Adult Children of Alcoholics (DDA) often go through life carrying the burden not only of their own experiences, but also of the consequences of their parents’ dysfunctional behavior. Understanding the specific challenges they face requires a deep look at their emotional and psychological needs. The book “Adult Children of Alcoholics” by Janet G. Woititz, opens the door to a better understanding of these complicated relationships and coping mechanisms. Modern psychotherapy, especially in the online form, offers unique support opportunities for this group, combining accessibility with individually tailored working methods.
Online Systemic Psychotherapy: Understanding Family Patterns
Adult Children of Alcoholics often grow up in an environment where unhealthy communication and relationship patterns prevail. Online systemic psychotherapy offers a space to analyze and understand these patterns, allowing them to be corrected. This therapy focuses on the relationships between family members and the ways in which they affect the individual. Thanks to the available technologies, sessions can take place in the form of video, which provides a sense of closeness and security, necessary to open up and work on difficult emotions.
Online systemic psychotherapy (IPSK method), in the context of working with adult children of alcoholics (DDA), is an invaluable tool for recognizing and transforming unhealthy family patterns that have been acquired in childhood. In an environment where dysfunctional patterns of communication and interaction dominate, the ability to understand and transform them is crucial for emotional and mental health.
Understanding family patterns
Family patterns are repetitive patterns of behavior, emotional responses, as well as ways of communication that are passed down from generation to generation. For DDAs, these patterns often include conflict avoidance, difficulty expressing emotions, as well as a tendency to form relationships based on codependency. Systemic psychotherapy allows you to identify these patterns by observing family dynamics and the impact they have on the individual.
Work in systemic psychotherapy online
Online systemic psychotherapy takes place through video sessions, which allows the therapist and client to build a therapeutic relationship in a virtual space. These sessions allow for a deep analysis of the client’s family interactions, even if the physical presence of all family members is not possible. Thanks to this, the therapy can focus on:
- Understanding family dynamics: Recognizing how dysfunctional patterns affect client relationships and well-being.
- Reformulating relationships: Working to change the way a client interacts with their family by promoting healthier forms of communication and boundaries.
- Personal development: Assistance in identifying and developing one’s own needs, desires and goals, independent of family expectations.
Technologies in the service of therapy
The use of technology in online systemic psychotherapy is crucial. Therapeutic platforms provide secure and encrypted communication channels, which is essential for maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of the session. In addition, the ability to use visual tools such as family diagrams and emotional maps makes it easier to understand complex family patterns and how they affect a client’s life.
Benefits of online systemic psychotherapy using the IPSK method
- Availability: Online therapy is available to people who may have limited access to psychotherapeutic services due to their place of residence or time constraints.
- Flexibility: The ability to schedule sessions at convenient times increases the chances of regular participation in therapy.
- Anonymity: For some people, online interaction can lower the initial anxiety threshold associated with starting therapy.
Challenges
Despite its many advantages, online therapy can face challenges, such as limitations in reading body language or potential technical problems. However, with proper preparation and technical support, these barriers can be effectively overcome.
Interventional Systemic-Cultural Psychotherapy and the IPSK Method by Paulina Kubś
Interventional Systemic-Cultural Psychotherapy (IPSK), developed by Paulina Kubś, MSc, is an innovative approach in the field of psychotherapy, particularly effective in working with adults who grew up in dysfunctional families, such as alcoholic homes. This method emphasizes understanding the impact that cultural and systemic determinants have on the individual, allowing for a deeper understanding of internal conflicts resulting from incongruities between social norms and dysfunctional patterns of behavior.
Theoretical Assumptions and Objectives
The IPSK method uses a synthesis of various fields of psychology and psychotherapeutic approaches to better understand patients’ difficulties and to formulate hypotheses about their problems more quickly. “Mapping” the patient’s history in different contexts allows for a comprehensive view of his situation, taking into account both systemic and psychoanalytic reference points.
The Process and the Role of the Psychotherapist
In the IPSK method, the psychotherapist is tasked with eliminating factors that interfere with the therapeutic process in order to be able to make a precise diagnosis. This means the need to constantly adapt the working methods to the patient’s current needs and readiness for change. The psychotherapist supports the patient in sorting out the chaos they experience, promoting an active search for solutions and new forms of self-understanding.
Duration and Scope of Therapy
The duration of IPSK therapy is flexible and tailored to the individual needs of the patient. This method assumes openness to confrontation with the patient’s possible resistance, treating it as an important element of the therapeutic process. Resistance may be a signal of the need to change the direction of therapy or end it when the patient begins to feel progress in the recovery process.
Possibilities of the IPSK method
IPSK focuses on the elimination of suffering and promotes self-diagnosis, i.e. building a new personality structure by the patient, which allows them to set boundaries and take responsibility for their own lives. This method encourages active pursuit of satisfying one’s needs and fulfilling one’s personal desires.
Online psychotherapy for people after trauma and personal development
DDA people often experience trauma related to their upbringing in an alcoholic family. Online psychotherapy for people after trauma offers a space where they can safely work through the harm they have experienced, while learning strategies for coping with the effects of trauma. Personal development through online psychotherapy becomes possible thanks to the individual approach of the therapist, who helps in identifying one’s own needs, values and life goals.
Rites of Passage and Respect in the Relationship with Therapy
Rites of passage in psychology play an important role in the healing process, symbolizing the rites of passage from the old to the new stage of life. In the context of online DDA therapy, they can take the form of symbolic actions or therapeutic tasks that help to close the past and build a new identity. Respect in the therapeutic relationship is the foundation on which cooperation is built – this is especially important for people who have experienced a lack of respect and understanding in their lives.
Rites of passage in therapy are a powerful tool for clients to consciously say goodbye to old patterns and adopt new, healthier life attitudes. In online therapy for DDAs, these symbolic acts can take a variety of forms, from writing letters to oneself from one’s past to creating visualizations of one’s future. They are not only a form of therapeutic commitment, but also a means to strengthen self-esteem and autonomy. Respect in the therapeutic relationship, manifested through acceptance, empathy, and understanding, creates a safe environment in which the client can explore and redefine their experiences. This foundation of mutual respect is crucial for the effectiveness of therapy, allowing for deeper work on trauma and supporting the healing process.
Summary
DDA psychotherapy online offers a unique chance to work on yourself in a safe environment, tailored to individual needs and capabilities. The use of methods such as systemic psychotherapy, interventional systemic-cultural psychotherapy, or work on personal development allows people affected by alcohol problems in the family to find their own way to emotional and mental health. Thanks to the opportunities offered by online therapy, help is available almost immediately, which is especially valuable in today’s fast-paced life.
