Family Therapy Case Study

Describe how plan is adapted to contextual factors: The family is included in all phases of treatment and the family dynamic that contributes to Tim’s current symptoms will be directly addressed in session. Family developmental stage (separation) will be considered in conceptualizing treatment plan and defining goals and interventions that are likely to be meaningful for the family. Individual sessions are offered when deemed appropriate. Child friendly language and technique will be used to engage Tim during the session. Religious faith and community will be considered as possible resources for healing.

The treatment plan for Tim and his family would be mainly focused on CBFT and Satir’s Growth Model. Tim’s presenting problems involve both

To increase the family’s motivation and commitment, a written contract spelling out goals and expectations will be signed between the therapist and the family (Gehart, 2013).

Assessment

The assessment examines individual, systemic and broader cultural dynamics (Gehart, 2013). In CBFT, the therapist focuses on Tim’s specific problematic behaviours (e.g., leaving classroom and following his mother), feelings (e.g., sad and lonely) and thoughts (e.g., I will never make any friends). Grace will be asked to monitor and track the behavioral symptoms (e.g., duration, frequency, severity) using a log. Teacher Berlinda and Tim’s counsellor will be contacted to discuss about baseline functioning.

Second, the functional analysis of Tim’s symptoms will be conducted among families by specific questions (e.g., under what circumstances is his refusal of staying in his classroom increased/decreased in intensity?), and how the symptoms are maintained (e.g., Grace giving in to Tim and physically returning Tim to his classroom may have reinforced Tim’s problematic behavior), which is similar to the systemic therapy concept of family interactions (e.g.,

Using psycho-education to normalize their experience (e.g., 1/3 families in most western families become separated, Carr, 2003). They will also be given information about the stages of transition when a family is transformed through separation: e.g., mourning the loss of an intact family, restructuring parent-child, parent-parent relationships (Carter & McGoldrick, 1989). It is important to highlight to Tim that he will not be blamed for parental divorce, nor is there anything that he can do to reunite his parents (Carr, 2003). The therapist will instil the hope by sharing that most people work through the separation stage successfully. Tim is suggested to read books, such as Dinosaur’s Divorce (Brown & Brown, 1998) and Children Are Not Divorceable (Bonkowski,