Today, we will explore mental health through a systemic lens to understand how family influences mental well-being. With this in mind, we’ll begin by examining the role family plays in our development as individuals.
Family is our first contact with the outside world. Family members provide us with the foundations that shape our exploration of the world and human relationships—including, often, our self-exploration—through interactions with parental figures from whom we learn moral and social guidelines and scripts for interactions and behaviors. It is within the family context that we learn whether the world is safe and how we can navigate it.
Attachment theory shows that these interactions in our early years significantly shape our development. According to Bowlby, children need to maintain closeness and form strong bonds with their caregivers, and the relationship established between child and caregiver affects emotional development and stability in different ways.
Thus, we see that different attachment styles impact individuals in varied ways. For example, when secure attachment is established, a child feels confident that their parental figure will be present, even if they become anxious when that person is away; they quickly re-establish contact when the caregiver returns. This creates a child who feels secure enough to explore the world, knowing they have a safe haven always waiting for them.
This bond between a child and their parental figure is the initial lesson on how the world works and on the different forms of interaction—it is also about love, security, and comfort. Thus, the family’s role (in mental health, physical health, and other contexts) begins early and accompanies us throughout life. However, it is important to remember that there is room for changes and learning in family dynamics through the various stages of the life cycle.
In this way, in these early years, we learn (or don’t learn) to use the external and internal resources we have available (e.g., self-regulation, resilience) in our relationships with ourselves and others. Over the course of our lives, family remains highly relevant, impacting various areas and evolving alongside us as we grow. Family and mental health are two interlinked concepts that mutually influence each other. We can understand the complexity of family relationships and mental health when we look at certain branches of psychology, which highlight that family can play a role both in supporting well-being and, at times, in maintaining illness or mental distress.
Recognizing the family’s value in the therapeutic process is necessary for a better understanding of how it should and/or can be integrated into this process. While it’s not always possible to ensure that all family members will want to participate, involving them as much as possible is important to achieve better outcomes.
Being a supportive figure in the family also means remembering that all mental and substance use disorders are treatable, being open to compassionate conversations about mental health, and having the role of talking to loved ones to create spaces for judgment-free connection. Family members may provide the necessary support for care-seeking behaviors to flourish, such as beginning therapy.
When there is difficulty creating these spaces for connection or initiating conversations about mental health, we can use resources that help facilitate these topics (e.g., films or Ivory Therapy products with important messages). Several moments in daily life can serve as conversation starters!
Although it is an essential role, we cannot forget that it is also tiring at times and can bring feelings of loneliness and stress, so it’s important to remember that self-care is necessary, and we should, therefore, maintain self-care routines for our own mental well-being.
Because of this, support groups or individual psychological support from professionals, such as those at Ivory Therapy, can help develop resources to handle this role as a caregiver.
In summary, family prepares us for the world, shaping our development from childhood and influencing our mental health throughout life. Caring for ourselves and those around us is essential, as, in a systemic view, we all influence each other—and caring is always a lesson in love and security.
