EPSY 560-1: Seminar in Couple and Family Counseling Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education Southern Illinois University Carbondale
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND CONTENT AREA
This seminar is offered concurrently with EPSY 548E: Practicum in Marital, Couple and Family Counseling. It is designed to provide a forum for the study of current clinical, theoretical and research issues in the field of couple and family counseling/therapy and to relate those issues to student practicum experiences. Prerequisites include EPSY 503: Ethical and Legal Issues in Couple and Family Counseling, EPSY 548 A/B: Counseling Practicum, and permission of the instructor. Students are to register for two consecutive semesters.
OBJECTIVES
Students who are preparing to work as marriage, couple, and family counselors are expected to possess the knowledge, skills, and practices necessary to address a wide variety of issues in the context of relationships and families. In addition to the common core curricular experiences suggested by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), programs must provide evidence that student learning has occurred that are specific to marriage, couple, and family counseling.
METHOD OF INSTRUCTION
This course is a seminar course and will be taught as such. Weekly readings will be discussed in a seminar format. Readings will be applied to the couples and families that are currently being seen in the clinical center in the students’ practicum (EPSY 548E). Students are expected to come to class having read the assigned readings, prepared to discuss readings and apply to practicum experiences, and challenge one another with thoughtful discussion.
REQUIRED
TEXTS
Gladding, S. T. (2010). Family therapy: History, theory, and practice (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Patterson, J., Williams, L., Edwards, T. M., Chamow, L., & Grauf-Grounds, C. (2009).
Essential skills in family therapy: From the first interview to termination. New York: Guilford Press.
RECOMMENDED TEXTS
*Carter, B., & McGoldrick, M (2005). The expanded family life cycle (3rd Edition).
Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
*Corcoran, K., & Fischer, J. (2000). Measures for clinical practice, Volume 1: Couples, families, and children (3rd Edition). New York: The Free Press.
*Williams, L., Edwards, T. M., Patterson, J., & Chamow, L. (2011). Essential assessment skills for couple and family therapists. New York: Guilford Press.
**Gottman, J. M. and Silver, N. (1999). The seven principles for making marriage work.
New York: Three Rivers.
**Gurman, A. S., & Jacobson, N. S. (2002). Clinical handbook of couples therapy. (3rd ed.). New York: Guilford.
Additional Readings as assigned. Students may also be required to identify topic- specific articles to supplement instructor-selected readings.
*These texts are excellent resources for couple and family counselors. They will also be helpful resources for the Case Conceptualization paper.
**These texts may be required next semester, but may be helpful resources in the meantime for work with couples in the practicum.
COUPLE AND FAMILY INTAKE TRAINING
It is expected that each student will participate in training to do Couples/Family intakes for the Clinical Center, and sign up to do at least 2 intakes during their practicum (unless the student is already working in the clinic or has sufficient intake experience).
CRISIS COUNSELING TRAINING
Crisis counseling experience can be obtained at the Clinical Center. On-call volunteers are needed for all periods the Clinical Center is open, including vacation and semester breaks. Contact Dr. Brenda Gilbert (453-2361) if you are interested.
HIPAA TRAINING
All students must have HIPAA training and complete Clinical Center orientation prior to seeing Clinical Center clients. The Clinical Center orientation is on Friday, September 2 at 3pm.
DISABILITY STATEMENT
If you have any type of special need(s) or disability for which you require accommodations to promote your learning in this class, please contact me as soon as possible. The office of Disability Support Services (DDS) offers various support services and can help you with special accommodations. You may wish to contact DDS at 453-5738 or go to Room 150 at Woody Hall to verify your eligibility and options for accommodations related to your special need(s) or disability.
PLAGIARISM STATEMENT
Submitting the work of others as your own, submitting prior work for present assignments without written permission of the instructor, plagiarism in any form, intentionally using unauthorized materials in an academic exercise, or intentionally helping another to commit an act of academic dishonesty will result in penalties ranging from a failing grade on an assignment to expulsion from the university depending on the severity of the offense. All written assignments should be in APA format with appropriate citations and reference list. Refer to SIU Student Handbook for further clarification.
Assignments
- Attendance and Participation (100 points)
Students are expected to attend and actively participate in all class activities. The attendance and participation grade includes timeliness, which means being on time to class and turning in all assignments and clinic paperwork on time. This grade also includes appropriate attention to professional behavior, such as turning off cell phones during class. Participation also includes contribution to class discussions. A discussion guide template is provided in Appendix A. Discussion guides are only required for classes 2-7 (prior to the family theories).
- Family Theory Summary Charts
(70 points)
- A theory chart template will be provided (Appendix B) for you to record the major points related to the family therapy theories covered in class. The purposes of these charts are to (a) guide your understanding, reading, and discussion of these theories, (b) create standards for comparison of the theories, and (c) develop a study guide for your future use when studying for your licensure examination.
- Each chart is worth 10 points, for a total of 70 points.
- These charts will be the foundation of in-class discussions of each theory. Therefore, each chart is due on the day we discuss that particular theory.
- If you prefer another format for outlining the information contained in the charts, you may substitute that format for the chart. However, you should
include the same information in your theory summary. (Note: These charts will be useful study guides if you plan to take the MFT licensure exam!)
- Family Therapy Case
Conceptualization Paper (100 points) – Due
- Throughout the semester, you will work on a major paper in which you apply the principals discussed in this course: theory, assessment, treatment planning, and systemic case conceptualization.
- This paper will involve the development of a family therapy case study. You will examine the family’s presenting problem from a theoretical lens, decide on an assessment protocol, create a treatment plan, describe the course of treatment, and anticipate treatment outcomes.
- I encourage you to use your own family (or some subsystem of your family) as the family in the case study. Although this is not a requirement, it is strongly recommended for students who plan to practice from a systems framework, as it presents an opportunity to begin to examine your own family system. You do not need to indicate in your paper if you used your own family as the family in the case study. If you choose to use your own family, you may examine a current issue in your family or a past experience.
d. You will submit a rough draft of your family case study on. This rough draft will consist of Section One (Description of the Family) only.
- Be creative and have fun with this assignment! This is an opportunity for you to try new things in a hypothetical situation.
f. Papers must be in APA style, typed, double-spaced, in 12 point Times New Roman font with one-inch margins. All assignments must be turned in with a title page.
- The total paper should be between 13-15 pages (not
including title page and reference list).
- Use APA-style headings throughout your paper to indicate the various
sections.
This paper will consist of the following components (with suggested lengths for each section):
- Description of family (2 pages) Describe the members of the family, a general background of their relationships, and their presenting problem. Discuss any relevant cultural, family life cycle, intergenerational, and family structural elements as they relate to the family and their presenting problem. (You may wish to refer to the Carter & McGoldrick text.)
- Theory conceptualization (2 pages). Use one family therapy theory to conceptualize the family’s situation. Describe the major principles of this theory that apply to the family’s situation. Discuss
- Use APA-style headings throughout your paper to indicate the various
sections.
This paper will consist of the following components (with suggested lengths for each section):
the advantages and limitations
of this theory for conceptualizing the family. Describe your rationale for
choosing this theory for this paper, focusing particularly on why this theory
is a good match for the family based on their stage of the family life cycle,
cultural
background, and relevant structural and intergenerational issues.
- Assessment protocol (1 page). Decide on an assessment protocol. Select TWO
assessment instruments or procedures that are consistent with your selected
theory. Discuss your rationale (including how each assessment is consistent
with your theory) for selecting each procedure. Anticipate the type of
information you expect you would obtain from these procedures. (You may use the
Corcoran & Fischer book to generate ideas for this section.)
- Treatment plan (1 page). Create a treatment plan for the family using the DO A CLIENT MAP format (Seligman) discussed in class.
- Six-session course of therapy (4-6 pages). Develop case notes that describe a six-session course of therapy with this family. Assume that you only have six sessions in which to work with the family, so include the early, middle, and late stage of treatment in this write- up. Include theoretically-consistent interventions. Imagine what would happen in your client family during the course of treatment. The interventions included in this section should be linked clearly to the specific problems identified in the Description of the Family and Theory Conceptualization sections. This section should also demonstrate evidence that students have considered treatment issues in the context of multicultural and diversity issues.
- Expected outcomes (1 paragraph). Describe the outcomes you expect to result from the course of therapy with your family. Consider which outcomes are predicted based on your chosen theory. Also, describe how you would assess these outcomes.
- Conclusion (1 page). Describe your reaction to completing this paper. Discuss what you enjoyed most and least about this assignment. In what ways, if any, has this assignment enhanced your growth as a family counselor?
- Reference List. In APA style. You should have at least 3 outside references (i.e., not required or recommended readings for the class) in your paper. These papers should reflect students’ understanding of current literature about family counseling, including theories and interventions, and scholarly literature should serve as the basis for students’ theoretical conceptualizations, treatment plans, and courses of therapy.
3. Personal Goals Presentation (30 points) – Due
At the end of each semester, each student will present on goal progress. This presentation will detail the goal(s) students have identified for themselves
during the semester, describe
progress toward goals, incorporate video tape that demonstrates progress toward
goals (“before” and “after” clips), and describe next steps” s/he plans to take
(either toward same goals, or toward new goals). Presentation quality should be
suitable for a professional meeting. The presentation must demonstrate the
students’ ability to: (a) integrate the
professional literature with work on goals, (b) present in an organized and clear fashion, (c) prepare and edit video tapes, and (d) respond to questions.
STUDENT PERFORMANCE EVALUATION CRITERIA AND PROCEDURES
Students are expected to attend and actively participate in all activities. If you are unable to attend class, please notify me as soon as possible. Course requirements for a grade of “A” include, but are not limited to, a demonstration of extensive and consistent reading that is articulated and integrated into the class discussions, assignments, and practicum work. Note: Students must successfully pass the content course (EPSY 560) to be able to receive a passing grade in the practicum course (EPSY 548E), and vice versa.
GRADING SCALE:
Attendance and Participation: 100 points
Family Theory Summary Charts: 70 points Family Therapy Case Conceptualization Paper:100 points Personal Goals Presentation: 30 points
Total 300 points
A = 270-300
B = 240-269
C = 210-239
D = 209 and below
