The Family Crucible: The Intense Experience of Family Therapy

The next meeting with the Brice family begins with a different mood, as the family is in a honeymoon period following the first session and hasn’t experienced any recent conflict. The session begins with a silence that makes everyone nervous, including Napier and Whitaker, until David breaks it to discuss his relationship with Claudia. He is encouraged to speak directly to her, which he finds difficult to do without adopting a fatherly tone. David is clearly upset but hides it by trying to maintain authority, telling Claudia that she should listen to her parents. Claudia becomes distraught and begins to cry, feeling like her father is betraying her. Napier encourages Laura to comfort Claudia, which she does. Whitaker points out that David still treats his daughter like a young child, when really he and his wife should be adjusting their approach to suit the fact that Claudia will soon be an adult.

Claudia admits that staying home makes her feel “crazy” (68), and Whitaker believes this is due to the family’s tendency to suppress its feelings. Claudia has become the vessel through which all family distress is expressed. Napier then encourages David and Carolyn to try to be more personable and human with their daughter, rather than constantly rational and authoritarian.