Units
Introduction to Family Therapy
Unit code: PYB359
Contact hours: 3 per week
Credit points: 12
Information about fees and unit costs
Family therapy, based on a systemic or relationship understanding of human problems, has been one of the most significant influences in the fields of counselling and psychology in recent times. With the increasing emphasis on the family as a focus for social policy, support services, research, and intervention, it is important for counsellors and psychologists to have some familiarity with the basic concepts and skills of this broad approach. This unit focuses on providing basic skills and concepts from one particular approach which will be called 'Constructive Therapy', combining aspects of solution-focused therapy, possibility therapy, narrative therapy and reflecting team practice.
Availability
| Semester | Available |
|---|---|
| 2013 Semester 2 | Yes |
Sample subject outline - Semester 2 2013
Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.
Rationale
Family therapy, based on a systemic or relationship understanding of human problems, has been one of the most significant influences in the fields of counselling and psychology in recent times. With the increasing emphasis on the family as a focus for social policy, support services, research and intervention, it is important for counsellors and psychologists to have some familiarity with the basic concepts and skills of this broad approach.
This unit focuses on providing basic skills and concepts from one particular approach which will be called "Constructive Therapy", combining aspects of solution-focused therapy, possibility therapy, narrative therapy and reflecting team practice. You will also be given opportunities to contrast this approach with other major models, and to examine its uses with particular kinds of family situations.
Aims
The general aim of this unit is to introduce you to major concepts and skills in relationship counselling. The unit will focus on adapting counselling approaches taught in other units to the context of family therapy. Particular emphasis is placed on solution-oriented and narraitve therapies together with reflecting team practice. The unit aims to provide theoretical understanding of relationship perspectives, critical analysis of appraoches, and exposure to practical skills through structured exercises.
Objectives
Essential
On successful completion of this unit, you should be able to:
1. Demonstrate understanding of basic concepts from specified approaches to the field of family therapy, and their application to the analysis of family relationships, problems and change;
2. Conceptualise relationship issues and problems from the standpoint of selected models;
3. Indentify major skills of constructive therapy and reflecting team practice;
4. Demonstrate basic skills appropriate to a family interview.
Advanced
You may also attempt to:
5. Critically review and integrate relevant literature on a selected area of relationship problems;
6. Describe the approach of one alternative family therapy model to a chosen interview in terms of its conceptualisation of the problem, and its general intervention strategy.
7. Critically compare the approaches and articulate a preferred framework for the interview.
All essential objectives must be attained for a grade of 4 to be awarded. Grades of 5, 6, and 7 will be awarded where one, two or three of the advanced objectives are met.
Content
The unit will focus on:
- Overview of family therapy perspectives
- Concepts and Practices of constructive therapies
- Procedures for initial interview
- Foundational Skill Development: rapport-building, acknowledgment, problem-negotiation, goal-setting, etc
- Reflecting Team Processes
- Ethical and contextual issues in family therapy
Approaches to Teaching and Learning
Emphasis will be given to experiential learning, skill development and conceptual analysis as the major teaching approaches. In the classes, students will participate in role-plays, including an emphasis on the reflecting team process, and will also be shown appropriate videos and demonstrations.
Please Note: because of the highly participatory and experiential nature of the teaching process, attendance at classes is considered compulsory except in obvious cases of illness or emergency.
Assessment
~
Assessment name:
Examination (Theory)
Description:
Multiple Choice Exam (based on lecture material and specified readings).
Relates to objectives:
1, 2 & 3.
Weight:
50%
Internal or external:
Internal
Group or individual:
Individual
Due date:
TBA
Assessment name:
Critical Paper
Description:
Critical Paper based on role play demonstation (2500-3000 words).
Relates to objectives:
4, 5, 6 & 7.
Weight:
50%
Internal or external:
Internal
Group or individual:
Individual
Due date:
TBA
Academic Honesty
QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.
A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.
Resource materials
There is no prescribed text for this unit.
You will be given a selection of relevant articles and chapters, chosen for their particular relevance to the content of the unit.
Risk assessment statement
There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit.
Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.
Last modified: 13-Sep-2012
