Marriage & Family Therapy

Family is something that plays a tremendous role in our life. Even though the structure of families has changed over the years, it is important to acknowledge that there many families out there whether they are traditional families, nuclear family, stepfamilies or others which tend to have different types of problems in their families. Therefore, many families attempt to go to family therapy in order for them to obtain help in solving the different types of issues they might have at home. As stated in the book Family Therapy by Michael P. Nichols (2013), “The power of family therapy derives from bringing parents and children together to transform their interaction… What keeps people stuck in their inability to see their own participation in the problems that plague them. With eyes fixed firmly on what recalcitrant others are doing, it’s hard for most people to see the patterns that bind them together. The family therapist’s job is to give them a wake-up call” (2013).

Multiple selves are created in adolescence for example cheerful with friends but depressed with parents or outgoing with friends but inhibited in romance relationships. Usually, females experience the most conflict with true self versus false self-behaviour.

I wanted to join the class because I am considering being a marriage and family therapist in the future. I definitely learned a lot from this class about the models and theories. I found structural family therapy the most interesting out of all the therapies. I also thought structural family therapy would be very beneficial in my job as a child protective service worker. Having an understanding of the family, their structure, and what problems there maybe is great for this job. Of course, most of my structural mapping is doing to deal with substance abuse in a subsystem. I am also a visual and hands on learner, and being able to see something physically works best for me.

Family therapy is a form of psychotherapy employed to assist members of a family in improving communication systems, conflict resolution, and to help the family to deal with certain problems that manifest in the behavior of members. In most cases, deviance in a family member is an indication of underlying family dysfunctions. This paper looks the counselling procedure that can be applied to help the Kline family solve their problems. It answers certain questions including those of the expected challenges during therapy and ways of dealing with the challenges.

The history of family therapy began around 1960 when Gregory Bateson came up with the term, “system thinking.” This type of therapy was a daring departure, from traditional and individual treatment during the 1960s. He was involved in the schizophrenia research project in Palo Alto, California, which had a strong impact in shaping the course of family therapy. Along with his colleagues Jay Haley, John Weakland, William Fry, Don Jackson and later Virginia Satir, Paul Watzlawick, Bateson developed a communication theory which aim was to explain development of schizophrenic behavior within the familial environment.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the field of marriage and family counseling beginning with the history and development of the profession and its importance in the field of counseling. This paper will also evaluate five major themes relevant to Marriage and Family Therapy which include: roles of Marriage and Family Therapists; licensure requirements and examinations; methods of supervision; client advocacy; multiculturalism and diversity. The author will discuss significant aspects to the field of Marriage and Family Therapy such as MFT identity, function, and ethics of the profession. This paper will assess biblical values in relation to Marriage and Family Therapists and to the field

Marriage and Family Therapy is a particularly interesting area of Psychological study. This field offers adults and children resources to help cope with potentially damaging psychological issues within the family unit. Marriage and Family therapist offer an opportunity for spouse to reconcile their differences, while helping children understand the family hardships and issues. Marriage and Family therapist help couples, families and groups that deal with issues that have affected their mental health. This is to help redeem such problems as alcohol and drug abuse or marital stress. Treatment for marital stress normally last over duration of time of 12-50 weeks and combines individual and couples counseling. Most Marriage and family therapists need a license in their state of residents. This profession does typically require a master’s degree in a field related to marriage and family therapy. According to ONET MFT requires a therapist t

While I was glancing through the Marriage and family counseling association website, I came across the protection of electronic client information. It discusses how the electronic methods for communication, recordkeeping, est must be protected (American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, 2012).

The purpose of this paper is to prepare an annotated bibliography on family therapy with emphasis on ethnicity and sociocultural influences on the problems of communication. This research includes twelve resources on authors with the following annotations: Delineation of the main focus or purpose of each author 's work; Background and credibility of each author; Intended audience for the work; Any unique feature of the work; Theoretical understandings; Family therapy strategies or techniques; and a Conclusion or observations presented in the work.

1David C. Olsen. Integrative Family Therapy: Creative Pastoral Care and Counseling Series. Minneapolis: Fortress Press; 1993; page 15.

My habitual origin was a low-income household. That type of environment instills the mentality that “you have to get it how you live.” At the time, the unsubstantial status of my mother’s financial stability caused certain difficulties to come to pass. One instance of an difficulty that came to pass due to the unsubstantial status of my mother's financial stability was that she could only buy one pair of uniform for every other school year. I was aware of how the other children were mocking me behind my back, although some even chose to do so in front of my face. At the time I did not understand how materialistic parents unintentionally raise their children to be because my parents raised me to just seek happiness in every dark situation. I began to resent my parents for the financial difficulties I inherited.

A main key concept of NT is that the problem a client presents with is viewed separate from the client. The problem is not the person; it is something the person has. Therefore, the goal of NT is to change the effects resulting from the problem and not the person themselves. To do this, NT uses the technique of externalizing the problem. To externalize the problem, the problem is first given a name and then it is explored and applied to the clients believes, values, behaviors, and ideals that has formed the clients identity. The negative aspects of these areas get rewritten into the new story. The process of externalizing the problem allows the client to see their problem separate from themselves so they can better

In the 1970s marital and family therapy was characterized by models that followed the sociological theory. It advanced the need for unity in the community. In case of any disorder in the society, the family was to act as the mediator (Murdock, 2009). These models were traditional and concentrated on finding problems and their causes. The therapists were viewed as important in finding treatments for the psychological issues (Sholevar & Schwoeri, 2008).

Adolescence is the distinct transitional stage between childhood and adulthood in human development, extending primarily over the teenage years and terminating legally when the age of majority is reached (Rathus, 2014). However in some instances, this biological, cognitive, social and emotional maturity may not be reached until a later stage and may be dictated by gender. Adolescence is characterised by rapidly changing and unpredictable behaviour (Freud, as cited in Rathus 2014), heightened and unstable emotions (Hall, as cited in Rathus 2014), disturbances in identity, the gradual development of one’s moral reasoning (Kohlberg, as cited in Rathus, 2014) and the gradual establishment of one’s independence. Several of these changes may occur at differing phases in adolescent growth. This development is categorized into three separate stages; early adolescence, middle adolescence, and late adolescence. Early Adolescence, commencing from the ages of eleven or twelve until the age of fourteen, comprises of several features such as rapid biological development and maturity, heightened stress levels and limited coping capabilities. On the other hand, middle adolescence, from the approximate age of fourteen to sixteen, involves the gradual cease of biological change, an increase in coping strategies and declined stress levels. Furthermore, late adolescence, commencing from the age of sixteen until the age of eighteen or nineteen, encompasses physical maturity, whereby the

More specifically, Freud traces the roots of all adult behaviors back to childhood impulses and showed how conflicts related to the development of sexuality in childhood subsequently results in psychopathology or neuroses. (Good & Beitman)