in the relationship. This means there is an ample amount of effort from one partner, while the other may not put forth as much, putting a strain on the relationship. System theory is another theory that simply states the whole is more important than the sum of the parts. In other words. you can have all the parts to the car but if they are not assembled and working together, the car will not run. Likewise, if family members do not work collaboratively as a system or unit, the family will not properly function. The conflict theory emphasizes there can be a struggle for power which will significantly harm the relationship if partners do not share mutual respect for each other. Finally, the symbolic interaction theory claims there is a meaning behind everything, however the meaning may not be the same for everyone. For instance, me making my brothers bed for him one morning may seem an obvious act of kindness to me, yet he may take it in offense, as if I were implying he was lazy or messy. Miscommunications like these may be a common occurrence and may even go unnoticed. All these theories show there can easily be issues that may be difficult to identify at first, but it is important to resolve them in order to maintain healthy relationships.

Aside from theories, I learned how families are not only systems but contain subsystems within them as well. The entire family is a system, but an example of a subsystem is the relationship between husband and wife. This is the most essential subsystem in the family because it is the relationship that will affect the family the most. When the mother and father are working together, their relationship strengthens, allowing them to be able to help each other and the rest of their family in a greater capacity. Learning this was comforting to me, as I continually think about how am I going to raise my own family. The best thing I can do for my family will be to have a strong relationship with my husband. Although it will not be easy, I know it will be worth it. Again, I am excited to learn more about how I can better contribute to my family unit now, and how I can have a happy marriage and family life in the future. Thank you all for reading and make sure to come back next week for more!