Family therapy activities to build trust (Top 5)

The current blogpost will be based on the question “what are family therapy activities to build trust?”. We will enlist the various family therapy activities that can be used to build trust among the members of the family. We will also discuss each activity in detail.

What are family therapy activities to build trust?

Family therapy is a great way to restore, regain and rebuild the trust factor among the family members. In this way, family therapy can be used to restructure dynamics of the family members and help the members of the family to strengthen relationships

Following activities can be used in family therapies to build trust among the members of the family:

• The Miracle Question.
• The Emotions Ball.
• Mirroring Activity.
• Colored Candy.
• Magic Key
• Five things
• Eye contact exercise
• Sharing a secret with one another
• Spending time together with each other

The Miracle Question

The miracle question exercise is based on knowing the hopes, desires and wishes of your family that are often not discussed. The therapist asks all the members of the family to suppose that one day they wake up from sleep to see all the matters of their life have been sorted out. They feel lighter and they can see life being more satisfied.

The therapist then asks each member of the family the problems that he would have wanted to solve wishfully through a miracle in a dream.

Through this activity the hopes, desires and wishes of family members are expressed in front of other family members and they are better able to trust each other.

The Emotions Ball

The emotions ball activity is related to building trust among the family members in family therapy. This activity is based on passing a beach sized ball to all the family members that are coming to therapy. The members sit in a group and keep passing the ball until the music stops. As soon as the ball stops, the individual who has the ball has to share an emotional experience with all members of the family. 

The ball has several emotions written on it so that every member that takes the ball has a few emotions to pick from and share about.

Thus all members of the family learn to trust each other through this activity.

Mirroring Activity

The mirroring activity is based on pairing the members of the family into groups of two. The pair of family members is based on two individuals where one does several actions and other members try to mirror those actions. 

Mirroring activity involves cooperation, ful attention and communication. It helps members of the family to understand each other well and comprehend verbal and non verbal body language.

Colored Candy

The therapist in a family therapy session tends to divide colored candies between members of a family. Each colored candy is assigned a different question. The participants answer as many questions as the number of questions.

This activity helps family members get more comfortable with each other to talk about challenging subjects.

Magic Key

The magic key activity helps the individuals to understand the family members better. It is based on the magical solution of the problems and conflicts that arise in a family. The therapist asks the family members to think of one thing that money cannot buy for the family members. Each family member draws one thing that he thinks cannot be bought by anything.

This activity helps the individuals to understand better the issues that are of importance to family members.

Five things

The five things activity is meant for the family members to understand each other better and appreciate the efforts of each other. The five things activity is based on a central theme. For example “what I am grateful for, what I appreciate in you or what I would like to do with you this month”.

Each family member turnwise lists the things that are based on the central theme. After one partner is done saying the things, the other partner takes turns and the activity continues so that all partners have their turns. 

For example the activity can initially start with the question “what are the 5 things that you love that i have done for you lately “. 

This activity is great to build trust among the partners and also among the parents and the children.

This exercise is a fun activity that helps the family members to connect better with each other. The family members are able to learn what activities of each other are being liked and appreciated whereas what are the various things that need to be changed about. 

Eye contact exercise

The eye contact exercise better helps the family members to understand each other and be there for eachother. The eye contact exercise of the gazing exercise has a significant impact on the connection of family members with each other.

The exercise starts with pairs of family members having eye contact with each other. The therapist briefs the family members about the activity.  The therapist also briefs them that this activity is not a competition of eye blinking. Rather it is about connecting with one another while looking into the eyes and feeling connected with one another.

Sharing a secret with one another

Sharing a secret with each other is based on inculcating a sense of trust among the members of the family. The family members tend to share one non threatening secret of their life with each other to know and understand each other better.

Having one mutual activity together in a day

The family therapist tends to facilitate the family members on having one mutual activity in a day where members tend to work towards a mutual goal. This way the members of the family spend time with each other while trusting each other’s potential.

Spending time together with each other

Spending time together with each other is a family therapy activity that is based on having a recreational family time. The family members tend to spend quality family time with each other. Family members either watch a movie together or play an indoor game together . This activity can also be done by planning a picnic together.

Conclusion

The current blogspot was based on the question “what are family therapy activities for building trust?”. We enlisted various activities that can be used in family therapy to build trust among the members of the family. We also discussed each family therapy activity for building trust in detail.

Frequently asked questions : family therapy activities to build trust

How do you rebuild trust activities?

Following are some of the activities that can help us rebuild trust :

• Decide to forgive or be forgiven
• Be open to self growth and improvement
• Be aware of your innermost feelings 
• Let things take their course before forming a final conclusion

How do you regain trust in therapy?

Trust can be regained in therapy by being reliable, honest and transparent. Being faithful and reliable while being honest helps to regain the lost trust in a relationship.

Can couples therapy help build trust?

Couples therapy can help build trust by strengthening the partner’s commitment to each other through various interventions.

How do you build trust in a relationship activity?

Following are some of the trust building exercise :

• Buddy walk.
• Trust falls.
• Helium stick.
• Human knot.
• Draw a twin.
• Trust the leader.
• The zipper

Citations

https://positivepsychology.com/couples-therapy-worksheets-activities/

The Top 17 Trust-Building Exercises All Couples Should Know

https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/65598

https://www.bustle.com/p/7-trust-building-exercises-couples-counselors-swear-by-17918112

https://www.ascendhc.com/teen-rehab-blog/5-effective-family-therapy-activities/