Part of the process, of developing into an effective therapist, is the ability to reflect upon your personal experiences in life, who you are as an individual, and how your experiences impact your ability to develop a therapeutic relationship. The theorist, Virginia Satir, was a strong advocate for developing clinicians to take time to work through their unfinished business, in order to be present and emotionally healthy. Being able to self reflect is pertinent to the therapeutic profession. The purpose of this journal entry is to reflect upon yourself as an individual and future group facilitator.
Every family experiences challenges in either the nuclear or extended family. Think of a particular family challenge you have experienced. Based on the knowledge you have gained between Weeks 3-6 select one of the theories from your readings to address your family challenge using the outline provided below. The theory you select for this journal entry cannot be Bowen or the one you will use for your final theory presentation due Week 7.
Provide an overview of the issue (which member of the family was involved, where did the challenge originate from (is this a generational issue), etc).
How did the issue impact your family structure?
How did the issue impact you?
Discuss which specific interventions you would use from the theory to treat the challenge.
Examples of challenges include but are not limited to:
Disruption in communication
Death of a family member
Divorce
Substance use
Health of a family member
Marriage
Life cycle changes
Other challenges