Mediation techniques in Couple and Family Therapy: two clinical vignettes

Through the presentation of two clinical vignettes – one from a couple therapy and another one from a family therapy- therapeutic efficacy of utilizing graphic tasks, like graphic-projective instruments (Anzieu, Chabert, 1997), or free children’s drawings or thematic drawings as well, is discussed. Sometimes, in fact, the creation of metaphors both by patients and therapist helps in representing what is unapproachable at a verbal level - because of anguish surplus at the moment - through an allusive technique. A couple failed three trials of IVF. The holding of the theme of infertility by the therapist allows the couple to mobilize itself towards the external relationships. In a second moment the infertility problems are symbolized by the husband in a very amazing way through a graphic projective instrument (Greco, 2006) in which he traces a sort of “broken penis”. An insight -although weak- about the meaning of his drawing will lead this man to ask an individual therapeutic work some months later. In a migrant family therapy, the anguishing drawing of the two children about family arrival to Italy allows parents to express their anguish about the recent death of their third son, that obliged them to “fly” away from their country, without any preparation for themselves and for their children.