Using the video camera in therapy

I've often found that using the videocamera in therapy is a great way to help clients gain a multiple benefit from therapy. For one, they become aware that there is another entity in the therapeutic process (the watchful camera). They are keenly aware that the camera will spit back precisely what it witnesses, free of any misninterpretation. This can have the effect of gently coaxing family members into more appropriate and useful means of communicating and problem-solving. Second, because family members are keenly aware that they are being watched, they may be more likely to be receptive to the therapist's feedback when tips are suggested. Thirdly, family members gain a secondary feedback benefit. Not only can family members benefit from the therapist's feedback, they also have the opportunity to replay the video and witness their interactions from the past or the ones that are most highly controversial. Family therapy with the use of the video camera allows people a greater sense of responsibility because they are aware that they cannot go back and change the tape, thus it forices some level of complaince. Adolescents in therapy often need to feel that they too are part of the process.