FTHY600 - Concepts and Models of Family and Systemic Therapy 1

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Teaching organisation

Unit rationale, description and aim

In Australia today, government funding policy is increasingly responding to research findings indicating that for a broad range of health, mental health and social problems, the most effective and enduring interventions and treatments are informed by Family and Systemic Therapy. Many funded programs now require that family engagement, support and family focused treatments are a part of the practice of social workers, psychiatrists, nurses, clinical psychologists, school counsellors, counsellors, family doctors, youth workers, pastors, paediatricians and others.

For you to practice in this area you will need an entry level knowledge of the concepts and models currently used in the field of Family and Systemic Therapy. This unit aims to facilitate you to integrate this core knowledge into your current domain of practice. To do this effectively you will need to become familiar with the practical implementations of the theoretical frameworks, recognise and then describe how these constructs can be generatively utilised and integrated into your day-to-day practice. The unit introduces you to the principles and conceptual skills involved in systemic conceptualising and formulating the problems of children, adolescents, adults, couples, families such that you can plan and deliver more effective systemic intervention in your domain of practice.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Describe and comment on theoretical frameworks of the major schools of family and systemic therapy that are relevant to your domain of practice, (GA4, GA5, GA8)

LO2 - Translate selected family and systemic therapy core concepts into your current day-to-day practice, (GA5, GA8)

LO3 - Reflect on and describe what you have learnt from the systemic group tasks and collaborative-learning processes, about yourself and your work as a practitioner. (GA4, GA5, GA7, GA10)

Graduate attributes

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA7 - work both autonomously and collaboratively 

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

GA10 - utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively.

Content

Topics will include:

• Models that focus on behaviour: Structural, Strategic and Cognitive Behavioural Family Therapy
• Models that focus on belief systems: Milan Systemic Family Therapy
• Systemic & relational models that focus on The Conversation: Solution focused, Narrative and Collaborative Language systems
• Models of intervention in families: Intake process, first session and subsequent sessions
• Interventive interviewing: Circular & reflexive questioning
• Systemic conceptualisation of the family lifecycle and transitions, and importance of couple formation in family functioning
• Systemic Conceptualisation of Trauma & Family disruption: Refugee and Indigenous experience
• Agonic and hedonic modes of family functioning as a means of reducing intense anxiety, tension and distress in traumatised relational systems
• Understanding naturalistic theories of change and change mechanisms

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit is delivered in the context of a collaborative-learning and relational system, which is congruent with the systemic concepts and models being taught and that you have committed to learning. This learning-teaching principle provides the pedagogical meta-framework which is an analogue of effective family and systemic therapy. This learning principle is implemented by your lecturers guiding you in forming a knowledge-sharing community, which actively respects and builds on your existing professional knowledge. This unit is complementary to and delivered concurrently with FTHY601 Practices and Processes of Family and Systemic Therapy 1, which together provide you with the entry level experiential learning about the systemic processes and the practices which generate change. In this relational learning context, you are introduced to the core ideas and concepts of family and systemic therapy using an intensive workshop delivery method. Each of workshop is either two or three-day in duration, with a total of 40 hours per the semester. There are about 4-5 weeks between each workshop, and in these periods you are supported to continuing the learning-conversations you begin during the intensive workshops. When you share descriptions of what you are learning from the lectures, readings and role plays, how you are thinking about these ideas and experiences, and by describing what you are noticing about your own case work, you will acquire knowledge, assimilate it and integrate it into your practice. Consequently, the theories and constructs become a leading part of an authentic learning experience and change the way you conceptualise and work with your clients and their families.

The intensive workshops include structured, lecturer led didactic presentations with interactive and reflective conversations. You have opportunities to practice basic skills in role plays, and subsequently reflect on what you have learnt, and the competencies you are developing. Case examples from your existing professional practice and how you are integrating the concepts into your practice setting, are an essential contribution to the knowledge-sharing community. Between the intensive workshops you are also expected to select and read core articles and books. 

Assessment strategy and rationale

The three assessments used in this unit are consistent with University assessment policy requirements. Together, they help you to progressively achieve the unit learning outcomes (including the specified graduate attributes), and to demonstrate that you have done so. Each assessment task is related to the next, so each helps you with the next learning step.

Two assessments are graded tasks and one is a hurdle task.

Task 1: Book review – Response to the Author 1&2, Graded

The rationale for this Review–Response task is to bridge between your existing knowledge and Family and Systemic theories and concepts. The task also deepens and consolidates both your existing and your newly acquired knowledge by your exploration of ideas that are of direct relevance for you as a professional. These two review-responses are a multi-layered reflection on and description of the experience of reading original work and engaging in a written conversation with the author.

Task 2: Seminar PowerPoint presentation, Graded

The rationale for this task is that the act of presenting and facilitating a seminar to the group, which is a relational learning-community, is an analogue for the multilayered task of conducting a session with a family. This seminar requires you to use conversational practices such as open-dialogue which allows new experiences to emerge, and builds your skill and confidence in ‘collaborative-exchange’ and ‘collaborative-knowledge leadership’ processes. The task also directly contributes to the relational system and collaborative-learning, knowledge-exchange, group cohesion. Your group also becomes familiar with your and each other’s unique interests and expertise, so that you can genuinely know and respect each other as professionals. This assessment task contributes to overall quality of the relational-learning system.

Task 3: Participation in, and reflection on role plays, Hurdle

This hurdle task involves active participation in and reflection on role plays. Role plays are a rich and multi-level experiential learning process, encapsulating the complexity of relational processes. Participation in role plays and reflections on the experience are highly impactful and memorable moments which are a necessary component of developing the required skills in real-world practice. The actual practice of specific micro-skills and reflection on the process consolidates the learning into procedural knowledge.

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Carr, A. (2012). Family Therapy: Concepts, Process and Practice, NY, Wiley-Blackwell.

Dallos, R. & Draper, R., (2010). An Introduction to Family Therapy: Systemic Theory and Practice, 3rd Edition, Berkshire, McGraw-Hill.

Fleuridas, C. et. al. (1986). The evolution of circular questions: Training family therapist, Journal of Marital and Family Therapy 12, 2: 113-127.

Frielander, M., Escudero, V. & Heatherington, L. (2006). Therapeutic Alliances in Couple and Family Therapy Washington: American Psychological Association.

Tomm, K. (1987). Interventive Interviewing I: Strategizing as a fourth guideline for the Therapist. Family Process, 26, 1: 3-14.

Tomm, K. (1987). Interventive Interviewing II: Reflexive questioning as a means to enable self-healing, Family Process, 26, 2: 167-183.

Tomm K. (1987). Interventive Interviewing III: Intending to ask lineal, circular or reflexive questions, Family Process, 27, 1: 1-27.