Special Issues in Family Therapy 1

Unit Code: HAW420

Credit Points: 6.25 Credit Points

> Related Course/s
> Teaching Methods
> Assessment
> Aims & Objectives
> Generic Skills Outcomes
> Content
> Reading Materials

Related Course/s:

A unit of study in the Graduate Diploma of Social Science (Family Therapy).

Aims & Objectives:

The aims of this subject are:

To deepen the theoretical understanding of family therapy by treating special issues of clinical practice

To continue to develop greater facility with microskills by using more complex combinations of clinical interventions

Teaching Methods:

Lectures, Demonstrations and Role Plays

Assessment:

Case Studies and Role Plays (40%), 5 Literature Reviews – 1000 words each and Reports (60%)

Generic Skills Outcomes:

• Development of theoretical thinking.
• Critical evaluation of research.
• Appreciate historical development of ideas.
• Written communications skills.

Content:

Theory:

Family therapy and psychiatry: explores the interface of family therapy and the psychiatric disciplines.

Family therapy and adolescents: builds on the treatment of adolescents already covered in first year and looks at some of the more sophisticated problems and treatment methodologies.

Family therapy and the aged: explores a systemic approach to the later stages of life.

Application:

Marital therapy: explores some of the difficulties of working with entrenched marital conflict and ways of clinically intervening.

Circular questioning:  practice sessions working with Milan methodology.

The person of the therapist: dealing with therapist agenda in the session.

At this advanced level of theory and practice, students are expected to contribute to the lecture sessions in a variety of ways: leading discussions with reference to the theory covered; presenting case studies to illustrate particular clinical issues; participating in role plays as a way of developing alternate interventions. Students will be required to review specialised texts in the family therapy field and to present a verbal and a written report.

Reading Materials:

Duncan, B.L., Hubble, M.A. & Miller, S.D., Psychotherapy with impossible cases: The efficient treatment of therapy veterans, Norton, New York, 1997.

Ecker, B. & Hulley, L., Depth-oriented brief therapy – how to be brief when you were trained to be deep – and vice versa, Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco, 1996.

Flaskas, A. & Perlesz, A., The therapeutic relationship in systemic therapy, Karnac, London. (Individual chapter Cantwell, P & Stagoll, B (1995), The therapeutic moment: a double-sided drama), 1996.

Gottman, J., Why marriages succeed or fail, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1994.

Imber-Black, E., Secrets in families and family therapy, Norton, New York, 1993.

Lang, T. & Lang, M., Corrupting the young, Rene Gordon, Melbourne, Australia, 1986.

Leupnitz, D., The family interpreted,. Basic Books, New York, 1988.

Schnarch, D., Passionate marriage. Henry Holt & Company, New York, 1997.