Pre-Internship
September 7, 2009
Today’s Outline…
Listening to the Feelings of Clients (1:00-1:30)
Genogram construction (1:30-2:15)
Break (2:15-2:30)
Dyad demonstration (2:30-3:30)
APA style review (3:30-3:50)
Listening to the Feelings of
Clients
Genograms
Genograms
Definition = a format for drawing a family
tree that records info about family members
& their relationships over at least 3
generations; developed by Bowenian
multigenerational therapists
Genograms
Why use genograms?
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Tangible graphic representation of family
Allow clinicians to map family structure
Can be easily updated as new info emerges
Easier to mind members, patterns, events
Shows how relationships & events are related to patterns of health
& illness
Part of a thorough assessment
Subjective interpretive tool
Good joining tool
Allows therapist to reframe, detoxify, normalize
Allows for demonstration of systemic functioning
Assesses previous life cycle transitions
Genograms
Three levels of creating a genogram
– Mapping the family structure
– Recording family information
– Delineating family relationships
Space considerations – 1st questions to ask
– How many times was each person married?
– How many siblings did each parent have &
where were they in birth order?
Genograms: Info Added Adjacent to
Each Family Member
Demographic
–
–
–
–
Dates of birth & death
Locations
Occupations
Educational level
Functional
– Emotional
– Behavioral patterns
– Medical problems
Critical
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Important transitions
Relationship shifts
Migrations
Losses & successes
Marriages
Separations
Divorces
Moves
Job changes
Traumatic events
Genograms: Six Categories
Family structure
– Structural patterns
– Roles & relationships in family
Life cycle fit
– Current life cycle changes
family is going through
Pattern repetition
– Patterns in functioning,
relationship, & family structure
– Recognize to repeat or avoid
repeating
Life events & family
functioning
– How life events & changes in
functioning are related
– Anniversary reactions
– Social, economic, political
events
Relational patterns & triangles
– Close, fused, hostile,
conflictual, distant, cut off
Family balance & imbalance
– Extreme contrasts b/t family
members in terms of
responsibility & power
Potential Problems in Constructing
Genograms (Kuehl, 1995)
Intervening before clients understand potential usefulness
Clients who do not connect FOO dynamics with current
problems may find it a waste of time
Asking to identify strengths in families may lead client to
think therapist does not understand problem
Therapist may interpret family dynamics & patterns before
client is ready to acknowledge them
Constructing genogram with only one side of family may
distort therapist’s perception of the family
Genogram Examples
2:15-2:30
BREAK
DYAD ROLE PLAY
APA Style Review
General Writing Skills
All papers should consist of…
– Introduction
– Body
– Conclusion
Grammar “pet peeves”
–
–
–
–
–
–
Do not use contractions
Do not end sentences in prepositions
Do not write in 1st person – unless opinion paper or journal style
Noun-pronoun agreement
Use complete sentences – noun & verb
Comma usage – always use commas in series of three or more and
when writing a compound sentence
General APA Formatting
Double spacing
Page numbering – upper right hand corner
(start with 2 on the first page of text; don’t
put pg. number on title page)
Header – upper right hand corner to the left
of page number (appears on every page
except title page)
Headings
Most likely to use 3 levels of headings
See pg. 113-115 of APA manual
Narrative Theory in Marital Therapy
Major Concepts
Externalization of problem. In narrative
therapy, externalization refers to the process
of…
Reference Page
Type References at top of page
List references in alphabetical order by last
name of the 1st author
Maintain double spacing on reference page
Use “hanging” indent on references
See pg. 207-214 of APA Style manual or
look at syllabus for examples of references
Citing References in Paper
For direct quote:
– Goff (2005) stated, “Blah, blah, blah” (p. 55).
– “Blah, blah, blah” (Goff, 2005, p. 55).
For paraphrased information:
– According to Goff (2005), genograms are
useful assessment tools.
– Genograms are useful assessment tools (Goff,
2005).
Citing References in Paper
Multiple authors
– First citation – list all authors
• (Halstead, Blakeslee, & Goff, 2005)
• According to Halstead, Blakeslee, and Goff
(2005)…
– Additional citations after first citation
• (Halstead et al., 2005)
• According to Halstead et al. (2005)…
Two authors – always list both names
Other Miscellaneous Items
Never use bold type in APA style!!!
Only use quotation marks when quoting a
source.
Block quotes
–
–
–
–
More than 40 words
Should be indented 5 spaces from left margin
Don’t use too many of these
See pg. 312 for example
Helpful Pages in APA Manual
Headings – pp. 113-115
Reference citations in text – pp. 207-214
Reference page – pp. 215-281
Example paper – pp. 306-320
For Next Week…
Dyad #1 due
Guidelines presentation – Kent, Tyson, & Blake
Reading
– Gilbert, 1-6
– Kerr & Bowen, 4