In this blog, I give an example of Family Sculpting- an Adlerian Psychodynamic intervention to see the process of grief.
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
Marcel Proust, French Novelist,
1871-1922, best known for his work In Search of Lost Time
In this newsletter, we will examine the case of R (M, 64) using Adlerian theory.
Adlerian interventions, such as questioning and family sculpting, examine personal alignments with society and life transitions. We explore how Proust’s central theme – that time is lost not just because it passes, but because we fail to fully live in it — and that memory, while imperfect, is the only way we can ever reclaim it. We explore how fulfilment can be explored through psychotherapy and counselling.
Applying Family Sculpting-Processing Grief and Life Transitions
Therapist-PB (T-PB): Do you remember how your family interacted? What were festivals or birthdays like?
Client-R (C-R): I remember my elder brother was very strict. I lost two sisters, who passed away before the age of 10. Celebrations of important festivals like Raksha Bandhan were colored by memories of my sisters. My brother passed away two years ago.
For a Detailed Nuanced Version, you can download this Newsletter- May 2026 and also a Worksheet- to see how concepts of Connection, Capability, Count, Courage can be developed in a Culturally Relevant, Creative and Collaborative manner
What is home? We developed the concept further in therapy.
Family Sculpting
R (M 64) was asked to sculpt the family members in a pose that symbolizes how he sees them, then to redo the sculpture with the group in an ideal pose. This was creatively adapted in this current life to open new horizons.
| No | Theme | Example | Follow-up |
| 1 | Connect |
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| 2 | Capable |
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| 3 | Courage |
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| 4 | Count |
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| 5 | Creative |
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| 6 | Collaborate |
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| No | Theme | Example | Follow-up |
| 1 | Connect | With memory of his childhood |
Integrates life phases |
| 2 | Capable | Remembered his educational journey, and the strivings of his parents, the first post-Independence Generation |
Understanding the factors and forces that shaped his youth |
| 3 | Courage | To see patterns, after a long time, he admitted how festivals like Rakshabandhan were altered due to the memory of his two sisters who passed away very young |
Each happiness is also tinged with the flavors of Unique Family Memories |
| 4 | Count | Through therapy, he started doing volunteering work-which made him have a sense of achievement and productivity in Canadian society |
Role Models in Community Work |
| 5 | Creative | We created boundaries around negative people. Making a log of themes discussed, how these affected his self-esteem, helped |
Boundaries of emotional well-being were created. |
| 6 | Collaborate | With the therapist and other family members, to create a map of Values and how much effort he puts in each |
Looking back at festivals, family gatherings, helped him to be more proactive- For eg, he volunteered for arrangements of a birthday celebration in the community. |
