PCED 738 - Foundations in Systemic Therapy

3 Credit(s)

While models of couple and family therapy are established on the foundation of theoretical concepts that support the practice of varied clinical approaches, there are clinical practices and theoretical formulations that are common to all systemic therapies. This course highlights and defines the common practices that are foundational to systemic practice. Didactic material, tapes of therapy, and in-class exercises help explicate both the overt meaning and experiential impact of these common clinical approaches to systemic therapy. Included in the class instruction is an intensive review of how to do genograms in couple and family therapy. Distinctions between process and outcome are reviewed with an emphasis on learning process-based interventions. The role of “questions” in clinical work is practiced. The common dimensions of systemic practice are explored via the analysis of taped therapy sessions and transcripts of therapy sessions. The study of the multidimensional nature of “change” fosters the exploration of fit between the therapist and treatment approaches.