Structural Family Therapies and Sustainable Family Rituals: A Case Study of Selected Families in Kampala Capital City Authority

Abstract

The study assessed Structural Family Therapies and Sustainable Family Rituals in Kampala Capital City Authority (Uganda). The research questions were: What is the nature of structural family counselling practiced in Uganda? How are sustainable family rituals practiced in Ugandan families? How can structural family counselling enhance sustainable family rituals in Uganda? The sample sized was 217 family members with more female (53%) than male (47%) respondents from varying socio-economic environments and ethnicity. The study used Family Environment Scale and Family Rituals scale as instruments. Figure.1 showed that structural family therapy components ranged from the highest as family subsystems (53%), followed by family boundaries (28%) and the lowest being family structure (19%). Findings on family rituals reflected that family routines (44%), family traditions (26%), family celebration (17%) and all the above (13%). The research concluded that family subsystems (cf. Figure. 1 with 53%) positively influence family routines (cf. Figure. 2 with 44%). The study recommended that the Uganda Counselling Association challenge family researchers to find ways of developing assessments and measures for understanding personalities of individual family members in the context of the society at large so as to enhance collaboration between family therapists and families in promoting family rituals.