Your assignment must illustrate knowledge of the concepts through an original personal and/or professional integration of the text material. All assignments MUST be typed, double-spaced, in APA style, and must be written at graduate level English. The content, conciseness, and clarity of your answers will be considered in the evaluation of your work.  

You must integrate the material presented in the text in your own understanding, and cite your work according to APA format. Legal and ethical issues, and issues of culture and diversity must be addressed in context to the question presented.

Your responses should be approx. ½  page per question.

The entire assignment must be 3-4 pages total plus a title and reference page.

1.  In communications family therapy, resistance and symptoms were treated with a variety of paradoxical techniques, known as therapeutic double-binds. Define and give an illustration of a therapeutic double-bind. Why were they considered so powerful?

2.  What was the positive impact of research on family dynamics and schizophrenia? What was its negative impact?

3. Some would argue that there is a radical divergence between family systems therapies and the more traditional psychotherapeutic approaches. Others would challenge this view, arguing that there are many points of similarity and that the differences are exaggerated. Which position do you agree with and why?

4.  What is essential to accomplish in the first session in order to establish a productive therapeutic alliance with a family?

5.  Why is it important for a clinician to develop a therapeutic hypothesis, and what are some of the elements that such a formulation should include?

6.  Why is traditional couples therapy considered potentially dangerous in the treatment of cases involving marital violence?  What are some of the arguments in favor of treating violent partners together in couples therapy? 

References: 

Nichols, M.P. & Davis, S.D.   (2017).   Family Therapy: Concepts and Methods .   (11th).   New Jersey   Pearson.     ISBN 9780133826821