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Week 9: Application of Family, Feminist, and Transpersonal Theories

Introduction

How might your theoretical approach change when clients’ presenting problems are affected by their families? How might you alter your approach if presenting problems are affected by gender stereotypes and inequalities? How should counselors incorporate factors such as spirituality into their counseling, if at all?

Now that you have had an introduction to postmodern theories of counseling and psychotherapy, you further examine their impact on the counseling process by observing theory in practice.  You also consider which theories most resonate with you and how you would imagine using them with your own future clients.

Students will:

·         Analyze theoretical approaches in counseling sessions

·         Evaluate the effectiveness of counselors’ theoretical approach

·         Analyze postmodern theories

·         Evaluate the effectiveness of post-modern theoretical approaches in working with a specific client population

Analyzing Counseling Theories

Part 1: Chart   

Part 2: Reflection

I.        Describe a specific population of clients with whom you hope to work in the future.  Explain why you have chosen this population and what you hope to accomplish with this client base. (Note this point will remain the same on future papers, if you want to keep it. Please delete.)

II.     Explain which one of the two theories in your chart would be the most effective in working with this client population and explain why.

III.   Describe at least two interventions from your chosen theory you would suggest using and how these interventions would assist this client population in reaching counseling goals.

References

Finn, A. (2011). Jungian analytical theory. In D. Capuzzi & D. Gross (Eds.). Counseling and psychotherapy: Theories and interventions. (5^th ed., pp. 77- 94). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.

Haley, M. (2011). Gestalt therapy. In D. Capuzzi & D. Gross (Eds.). Counseling and psychotherapy: Theories and interventions. (5^th ed., pp. 167- 191). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.

Johnson, A. (2011). Psychoanalytic theory.  Haley, M. (2011). Gestalt therapy. In D. Capuzzi & D. Gross (Eds.). Counseling and psychotherapy: Theories and interventions. (5^th ed., pp. 97- 76). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.

Note: Be sure to change your references to reflect those you have cited in the assignment.

Week 9 Discussion

Theory in Action: Applications of Family, Feminist, and Transpersonal Theories

A mother and father decide to bring their 10-year-old son to counseling because he has been misbehaving in school. The counselor learns that the son’s behavior started around the same time his parents began having marital problems. Although they had not told the son about their problems, the parents wonder if he has heard them arguing at night.

If you were the counselor, how would you begin to provide services to this family? Would your initial focus be on the couple, the son, or the entire family system? Some postmodern counselors view the family as a system. In this system, every individual is affected by one another, which in turn, affects the system as a whole.

A mother decides to bring her daughter into counseling after many “rebellious” episodes and verbal disagreements with her father. The mother expresses that the daughter has always been well-behaved and is not sure why she is now opposing the rules of the house. The counselor learns that the daughter is frustrated with the obedience that her father demands of her and her mother. While her brothers have much freedom, she must clean up after them and is not allowed the same privileges. 

If you were the counselor, how would you provide services to this family? Feminist family counselors seek to mitigate the inequalities felt among family members and cultural groups. In addition, they place much emphasis on the social world of the woman and the impact of sex and gender roles.

For this week’s Discussion, you consider which theoretical approach most resonates with you: family systems therapy or feminist family therapy. You then watch the media piece that translates this theory into practice. Specifically, you examine how the counselor depicted in the media used your selected theoretical approach to guide his or her interventions.

Note: When crafting your Discussion post, support your ideas by providing references to specific examples from the video presentation. In addition, cite the video frame (e.g., 8.32 minutes) that the action or intervention occurred. You do not need to summarize the demonstration itself, as your Instructor and many of your colleagues have also viewed it. Instead provide insight into the interventions used and major constructs of the theory.

Post by Day 3 a brief description of the video you selected and the theoretical approach used. Explain how this theory resonates with you. Then, describe the counselor’s specific interventions that would indicate his/her theoretical approach and explain how effectively the counselor demonstrated the approach. Finally, share one insight you gained from watching the counselor in the media. 

Due by 1/27/16@ 6pm Eastern Standard Time

Week 9 Assignment

Application: Analyzing Counseling Theories

This week concludes your side-by-side analysis of counseling theories. Download the chart template, “Analyzing Counseling Theories” from this week’s Learning Resources to complete the last piece of your integrative approach assignment.

Part 1: Chart

·         Use the chart template to analyze counseling theories.

·         Select two theories from this week’s Learning Resources.

·         Describe the background theory, human nature, major constructs, applications, and evaluations of each counseling theory.

Part 2: Reflection (1 page)

·         Describe a specific population of clients with whom you hope to work in the future.

·         Explain which of the two theories in your chart would be the most effective in working with this client population and explain why.

·         Describe the interventions you would suggest from this theory and how these interventions would assist this client population in reaching counseling goals.

Submit your assignment by 1/30/16@ 6pm Eastern Standard Time

Week 10: Integrative Approaches

Introduction

Imagine that all of the theories discussed in this course were presented to you on individual playing cards. If asked to select a card that most signifies your counseling style, which theory card would you choose? Would you be able to select just one? If the rules of the game changed, and you could select one or more cards, which would you draw then? 

As discussed throughout this course, an integrative theoretical approach can help you provide effective interventions for your clients. However, attempting to draw from too many theories—or attempting to pair theories that pose too disparate ideals—can actually hinder your progress with a client. 
This week, you consider which two theoretical approaches would be most effective in working with a specific population of clients.

Students will:

·         Evaluate theories to create integrative approaches

·         Analyze integrative interventions

Week 10 Learning Resources

This page contains the Learning Resources for this week. Be sure to scroll down the page to see all of this week's assigned Learning Resources. To access select media resources, please use the media player below.

Readings

·         Capuzzi, D., & Gross, D. R. (Ed.). (2011). Counseling and psychotherapy: Theories and interventions(5th ed.). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.

o    Chapter 16, “Integrative Approaches: Expressive Arts, Narrative, and Symbolism” (pp. 357–377)

Media

·         Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012). Building a personal theory [Video]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 6 minutes.

Accessible player 

Week 10 Discussion

Integrative Counseling Approaches

Not unlike blending two colors to make a new, unique color, it’s possible for counselors to integrate different theories to develop their own counseling approaches.

For this Discussion, you consider the compatibility of the theories you have studied thus far. In addition, you integrate two theories that might be the most compatible to facilitate growth opportunities for a specific population of patients of your choosing.

Post by Day 3 a description of two theories you might combine for the population you selected and why. Then, explain how this integrated approach may effectively meet the needs of this client population. Finally, explain one general intervention you might employ to help a client in this population progress towards his or her goals.

 Due on 2/3/16@6pm Eastern Standard Time