UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI’I at MANOA
Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work
SW 680 Marriage and Family Therapy Overview
Spring 2012
Mondays, 7:00-9:45pm
Distance Education Classroom
Shana Lewis, M.A.
shanal@hawaii.edu
(808) 348-4975; 8am-9pm
Course Description: This introduction to couple and family therapy offers an overview of family
systems perspective, theory and technique relevant to informing effective social work case planning, case
management, advocacy and interaction with clients. Students will learn to conceptualize and assess family
dynamics, structure and functioning using various family systems models, family life cycle stages, and
greater social context including systems level stressors. Cultural considerations related to diverse family
norms, beliefs and values will be examined. Students will have the opportunity to deepen self-awareness
related to their own family of origin history and personal relational assumptions.
Required Text: Goldenberg, H. and Goldenberg, I. (2008). Family Therapy: An Overview (7th ed).
Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Course Objectives:
Through participation in this course, students will:
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Become familiar with the basic family therapy framework for understanding human behavior and
approaching treatment.
Analyze family functioning and structure using various family therapy models.
Become familiar with couple and family strength and resiliency factors.
Increase understanding of the cultural influences and systems level stressors that affect families and
individuals.
Experience and be able to utilize select family therapy tools and techniques.
Engage in the continual process of self-understanding and awareness in considering the nuances that
may impact one’s work with diverse families and individuals.
COURSE SCHEDULE & ASSIGNMENTS DUE:
DATE
READING
1/9/12
--
1/16/12
*Holiday
Chapter 1
DISCUSSION
o
o
Course Overview & Expectations
Introduction to Family Therapy
NO CLASS MEETING
ONLINE ASSIGNMENT ONLY
DUE
--
Online
Discussion
1/23/12
Chapter 2
o
o
o
The Family Life Cycle
Blended Families
Gay and Lesbian Families
--
1/30/12
Chapter 3
o
o
o
Gender Roles
Cultural Considerations
Ethnicity
--
2/06/12
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
o
o
--
o
Basic systems theory
Family Rules, Feedback Loops, Subsystems,
Boundaries
Origins & Growth of Family Therapy
o
o
o
o
o
Psychodynamic Models
Object Relations Theory
Transgenerational Models
Bowen Family Systems Therapy
The Genogram
--
2/13/12
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
2/20/12
*Holiday
NO CLASS MEETING
ONLINE ASSIGNMENT ONLY
Online
Discussion
2/27/12
Chapter 9
o
o
Genogram Project Discussion
Experiential Models
3/05/12
Chapter 10
o
The Structural Model
--
3/12/12
Chapter 11
o
The Strategic Model
--
3/19/12
Supplemental
Reading
o
o
Research in Couples Therapy
Common Couples Issues
--
3/26/12
*Holiday
4/02/12
--
SPRING BREAK – NO CLASS
Genogram
Project
--
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
o
o
o
Healthy Couples Discussion
The Milan Strategic Systemic Model
Behavioral & Cognitive-Behavioral Models
4/09/12
Chapter 14
o
o
Social Construction Models 1
Solution Focused Therapy
--
4/16/12
Chapter 15
o
o
Social Construction Models II
Narrative Therapy
--
4/23/12
Chapter 18
o
o
Comparative Overview
Viewing for Final Exam
--
4/30/12
Chapter 6
o
Professional Issues and Ethical Practice
Healthy
Couples
Assignment
Final Exam
* Due dates and activities may be rescheduled/changed by the instructor due to unforeseen circumstances.
EVALUATION CRITERIA:
Course evaluation is based equally on Professionalism, 2 assignments and a final exam essay. Each item is
worth a maximum of 25 points, with a total of 100 points possible for the course. The 2 assignments and
final exam each have an attached grading rubric. Students must self-evaluate on the grading rubric and turn
it in with the assignment. Please incorporate your self-evaluation rubric into your assignment as the last
page of the document. The rubric does not count as an actual page of the assignment.
Written assignments are to be typed, double-spaced, grammatically correct and be submitted in APA format.
Font size should be no larger than 12. Instructor reserves the right to return an assignment for student to
access writing lab.
Late assignments will not be accepted without prior approval of the instructor. Only exceptional
circumstances such as a death in the family, or major medical or health problems will be considered
acceptable excuses for late assignments.
Professionalism
Genogram Project
Healthy Couples Paper
Final Exam
TOTAL
25
25
25
25
100
Final grades are based on a cumulative point total from all of the areas specified above and are determined
according to the following formula:
A+ = 98 to 100
A = 93 to 97
A- = 90 to 92
B+ = 87 to 89
B = 83 to 86
B- = 80 to 82
C+ = 77 to 79
C = 73 to 76
C- = 70 to 72
D = 65 to 69
F = 64 or fewer
1.) Professionalism (25 points)
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Timely attendance, including returning on time from breaks (5)
Active and well informed class participation, including participation in exercises, giving and
receiving feedback, and presenting questions for discussion (10)
Demonstration of respect for the ideas and opinions of others (10)
2.) Genogram Project (25 points)
Construct your family genogram, and write then a 3-5 page process paper describing the overall experience
of and your reaction to creating your genogram. As you gather family information and go through the process
of creating your genogram, be mindful of your thoughts, internal responses and reactions. This selfobservation will assist you in writing the paper, which should describe your overall reaction to the
assignment itself as well as what it was like for you to complete it. Also discuss anything you would like to
share regarding what you learned about yourself or your family history, and any new insights regarding how
your personal history might influence or affect your professional work.
Grading: See Grading Rubric for Genogram Project. Duplicate this Rubric, complete the self-evaluation
column and turn in with your paper.
Paper must be submitted via Laulima or via email to the instructor no later than midnight Hawaii-Aleutian
Standard Time on the due date. Genogram diagrams may be photographed and submitted electronically if
writing is legible in picture. If legibility is in question, the instructor will make the final decision on whether
text in electronic copy is legible. Genogram diagrams may also be mailed to the instructor, postmarked no
later than the day following the due date. This allows for the possibility of the genogram to be shared in
class before sending. If you physically mail your genogram, please make a copy before sending. Any
genogram sent to the instructor will be returned to you in a sealed envelope.
3.) Healthy Couples Interview and Paper (25 points)
Interview two couples whom you believe have healthy relationships, and gather information on what these
couples believe contributes to their healthy relationship. The purpose of the interviews is to identify
positive, functional, interactive strengths. You will want each partner to describe the strengths of the
relationship, how conflict is resolved, how difficult or challenging times are managed, and how each partner
accounts for the success of the relationship. Each couple must represent a different stage of the family life
cycle. These couples can be friends, family, coworkers, etc.
The couples are not to be considered as clients. Emphasize to your couples that the interview is not
intended to be therapeutic. If you choose to audio, video or otherwise digitally record your interview, you
must have the written permission of the individuals you are recording.
Examples of information you may want to focus on for each family life cycle stage will be provided in a
separate attachment.
Grading: See Grading Rubric for Health Couples Interview and Paper. Duplicate this Rubric, complete the
self-evaluation column and turn in with your paper.
Paper must be submitted via Laulima or via email to the instructor no later than midnight Hawaii-Aleutian
Standard Time on the due date.
4.) Final Exam Essay: Family Analysis and Recommendations (25 points)
Conceptualize and assess the structure, dynamics and functioning of the family scenario presented in class
using one of the major family therapy modalities (Bownenian, Psychodynamic, Structural, or Strategic).
Describe the basic model including concepts associated with normal family development and development of
behavior disorders, and your evaluation of the family in question according to the model, including
recommended treatment goals and example methods of intervention. Explain the significance and impact of
relevant cultural or systems level stressors. Your paper should be 6-8 pages in length.
Grading: See Grading Rubric for Final Exam Essay. Duplicate this Rubric, complete self-evaluation column
and turn in with your paper.
Paper must be submitted via Laulima or via email to instructor no later than midnight Hawaii-Aleutian
Standard Time on the due date.
Accommodation of Students with Disabilities
Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact
the instructor to privately discuss specific needs. The KOKUA Program on the Manoa Campus coordinates
reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities and may be contacted by phone at
(808) 956-7511 or by e-mail at kokua@hawaii.edu . Located at the Students Services Center on the ground
floor, Room #013, KOKUA provides services, including: academic advising, early registration, note-taking,
technology access, testing accommodations, and transcription.
Plagiarism
Any assignment that is plagiarized will not be tolerated and may result in an “F” for the course and may be
reported to the University administration for further possible action, including expulsion from the university.
“Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, submitting, in fulfillment of an academic requirement, any
document that has been copied in whole or in part from another individual’s work without attributing that
borrowed portion to the individual; neglecting to identify as a quotation another’s idea and particular
phrasing that was not assimilated into the student language and style or paraphrasing a passage so that the
reader is misled as to the source; submitting the same written or oral material in more than one course
without obtaining authorization from the instructors involved; purchasing term papers; or drylabbing, which
includes obtaining and using experimental data and laboratory write-ups from other sections of the course or
from pervious terms, or fabricating data to fit the desired or expected results” (p. 6 UHM Course Catalog).
Course and Faculty Evaluations (CAFÉ)
Course and Faculty Evaluations (CAFÉ) are required for every social work course. Students are asked to
respond to set questions about the class and the instructor at the last or next-to-last class session. CAFÉ
information is one critical component of a comprehensive program assessment plan and is used in personnel
matters. Note: The instructor does not receive the feedback until after grades have been posted.
The instructor welcomes student comments and suggestions toward improving the course and encourages
students to offer oral/written comments in class, during office hours, by e-mail, or anonymously in the
faculty mailbox. In addition, a number of un-graded and anonymous classroom assessment techniques may
be used throughout the semester to provide students and instructor with information to improve learning.