Posted: April 20th, 2015

Therapeutic Practice with Couples and Families

Unit: Therapeutic Practice with Couples and Families

Assessment Value: 40%

Word Limit: 1800 words + or – 10%

Referencing: APA 6^th Edition (http://ecu.au.libguides.com/referencing)
In this unit the starting assumption is that every family can be analysed in terms of its

patterns of functioning, and that contextual factors have a large impact on how family

systems operate.
Using the provided Family Case Study as a starting point, review one of the schools

of family therapy and how you might apply the principles of this school to assist your

understanding of this family functioning. On the basis of the approach that most interests

you (that is, the one you would choose to learn more about if you were to pursue further

training) choose one of the following schools of Family Therapy :–

 

 Structural

 Milan Systemic

 Narrative

 

Write a report (see Library Guide for Report Formatting) using the following key

headings:

• Brief History (Describe the roots of the theory. Who is associated with this theory? Why did they see it important to develop these ideas?)
• Key theoretical concepts (What differentiates this approach from other schools of Family Therapy? Explain & define key terms.)
• Key principles of the process and practice of this approach (How would a Family Therapist be recognised as belonging to this school – that is, what would you see a Family Therapist from this school doing differently? How is this different from other forms of family therapy? What techniques are significant to this approach? How is the therapist’s role defined?)
• Applications (With what populations/difficulties is the approach most useful? What does the literature say in terms of when/where this approach is applied or practiced?) In the application section bring the Aleppos in (Case Study Family attached) and pick the intervention from the school of therapy and how it would apply.
• Evaluation (A statement of both the strengths and limitations of the approach. Broadly, how has it been evaluated in the literature?)

Include the following:

Introduction- brief statement of purpose, outline of what is to be included in report (scope of the report) and explanation of the format

Main Body with Headings derived from task – covering the main areas of content. This is the main body of the report (ie the Discussion). See Headings noted above.

Conclusion – an overall summary – key findings of your report and their significance. DO NOT introduce any new points – (may include recommendations from your findings).

References – according to ECU referencing guide, include a minimum of 8 references (this can include the textbook and any of the items from eReserve listed for this unit as well as additional reading).

 

 

 

Start your report with a Genogram of the Case Study Family (http://www.genopro.com/genogram/). The genogram should be attached as an Appendix to the main report and is  included in the page limit. It is absolutely acceptable for students to hand draw a genogram and then scan this document, save it as a pdf and attach it to the assignment, or merge this with the main Word document. It is much more straightforward and less time consuming to hand draw and then scan. Make sure your genogram covers three generations of the family discussed. Use initials rather than names. Include the Genogram as an Appendix to your report.
No abstract is required. Include a minimum of eight references (this can include any

of the items from eReserve listed for this unit).

 

There is no room for “waffling” in terms of the word limit – and your responses need to be based on relevant theory rather than merely your subjective opinion.

 

The report will be marked on the basis of the depth of the analysis and on the quality

of the linkage between the information provided and the relevant theory – both as

presented and discussed in class, and found in the literature.

 

 

SIGNIFICANT REFERENCES

 

Becvar, D.S. (2007). Families that flourish: Facilitating resilience in clinical practice.

New York: W.W. Norton & Company

 

Becvar, D., & Becvar, R. (2009). Family therapy: A systemic integration (7th ed.).

Boston: Pearson Education.

 

Carr, A. (2006). Family therapy: Concepts, process and practice (2nd ed.)

Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

 

Dallos, R. & Draper, R. (2010) An introduction to family therapy: Systemic theory

and practice (3rd ed.) Maidenhead : Open University Press. (Available electronically)

 

Goldenberg, I. & Goldenberg, H. (2013). Family therapy: An overview (8th edition).

Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

 

Goldenberg, H. & Goldenberg, I. (2002). Counseling today’s families (4th ed.). Pacific

Grove, CA:Brooks Cole

 

McGoldrick, M., Carter, B., Garcia-Preto, N. (Ed.) (2011). The expanded family life cycle:

Individual, family and social perspectives (4th ed). Boston: Pearson Education

 

McGoldrick, M., Gerson, R. & Petry, S. (2008) Genograms: Assessment and intervention

(3rd ed.) New York ; London : W. W. Norton.

 

Metcalf, L. (Ed.) (2011). Marriage and family therapy: A practice oriented approach. New

York: Springer Publishing Co

 

Nichols, M.P. (2010). Family therapy: Concepts and methods (9th ed.). Boston: Allyn

& Bacon

 

Rambo, A., West, C. Schooley, A., Boyd, T. (Eds.) (2012). Family therapy review:

Contrasting contemporary models. New York, NY: Routledge (Available electronically)

 

Walsh, F (Ed.) (2011). Normal family processes: Growing diversity and complexity (4th

ed.) New York: The Guildford Press.

 

JOURNALS

The following is a list of journals suitable for COU1201 studies. The list is

designed as a starting point, and is by no means exhaustive. See the Counselling and

Psychology Guides to Library Resources for more information. Most are available through

the ECU Library, and many are available at state and public libraries.
 Australian and New Zealand journal of family therapy

 The family journal

 American journal of family therapy

 Journal of family psychology

 Journal of family therapy  Family therapy

 Family process  Journal of feminist family therapy

 Family relations  Journal of marital and family therapy

 Journal of marriage and the family

 Psychotherapy in Australia

 Clinical child and family psychology review

 Attachment and human development