The Mission Statement For Families, Inc.

What we bring as a person to the counseling room determines the direction we take with our clients. Coming from what I describe as a dysfunctional family and my questions of why is my family the way it is, why do I behave or think the way I do I drown to the family counseling theory. Many people including myself have why questions about their family. Some of those why questions are, “why is my family like this, where did I get this habit from, will my family ever change? The family systems approach helps solve some of those why questions.

Gladding, S. T. (2010). Family therapy: History, theory, and practice (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson.

Family Therapy can be implemented in a different ways in a program that provides a facet of services, but it’s imperative that the approaches used are appropriate for the individual or families utilizing services. Functional Family Therapy is used to help deal with substance abuse in families but can also be used to assist with behavioral issues in children. A well rounded family service program can not only use this one approach but utilize other approaches to meet the needs of the population being served. And while implementing the service ethics will play a major role in the therapy being providing.

Marriage and family therapists believe that the family patterns may affect an individual’s psychological and physical well being and therefore need to be part of therapy. During a therapy session even if only one person is being interviewed, the therapists focuses on a set of relationships that the person is embedded in. The entire family is involved in solving clients problems regardless of whether the issue in individual or family.

Haley and Madanes’ approach to strategic family therapy argues that change occurs through the process of the family carrying out assignments issued by the therapist. As described in Madanes’ Strategic Family Therapy (1981), “strategic therapists attempt to design a therapeutic strategy for each specific problem.” Therapists issue directives that are designed to shift the framework of the family to resolve the displaying problem. Treatment of these issues would include intense involvement, carefully planned interventions designed to reach clear goals, frequent use of therapist-generated directives or assignments, and paradoxical procedures.

The family is made up of five people: Claudia, the IP; Carolyn, mother; Laura, the sister; Don, the brother; and David, the father. The family is coming into therapy because there have been mounting concerns about Claudia and her behavior—acting out, staying out late, some fairly typical teenage stuff. For the purpose of this paper, I will be starting at the beginning where the family is first coming into therapy. I will first school that I will apply is Structural Family Therapy and the second school is Bowen Family Therapy.

When I read the mission statement, I knew this is the place for me. One of the most attractive qualities of Advocate Children’s Hospital, is the mission to put a wholistic approach to care, and that this philosophy is rooted in the belief that human beings are created in the image of God. As a believer myself, the latter part of this statement not only stood out to me, but also reminded me of my initial calling to become a child life specialist – the calling to dedicate my life to help children and families to navigate life’s most challenging events. I believe a hospital that realizes and understands

It takes very special people to want to make a difference in people’s lives, to want to help them to be better. Some people seek to become counselors after overcoming a most important life challenge. The individuals that seek the profession of marriage and family therapy do not think of this work as a job or career, more typically a constellation of life experiences that demand explanation and a sense that others seek one out for assistance and emotional sustenance become driving forces leading one to counseling profession (An Invitation to Counseling Work).

therapy aims to improve family relations, and the family is encouraged to become a type of

In 1991 she created a new magazine called “Martha Stewart Living” that would become a huge thing

Becvar, D. & Becvar R. (2009). Family therapy: a systemic integration. (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Approaches to Family Therapy: Minuchin, Haley, Bowen, & Whitaker Treating families in therapy can be a complex undertaking for a therapist, as they are dealing not only with a group of individuals but also with an overall system. Throughout history several key theorists have attempted to demystify the challenges families face and construct approaches to treatment. However, there have been key similarities and differences among the theoretical orientations along the way. While some have simply broadened or expanded from existing theories, others have stood in stark

After discussing with the family, the nurse works with them to come up with some goals. The long-term goal is that the family will implement and comply with the prescribed treatments. By complying with the prescribed treatments, it will hopefully lead to less conflict. If Pat Sr. and Pat are taking medicine and going to therapy, the conflict should decrease. The family decides with the nurse that this is a good goal to work toward for long-term benefit.

In my role as a family partner, I discussed with a coworker the importance of repeatedly reinforce the idea that both family partner and families are equally important. My supervisor mentioned the importance of understanding that all families have strengths. Therefore, it is important for us as workers to asses those strengths. We can then use those strengths to support families achieve their goals. Some families often are unaware of their own strengths. Families might feel as less capable, if receiving public assistance. It is important to normalize the idea of receiving support. We should help families understand that it is okay to obtain assistance when needed.

The educational framework is discussed in the textbook, “Family Life Education: Principles and Practices for Effective Outreach” written by Duncan and Goddard (2001). They discuss a study called Appreciate Inquiry which focuses on positive past experiences rather than past problems. This also creates a new way to achieve favorable client interactions (p. 160).