WAYLAND BAPTIST UNIVERSITY
FAIRBANKS CAMPUS
School of Behavioral and Social Sciences
MISSION STATEMENT: Wayland Baptist University exists to educate students in an
academically challenging, learning-focused and distinctively Christian environment for
professional success, and service to God and humankind.
CNSL 5315 –Theories and Techniques in Marital and Family Therapy
TERM: Fall 2013, Aug 22-November 2, 2013
Instructor: Terry Spanglet Duncan, PhD
Contact Information: (210) 863-1126 Email: terry.duncan@wayland.wbu.edu
Office Hours: Call for an appointment. You can also visit with me before or after class.
Class Time and Location: Fri 6:00-9:00pm; Sat 9:00am-4:30pm.
Doyon Industrial Facility
(Off South Cushman)
615 Bidwill Street, Suite 302
Fairbanks, AK 99701
Tentative Schedule:
Class meeting
dates
Chapters to be
read by class
date
Chapter 1 -6
Assignments due on
class date
August 23
August 24
Chapter 7-10
Reaction paper on each
chapter 1-6
Genograms due
October 18
Chapter 11-14
Reaction paper on each
chapters 7-10
Case Conceptualization
October19
Reaction paper on each
chapters 11-14
Chapter 15 - 17 Personal Research
Project
Reaction paper on each
chapter 15-17
September 20,
September 21
November 1
November 2
Film conceptualization
Subjects to be discussed
on class date
Syllabus, expectations,
Chapter 1, 2
Genograms
Chapter 3, 4, 5
7-8
9-10
11-12
13-14
15-17
Individual research
projects & film
conceptualizations
Catalog Description: An examination of the field, including communication, structural, and systems
theories. Practical aspects and experience with therapeutic techniques and strategies will be covered as
well.
Prerequisites: There is no prerequisite for this course
Textbook: Family Therapy: An Overview 5th Edition by Goldenberg and Goldenberg (2013) ISBN-10:
1-111-82880-6 , My Family Story Workbook by Goldenberg and Goldenberg (Optional), Family Therapy
Glossary AAMFT (Optional)
Textbooks are an information source and a means of explaining and stimulating interest in the material. It
does not contain all the information students need to know, however. Additional information,
interpretations, and analyses will be given in class.
Course outcome competencies:
•
For students to demonstrate critical thinking.
•
For students to demonstrate major psychological terms and concepts as related to Marriage
and family counseling.
•
For students to demonstrate systemic and cognitive/ behavioral approaches to marriage and
family counseling.
•
For students to be able to apply psychological terms, concepts, and theories regarding
marriage and family counseling to three movies viewed in class.
•
For students to demonstrate PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND COMMITMENT TO
VALUES as practiced by honesty in class such as no cheating, and as shown by their
discussion in class.
Attendance: Students enrolled at one of the University’s external campuses should make every effort to
attend all class meetings. All absences must be explained to the instructor, who will then determine
whether the omitted work may be made up. When a student reaches that number of absences considered
by the instructor to be excessive, the instructor will so advise the student and file an unsatisfactory
progress report with the campus dean. Any student who misses 25 percent or more of the regularly
scheduled class meetings may receive a grade of F in the course. Additional attendance policies for each
course, as defined by the instructor in the course syllabus, are considered a part of the University’s
attendance policy.
Service for the Disabled: In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), it is the
policy of Wayland Baptist University that no otherwise qualified person with a disability be excluded
from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational
program or activity in the university. The Coordinator of Counseling Services serves as the coordinator
of students with a disability and should be contacted concerning accommodation requests at (806) 2913765. Documentation of a disability must accompany any request for accommodations.
Course requirements:
Readings: Assigned readings and/or chapters are to be completed prior to the class session for which they
are assigned. Students should read all chapters prior to coming to class, so that they can participate in
class discussions as well as ask and answer questions. Students should take notes in class, and/or use a
tape recorder to enhance the learning process.
Academic Honesty/Plagiarism Policy: Intellectual integrity and truthfulness are fundamental to
scholarship. Scholars, whether they are performing as students or as teachers, are engaged in a search for
truth. Plagiarism is a form of cheating and theft. Plagiarism occurs when a student fails to give proper
credit when information is either quoted or paraphrased. Plagiarism takes place when you take credit for
someone else’s work. Looking at or copying someone else’s test, answer sheet, and/or paper is counted
as cheating. As such, it is a breach of scholarly responsibility. It is also unethical and in some cases,
illegal. Plagiarism may result in an “F” in the course or in your being expelled from the class.
Method of determining course grade:
The University has a standard grade scale:
A = 90-100, B = 80-89, C = 70-79, D = 60-69, F= below 60, W = Withdrawal, WP = withdrew passing,
WF = withdrew failing, I = incomplete. An incomplete may be given within the last two weeks of a long
term or within the last two days of a micro term to a student who is passing, but has not completed a term
paper, examination, or other required work for reasons beyond the student’s control. A grade of
“incomplete” is changed if the work required is completed prior to the last day of the next long (10 to 15
weeks) term, unless the instructor designates an earlier date for completion. If the work is not completed
by the appropriate date, the I is converted to an F.
Evaluation of student performance:
Chapter Reaction Papers: (15% of final grade). You will be required to write up a 1-2 page
assessment/reaction to each chapter. No references are required for these papers.
Genogram and Structural Family Mapping: (20% of final grade) You will be required to construct your
family’s genogram for as far back as you can. Be very detailed and as specific as you can be using the
appropriate symbols. Indicate significant events that have affected the family. You will also be required
to complete a Minuchin family mapping diagram of your family.
Case Conceptualization: (15% of final grade). You will be given a case study, which you must
conceptualize, using several of the various theories. You should discuss specific interventions and
techniques that you would use with this family and mention duration of therapy and prognosis. What
would be your role as a therapist?
Film Conceptualization: (20 % of final grade). You will watch a film and apply information you have
read or discussed in class to addressing issues in the film.
Self- Directed Research: (25% of final grade). Pick an area of interest to you within the field of family or
couples counseling.
Instructor's policy on Academic Dishonesty: Academic dishonesty is submitting someone else’s work as
your own. Write your own papers and complete your own projects. If it is discovered that a student
bought a paper, had someone else write a paper they will automatically be given an “F” in the class
regardless of their current grade point average in the class.
The professor reserves the right to change or modify any portion of this syllabus at any time.
Handouts pertaining to class assignments
MIDTERM
FAMILY OF ORIGIN GENOGRAM
DUE September 20, 2013
Construct a genogram of your family of origin by consulting and interviewing members of your nuclear
and extended family members. Your family genogram should cover at least 3 generations. Note ages,
births, deaths, gender, illnesses, job loss, education, immigration, violence, substance use/abuse,
marriages, divorces and any other relevant events and/or issues. Note factors such as race, culture and
ethnicity and the effects of each on you and your family system as a whole. Explore triangles, alliances,
coalitions, cut-offs and enmeshments. Diagram interactional patterns between family members. Discuss
the origins and effects of each. Be sure to consider both the micro and macro-level influences on you and
your family system. Incorporate the lenses of Bowen Theory and the Family Life Cycle perspective.
When interviewing your family members take note of the experience; observe their nonverbal behavior
and how they answer the questions (Are they forthcoming with information or are they hesitant?) Ask
family members to choose one or two adjectives that describe family members’ personal qualities or
relational patterns and include them in your genogram. You can also add your own descriptors. Close
friends and beloved pets may also be included on your genogram.
Genogram should be constructed on one sheet of paper, no larger than 23”x30”. You can either construct
it by hand (make sure it is legible) or construct it on the computer. Color coding is preferable especially in
diagramming interactional patterns. Write a discussion paper, 5-10 pages, which describes your family of
origin from a systemic generational perspective. Discuss generational patterns and dynamics. Describe
your experience when gathering the information from family members and note responses. References are
not required for this paper.
Please note: If there are any special circumstances that would make it impossible for you to complete this
assignment, please come and see me immediately.
Film Case Conceptualization (Due November 2nd)
Please choose one of the following films to watch on your own time (Others? Seek pre-approval):
American Beauty
Brokeback Mountain
Brothers
Buffalo 66
Festen (The Celebration)
The Fighter
Home for the Holidays
Juno
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Ordinary People
Prince of Tides
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?
When a Man Loves a Woman
A. In your presentation, please address EACH of the following. To illustrate some points, you may show
some clips as appropriate:
1. An overview of the film, including the aforementioned two most pertinent problems facing the
family/couple.
2. What information do you feel is important in treating the family/couple? (e.g., ages, previous marriages
or not, family of origin issues, etc)
3. Discuss the impact of gender and cultural factors on the relationship.
4. Are there any issues of violence, affairs, abuse, mental illness and so on, and if so, how would deal
with these issues in counseling?
5. Choose a modality that you think fits well for this family, and conceptualize the family/couple from
this model.
6. What aspects of the model would work well for this family/couple? Which aspects may not work as
well?
7. What research supports the use of this model with this type of family?
8. What would be the goals of this model with this family and how would you know that the approach
was effective?
9. What would be challenging for you in working with this family and how might you deal with the
challenge?
10. What would be your prognosis for this family based on your preferred treatment strategies? Provide
enough justification for your hypothesis.
Self Directed Research Due Dec. 3, 2013
As an opportunity to expand the clinical specialties and professional development of the therapist in
training, students will write a 10-15-page research paper on a topic of their choosing. The research paper
is to include references, and highlight the current trends in research findings and clinical treatment. Some
examples of study are issues related to:
1. Divorce
2. Step/Blended Families
3. Adolescent Therapy
4. Eating Disorders
5. Child/Play Therapy
6. Childhood Abuse / Trauma
7. Mental Illness within the Family (Depression, Schizophrenia, Bi-Polar, etc)
8. Alcohol / Drug Abuse within the Family
9. Autism Spectrum Disorders
Case Conceptualization Due Dec.10, 2013
Using the attached case taken from: Case Conceptualization and Treatment Planning: Integrating Theory
With Clinical Practice. Berman (2010) or You may use a current or past case that you are or have worked
with, and ensure that you pay attention to confidentiality and privacy issues and client right’s.
A. Conceptualize the presenting problem using three theoretical approaches to family therapy. Use this as
an opportunity to expand the knowledge and application of your own therapeutic style by selecting
models that ‘appeal’ to you. For instance:
1. Structural Family Therapy (Becvar & Becvar 2009)
2. Strategic Family Therapy (Boscolo et al 1987)
3. Cognitive-Behavioral Family Therapy (Goldenberg &Goldenberg 2000)
4. Post Modern Approaches (Becvar & Becvar 2009)
5. The Systemic/Developmental Integrative Approach (Balswick & Balswick 1999)
6. Internal Family systems Approach (Schwartz 1995)
B. Lay out an initial treatment plan using the three approaches to family therapy you’ve selected.
Consider the following:
1. Identify treatment goals or objectives
2. Identify specific types of intervention strategies
3. Also include brief assessment of the model relative to research and empirical support for its clinical
effectiveness.
4. Include citations to relevant literature in this assignment. Include bibliography of sources used for this
assignment
5. Include a paragraph or two on how this fits with your worldview and approach to family therapy.
Common APA websites to help in application of the style:
http://webster.commnet.edu/apa/apa_index.htm
http://my.ilstu.edu/~jhkahn/APAsample.pdf
http://www.apastyle.org/learn/tutorials/basics-tutorial.aspx
http://www.liu.edu/CWIS/CWP/library/workshop/citapa.htm
Outline for Case Conceptualization
Case conceptualization refers to the process by which we make sense of a client's presenting concerns in
the context of a theoretical framework. In other words, it refers to how we explain or understand the
client's symptoms, personality characteristics, cognitions, feelings, and behaviors in the light of a
particular theory or integration of theories. Such understanding should lead to the formulation of
counseling goals and intervention strategies.
At this stage we will conceptualize the client's case from one theoretical orientation at a time. The content
of the conceptualization of the same case will differ according to the various theories depending on the
aspect of human experiencing that each theory emphasizes.
In general, however, the case conceptualization process (as with the counseling process itself) starts with
an understanding of the clients' presenting concerns from the perspective of the client.
In other words, Step 1 addresses the question
What does the client say her or his problems are?
In Step 2 we provide a framework from which to explain the origins of the stated problems, addressing
the questions:
How is it that this person came to have these particular problems?
Where are these problems stemming from?
Intra-psychic issues, environment, early relationships, learned behaviors, faulty cognitions
What are this person’s strengths?
And in Step 3,
Goals for counseling are identified, and
Specific interventions are used to address the problems identified by the counselor and the client.
The various theories will differ in (a) the questions they ask clients as part of the exploration process. (b)
the answers they provide to the questions posed in Step 2 and (c) may lead to different types of
interventions in Step 3.
Psychodynamic approaches For example, regarding Step 2, the psychodynamic approaches (Freud, Object
Relations Theory, and Adler) will not take the presenting concerns at face value, but will assume that
these concerns are symptoms of deeper seated problems that somehow relate to experiences that happened
earlier on in the life of the person (from childhood on) when his/her sense of self was formed. In part, the
feelings and thoughts associated with these problems and early experiences are likely to be in the
unconscious.
Therefore, from the perspective of the psychodynamic theories, before moving on to help clients solve
their presenting concerns, the counselor needs to obtain developmental information to form hypothesis
regarding the origins of the presenting concerns, since there may lie the real problem that needs to be
addressed. This developmental information will also help the counselor form hypothesis regarding the
sense-of-self the person may have formed in the context of these early experiences.
In addition to capturing (or describing) the client’s sense of self, from the psychodynamic perspective the
counselor will identify the mechanisms of defense the person developed early on to deal with anxiety in
the context of early problematic experiences and examine to what extent the person still uses the same
defenses in interpersonal relations and in times of stress.
Most likely the counselor will discover patterns of behavior (in relation to others and to the world) that
help explain how the client’s particular sense of self and early experiences lead to their current conflicts.
The counselor may also identify specific stages of development (a la Erikson) that were not resolved
appropriately. Object relations theory will pay special attention to issues of attachment and autonomy in
clients’ development of a sense of self and consequent problems.
In carrying out Step 2 from the Adlerian perspective, the counselor will explore the contributions of early
experiences to current problems by asking clients’ about their life-style (role they played in family
constellation and early recollections) and identifying the content of the private or faulty logic they
developed in their attempts to strive for significance in the context of their family constellation.
The counselor also will pay attention to the clients’ level of social interest, since this is a sign of healthy
mental functioning. The Adlerian counselor will identify current problems in terms of clients’ neurotic
symptoms and help clients become aware how they use the symptoms as excuses to engage in specific
life-tasks. In this process the counselor will help the client move out of their discouragement and become
encouraged to meet the life tasks.
Humanistic approaches
From a Rogerian perspective, in exploring the client’s presenting concerns the counselor will assume that
internalized conditions of worth have lead clients to disconnect from parts of themselves. This
disconnects\, in turn, has resulted in feelings of incongruency and anxiety, has impaired their internal
locus of control as well as thwarted their self-actualizing tendency.
The Rogerian counselor may also examine the discrepancy between the client’s self-concept and ideal
self-concept. Since the theory proposes that given the presence of adequate facilitative conditions
(empathy, positive regard, and congruence) in the counseling relation, clients will be able to reconnect
with themselves and find their own way, the theory does not offer much in terms of a framework to
explain the particular issues of each client. This is more a theory of the change process itself than a theory
of personality development.
From the Existential approach one would explore to what extent the clients' difficulties are related to the
clients' efforts to avoid facing the normal anxiety generated by specific givens of existence (Death,
meaning, Freedom, Isolation). For example, to what extent the problems are related to the client’s refusal
to accept responsibility for self or to face aloneness.
These efforts to avoid normal anxiety, labeled, mechanisms of defense, lead to neurotic anxiety and/or
neurotic guilt as well as other problems in living.
Behavioral approaches
From the Behavioral and Cognitive Behavioral perspective one will be more likely to take the client's
presenting concerns at face value; that is, as the problems that need to be solved. These problems will be
primarily understood as the product of specific faulty learning, which has led to irrational thoughts or
faulty cognitions (e.g. Beck's maladaptive patterns of thinking - arbitrary inference, selective abstraction,
overgeneralization, etc.). The exploration process entails identifying the antecedent behaviors and
cognitions that trigger the maladaptive thoughts and behaviors.
Once a theoretical framework has been applied to explain the particulars of a client's case, interventions
are implemented to help the client solve the presenting concerns. In the case of the dynamic approaches,
this will entail exploring (gaining insight, analysis of the transference) and resolving (e.g. catharsis;
changing faulty logic) the early conflicts that trigger the current problems and identifying the defenses the
person developed to cope with these early conflicts and still uses today. In the more behavioral
approaches, interventions help clients un-learn past negative behaviors and cognitions (e.g.
desensitization training, self control) and learn new, more adaptive ones (e.g. skills training). Existential
approaches emphasize awareness of life’s realities and finding productive ways to cope with the normal
anxiety related to living
Outline for Case Conceptualization Process
I. Client's Presenting Concerns (For the case study papers, this information is outlined in the description
of the client so you do not need to repeat it on your paper)
Object Relations Theory
II. Gathering information to generate hypothesis regarding the origins of the clients' current problems.
1. Explore current and early relationships as they relate to issues of attachment and autonomy. This
includes gaining an understanding of how the client understands the world and his/her relationships with
others (that is the clients’ mental representations of others and the world based on internalized objects).
Understanding the clients’ internal frame of reference will help the counselor understand the clients’
behaviors.
2. Describe the ideas and feelings about self that the client might have developed in the context of these
early relations (internalized objects).
3. Discuss how experiences and behaviors developed in early life have shaped the clients' sense of self
and have contributed to his/her current problems; identify conflictive patterns from the past that the client
may be repeating in current life; explore to what extent current experiences trigger in the client emotional
reactions elicited by past experiences (relieving the trauma).
4. Discover specific defense mechanisms embedded in clients’ presenting concerns and other symptoms
and explain how each defense relates to the clients’ current difficulties and past experiences.
III. Goal Setting and Interventions
In the dynamic approaches the information provided in the conceptualization process leads to specific
counseling goals such as:
Re-experience earlier conflicts, from an emotional and a cognitive perspective
Gain insight regarding how past experiences relate to present problems
Resolve the early conflicts, with the help of the therapist
Reconcile split-off aspects of the self and move to a more integrated sense of self
Modify negative aspects of the self
Facilitate the development of positive aspects of the self in the context of the therapeutic relation
Change aspects of the persons' sense of self (e.g. feeling unlovable)
Work through conflicts in relation to attachment and autonomy in intimate relations
Interventions may include:
Free association
Dream analysis
Confrontation
Interpretation
Gaining insight
Analysis of the transference
Adlerian
II. Gathering information to generate hypothesis regarding the origins of the clients' current problems.
1. Identify how presenting concerns relate to client's ability to successfully meet specific life tasks.
2. Explore family constellation to discover experiences that might have led client to develop his/her
specific faulty logic. Describe the content of this faulty logic and the sense of self the client developed in
the context of these experiences.
3. Establish a connection between the content of the client’s faulty logic and (a) experiences in the family
of origin, (b) problems in current life, and (c) the sense-of-self in relation to the world that the client
developed.
4. Identify the underlining purpose of the client's problematic behaviors and describe how the client uses
the symptoms as an excuse to engage in meeting specific life tasks.
III. Goal Setting and Interventions
In the Adlerian approach the information provided in the conceptualization process leads to specific
counseling goals such as:
Identify and modify faulty logic
Gain encouragement to face life-tasks,
Develop social interest
Identify the underlining purposes of symptomatic behaviors
Make a commitment to behavior change
Interventions may include:
Life-style assessment
Paradoxical Intention
Spitting in the Soup
Catching oneself
Acting as if
Task setting
Rogerian
II. Gathering information to generate hypothesis regarding the origins of the clients' current problems.
Counselor’s goal is to create safe, trusting relationships so that clients will be able to:
Explore the parts of themselves that they have denied or distorted.
Recognize and give up the internalized conditions of worth
Develop and internal locus of evaluation,
Become more open to experience,
Achieve self-trust.
III. Goal Setting and Interventions
Counselor’s role is to help clients set their own goals.
The Intervention is for the most part is the relationship in itself, which must include three conditions:
Congruence or genuineness
Positive regard
Accurate empathic understanding
Specific counselor’s behaviors to facilitate the relationship and foster client change include:
Reflection of feeling
Paraphrasing, rephrasing
Questions for clarification
Existential
II. Gathering information to generate hypothesis regarding the origins of the clients' current problems.
1. Identify how presenting concerns (problem behaviors/cognitions) relate to specific givens of existence.
2. Discover how the client uses specific mechanisms of defense to avoid facing the normal anxiety
generated by specific givens of existence.
3. Describe how each mechanism of defense (a) help the client avoid anxiety, and, (b) prevents the client
form taking responsibility for self and/or live an authentic existence.
4. Describe how these defensive behaviors have led the client to experience neurotic anxiety and/or
neurotic guilt and further problems.
III. Goal Setting and Interventions
In the existential approach, goals may involve to:
Help clients gain awareness of the choices they are making in their lives
Encourage clients to face the givens of existence that they may be avoiding and helping them become
aware of the defenses they are using to avoid the normal anxiety generated by the givens of existence.
Help clients become aware of the negative effects these defensive behaviors/cognitions have in their lives
and to recognize how these defensive behaviors are related to their presenting concerns
Help clients find adaptive ways of facing the anxiety generated by specific givens of existence
Encourage client to take responsibility for their lives and make active choices regarding the life situations
they are facing
Interventions may include:
Confrontation
Process interpersonal dynamics of the counseling relationship, attending to the emotions generated by the
counseling process in the context of the here and now relationship with the counselor.
Paradoxical intention
Situational reconstruction
Compensatory self - improvement
Behavioral/Cognitive Behavioral
II. Gathering information to generate hypothesis regarding the origins of the clients' current problems.
1. Relate the presenting concerns to faulty learning, irrational thoughts, and/or faulty cognitions.
2. Identify the client's irrational thoughts (Ellis) and/or specific faulty cognitions or maladaptive thought
patterns (Beck) and illustrate how these lead to the problematic behaviors.
3. Describe the antecedent behaviors and cognitions that trigger the client's maladaptive behaviors and
thoughts (this is called behavioral assessment).
III. Goal Setting and Intervention
Resolving the presenting concerns by:
Learning new behaviors,
Changing environmental conditions, and
Replacing irrational thoughts and/or maladaptive cognitive schemas with more rational thoughts.
Interventions may include:
Modeling
Behavioral rehearsal
Skills development training (e.g. assertiveness, social behavior)
Self control or self-monitoring
Stimulus control
Contingency contracting
Systematic desensitization
Recognizing and changing irrational thoughts
Cognitive restructuring to change maladaptive thought processes
Learning a new internal dialogue
Relaxation training