THEORIES OF FAMILY THERAPY SWKG/570 3 Credits Fall 2007

Rick Cote', MSW AAMFT Approved Supervisor

The best way to get a hold of me outside of class is email. My address is [email protected] COURSE DESCRIPTION: An introduction to contemporary theories, perspectives, procedures and techniques of family therapy. The course is intended for the graduate student or practicing professional with a background in social work, psychology or another helping discipline but without extensive theoretical or practice background in family therapy. COURSE RATIONALE: Current trends in social work and counseling have emphasized the developing importance of family therapy to the growth, adjustment and problem solving capacity of individuals. In addition, the family has been identified as a major mediating structure between individuals and large social systems. This course will set the necessary theoretical foundation for professionals required to deal with families either through direct or indirect interventions. COURSE OBJECTIVES: 1. Describe the historical development of family therapy 2. Analyze and synthesize the major theories and models of family therapy 3. Assess a given family's internal dynamics within socialcultural, racial and systemic context. 4. Formulate appropriate treatment plans grounded in theory. 5. Appreciate the policy implications of family therapy practice 6. Apply some family therapy techniques CONTENT AREAS: 1. Family theory 2. Family as a holon (systemic context) 3. Family as a transmitter and symbolic expression of culture, values and race 4. Gender and sexual preference considerations in understanding families and family therapy. 5. Historical development of family therapy 6. Family therapy theories 7. Family therapy techniques 8. Communication patterns in families MY RATIONALE: Family therapy has been where the radicals and innovators of the direct practice field reside. Even when they were well known and highly identified as social workers (like

Michael White, Harry Aponte and Virginia Satir) it was still the family therapy arena that spawned and nurtured their work. Just as psychoanalysis was adopted largely by the discipline of psychiatry and behavioral therapy by the discipline of psychology, family therapy identifies itself with social work through a mutual attention to systems. It provides to the clinical social worker the theoretical frame much as psychoanalysis does to psychiatry. Even more so is the movement to post structural approaches and with it the move to "strength based approaches" so commonly embraced at this school. Even though it is "embraced", few students know what these ideas are based on and the history of these ideas. This class is intended to fix that gap. The work of family therapy does reach beyond the clinical focus through a richer understanding of systems and family communications. As such, I would argue that family therapy should stand at the center of social work education. PLAGIARISM It is with a heavy heart that I have to discuss this at all. However recent events in this and other classes make it necessary. We all come from diverse backgrounds and our paths to this point in time in graduate school have come from many paths. Standards concerning plagiarism easily might have been different. Plagiarism means passing off others ideas as your own. If you copy what someone else wrote then you have to be very clear who wrote this and where the original source is. Quotes, in general, should be relatively brief and used to augment your ideas. If you are caught plagiarizing in a paper, EWU Social Work Department has agreed there are three possible responses. One is giving a zero on the paper. Second is flunking the class and three is the possibility of suspension from the school. As you can see by those actions in academic circles, plagiarism is a very serious offense. ASSIGNMENTS 1. Paper/Diagram of your genogram of your personal family of origin. Also a genogram of a preferred trait 30 points Due night of Oct 23th 2. Paper on a particular family therapy school. Identifying it within the "three waves” with a summary of some of its central thoughts. Usually it is between 8 - 12 pages. 40 points Due night of Nov 27th

3. Exams. There will be a final exam at the end of the quarter.

Assignment #1 Genograms I would like you to draw as complete a genogram on your family of origin as possible (three generations, at least). McGoldrick book is a critical reference on this. Make sure you include dates, relationships, and localities along with relational information like fusion, cutoffs and conflictual relationships; identified client and who is in the family.. Include a short narrative to fill out the story. Make a second genogram following the trail of some preferred trait, perhaps one that has become highlighted for you in the pursuit of being a social worker. Traits commonly done are compassion, courage, caring, etc. This genogram will be smaller likely than the first one and even perhaps include critical relationships not on the original one. If say, compassion was passed along in a will, the genogram should show where this inheritance went and to whom. Again a short narrative is helpful.

Assignment #2 Particular school of thought I would like you to look further into a school of thought that you are interested in. Some that have been done in the past include Structural, Strategic, Bowen Family of Origin, Contextual (Nagy), Solution Focused (DeShazer), Narrative (White), Collaborative (Goolishian/Anderson), Milan, and Satir. You could do some other theorist but I would like you to clear that with me first; if however you pick one of those listed then no preapproval is necessary. I would like a description of the basic theoretical tenants of the approach, an example of how they conceptualize change happens, list some of the basic techniques and a discussion of the politics of the particular approach. Assignment 3#. Exams I have not historically given exams in my classes and I do not believe it is a common practice in our department. However the focus of this class is theory; to learn some of the common theories of family therapy so we might be able to in later classes apply that theory to the people we work with. The test will be on the Nichols and Hoffman book. I feel I need to know that you have done such readings and grasped the overall ideas presented. It would seem that an exam would be one of the ways to assure that goal.

REQUIRED TEXTS: McGoldrick, M. et.al (1999) Genograms: Assessments and Interventions, WW Norton

Nichols & Swartz (2001) Concepts and Methods, 5th Ed., Allyn and Bacon Hoffman, Lynn (2001) Family Therapy: an Intimate History, WW Norton CLASS SCHEDULE Oct 2nd Therapy

Introduction, Three Waves of Psychotherapy, Appreciations of Family

Oct. 9th

Beginning Giants, Bateson, MRI, Virginia Satir Tape: Carl Whitaker

Oct 16th

FOO with focus on Bowen Tape: Donald Williamson

Oct. 23rd

Structural Family Therapy Tape: Saul Minuchen Genograms due

Oct 30th

Milan Group Tape: Boscolo

Nov 6th

Three Pillars revisited, Post Structural Theory Tape: Lynn Hoffman

Nov 13th

Narrative Tape: David Epstein

Nov 20th

Class cancelled—Thanksgiving

Nov 27th

Solution Focus Therapy Tape: Steve DeShazier about Wittenstein Paper Due

Dec 4th

Collaborative Therapy Tape: Harlene Anderson Take Home Final Exam

Dec 11th

Take Home Exam due

BIBLIOGRAPHY This list is not intended to be extensive, but rather personal--these are materials that the instructor has read and felt was personally useful. I would like if you come across

material during the class that you find helpful, that you give me a bibliography note and it will be included in the next class's bibliography along with being shared with the present class. That way over time this section will grow through the lens of the people taking the class and their personal views of the worthiness of certain materials. Anderson, Harlene ( 1997) Conversation, Language, and Possibilities, Basic Books Anderson, Tom (Ed.) (1987) The Reflecting Team, WW Norton Andolfi, M. (1979) Family Therapy: an Interactional Approach, Plenum Pub Aponte, Harry (1996) Bread and Spirit: Therapy with the New Poor: Diversity of Race, Culture and Values. WW Norton Attneave, C & Speck, R. (1973) Family Networks: A Way Towards Retribalization. Pantheon Books Bachelard, G. (1994) The Poetics of Space, Beacon Press Bateson, G. (1972) Steps to an Ecology of Mind, Ballantine Books Berglund, Gustaf & Abrahamsson, Erik (2000) Creative Conversations: meetings with family therapists and their ideas, Mareld Books Bird, Johnella (2000) The Heart's Narrative, Edge Press Boyd-Franklin, N. (1989) Black Families in Therapy-A Multisystems Approach, Guilford Boscolo, L. et al (1987) Milan Systemic Family Therapy: Conversations in Theory and Practice, Basic Books Boszormenyi-Nagy, I. (1984) Invisible Loyalties, Brunner/Mazel Conroy, Pat. (1987) The Great Santini, Bantam Books Conroy, Pat (1987) The Prince of Tides, Doubleday DeShazier, S. (1991) Putting Differences to Work. WW Norton DeShazier, S. (1994) Words Were Originally Magic. WW Norton Foucault, M. (1965) The History of Madness, Pantheon Books Foucault, M. (1972) The Archeology of Knowledge, Harper Foucault, M. (1978) The History of Sexuality, Pantheon Books

Freedman, J. & Combs, G. (1996) Narrative Therapy: The Social Construction of Preferred Realities. WW Norton Freeman J., Epston D. and Lobovities, D. (1997) Playful Approaches to Serious Problems. WW Norton Gilligan, S. (1987) Therapeutic Trances: The Cooperative Principal in Ericksonian Hypnotherapy, Brunner-Mazel Gurman, A (ed). (1985) A Casebook of Marital Therapy, Guilford Press Haley, Jay (1991) Problem Solving Therapy, Jossey-Mazel Haley, Jay (1997) Leaving Home: the Therapy of Disturbed Young People Brunner/Mazel Hoffman, L (1995) Exchanging Voices: A Collaborative Approach to Family Therapy, Karnac Books Hoffman, L (1981) Foundations of Family Therapy, Basic Books Hoffman, L. (1998) Setting aside the model in family therapy, Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 24 (2) 145-156 Imber-Black, E., Roberts, J and Whiting, R (1988) Rituals in Family Therapy WW Norton Kerr, M & Bowen, M. (1988) Family Evaluation: An Approach Based on Bowen Theory, WW Norton Lankton, S. (1986) Enchantment and Intervention in Family Therapy: Training in Ericksonian Approaches Brunner/Mazel Madanes, C., (1984) Behind the one way mirror Jossey-Bass Madanes, Cloe, (1995) The Violence of Men: New Techniques for Working with Abusive Families: A Therapy of Social Action, Jossey-Bass McGoldrick, M., Anderson, C., Walsh, F. (1989) Women in Families: A Framework for Family Therapy, WW Norton McGoldrck, M. (1996) Ethnicity and Family Therapy, Guilford Press Minuchin, S. (1974) Families and Family Therapy, Harvard University Press

Minuchin, S. and Fishman, H. (1981) Family Therapy Techniques, Harvard University Press Morgan, Alice. (2000) What is Narrative Therapy, Dulwich Centre Press Napier, A & Whitaker, C. (1988) The Family Crucible: The Intense Experience of Family Therapy, HarperCollins Nervin, W. & Satir, V. (1986) Family Reconstruction: A Long Days Journey into Light, WW Norton Nichols, M. & Schwartz, R. (1998) Family Therapy Concepts and Methods, Allyn and Bacon O'Hanlon, W. & Wiener-Davis, M. (1989) In Search of Solutions-A New Direction in Psychotherapy, WW Norton Papp, P. (1984) The Process of Change Guilford Press Pittman, F. (1987) Turning Points: Treating Families in Transition and Crisis, WW Norton Price, Jerome (1996) Power and Compassion: Working with Difficult Adolescents and Abused Parents, Guilford Press Price, R. & Gilligan, S. (eds) (1993) Therapeutic Conversations, WW Norton Satir, V. (1972) Peoplemaking, Science and Behavior Books Satir, V. (1983) Conjoint Family Therapy, Science and Behavior Books Selvini Palazzoli, M. et al (1995) Paradox and Counter Paradox: A New Model in the Therapy of the Family in Schizophrenic Transaction, Jason Aronson Speck, R. & Attneave, C. (1973) Family Networks, Pantheon Books Visher, E. & Visher, J. (1979) Stepfamilies: A Guide to Working with Stepparents and Stepchildren, Brunner/Mazel Walters, Marianne, et.al (1992) The Invisible Web: Gender Patterns in Family Therapy, Guilford Press Watzlawick, P., et al, Change; Principals of Problem Formation and Problem Resolution. WW Norton Watlawick, P. (1993) The Situation Is Hopeless but Not Serious (The Pursuit of Unhappiness) WW Norton

Williamson, D. (1991) The Intimacy Paradox: Personal Authority in the Family System, Guilford Press Whitaker, C. (1989) Midnight Musings of a Family Therapist, WW Norton White, M. & Epston, D. (1990) Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends, WW Norton White, M. (1998) Narratives of Therapists Lives, Dulwich Centre Press