A Family Constellation

Any clue as to what it is, dear reader? I know I didn’t. In fact, the first thing that I realised is that it has nothing to do with astronomy despite having the word ‘constellation’ in it - a term that I normally associate with stars.

As I started to read more about it, I began to feel excitement and hope and here’s why. Whenever a client approaches a therapist, it is because he/she/they hope to improve an aspect of their life that they are not happy with. A lot of times, it will have something to do with a personal or professional relationship and most often, the person that they are having an issue won’t be present with them at the session. It may also be that the client is trying to address conflict within the family and it isn’t realistic to have all members of the family present to undergo therapy together.

Family constellation therapy is an approach that allows the therapist to get an insight into the client’s family history, their interactions with other family members and gradually see where patterns aren’t healthy. It was developed by a German therapist - Bert Hellinger-  who devised this method using a combination of other therapies such as Gestalt, psychodynamic and other theories in the mix.

The therapist invites people who are not related to the client to take the place of a family member that the client is having conflict with, to act out scenarios so as to help the client see things from a different perspective and thereby address his or her concerns. The therapist will instruct the other participants on where and how to stand, keeping dialogue to the minimum. The client also has a choice to interact directly with the other members or observe solely as a spectator.

Sometimes, it is not possible to have this group constellation setting in which case the therapist will use more creative approaches that include art therapy or the introduction of toys and figurines to take the place of the other participants. This individual constellation setting might be the preferred choice for clients that are not comfortable with a live group setting but as the therapist and client aren’t allowed to role play instead, this process might take a bit longer as they work out dynamics and dysfunction unfolding before them over a length of time.

Individual family constellations can also involve drama therapy and the observations that the client makes can throw light on some of the family patterns that manifest themselves that may not have been taken into consideration before.

Evidence of intergenerational trauma might surface which might open their eyes to harmful interactions that may have occurred spanning a couple of generations that they may have been privy to before.

This is also a helpful way for clients to confront people from their past be it in the form of a dead family member that they no longer have access to or an abuser that they might not feel safe enough to contact and confront firsthand.

Though family constellation therapy is not suitable for all clients, it has proven to be a cathartic way and in a safe space to process difficult feelings and experiences thereby empowering them to alter their own behaviours in order to achieve more desirable results and more satisfying bonds with others.

Just as clients need to be comfortable with working with strangers in the group constellation setting, therapists too need to practise a great deal of self-care so as not to get too caught up in their clients’ journeys for whom upsetting memories might begin to resurface.