Critical Assignment My Approach to Family Therapy The purpose of this critical a

Critical Assignment
My Approach to Family Therapy
The purpose of this critical assignment is for students to compose an essay that explains their preferred theoretical approach to family therapy based on the knowledge they have gained about various family therapy theories throughout this semester. As such, students are tasked with contemplating their personal and professional preferences about how to best theorize the family therapy process. In other words, students should think about what theories and research they encountered during this semester that were most convincing to them.
Students may choose to discuss their preferred theoretical approach based on one existing theory of family therapy or they may decide to integrate two or more existing theories together. Since integrating theories together is something that should be done with sufficient critical thinking and consideration, an article about integrative models in couples and family therapy by Smith & Southern (2005) is available in the critical assignment link for your reference.
This essay should include at least 5 peer-reviewed journal articles. Students may also cite the course textbook (or other textbooks), but those citations should be in addition to the 5 journals required. Below is a detailed outline of what should be included in the essay. For this paper, you are required to use the following headings throughout the paper. A suggested page-length for each section is also offered below:
(1/2 page) Introduction – introduce the paper and what you intend to discuss.
(1 page) Therapist-Family Relationship – discuss what your preferred approach is for the type of relationship that the counselor and family should maintain. Should it be one of close collaboration? Or should it be one where the therapist is more distant? Or somewhere in between? Please explain and give a research-based rationale for your assertions.
(1 page) How Do Families Change? – discuss your preferred approach to how families change and grow in the therapy process. What does your preferred approach suggest are some of the key components necessary for families to change? What is your rationale for why that would help families change and improve?
(1 page) Counseling Techniques – discuss 2-3 foundational techniques that you think are vital for the family therapy process. What is/are the theory(ies) behind why these techniques work in therapy? Is there research to support the effectiveness of the techniques?
(1 page) Multicultural Competence – discuss your preferred approach to having multicultural awareness and competence within the counseling process (i.e., why is it important to be aware of multicultural issues when counseling diverse populations?). Please provide research evidence for the benefits of being a multiculturally-aware therapist when it comes to therapeutic outcomes such as improvement satisfaction, and low drop-out rates.
(1 page) Faith and Personal Influence – discuss to what degree your preferred approach of family therapy is influenced by your faith beliefs and personal/cultural background. How does your faith and/or life experience impact your beliefs about family therapy effectiveness?
(1/2 page) Conclusion – include any concluding remarks necessary.
This essay should be at least 5 pages of text, plus a title page and reference page. No abstract needed. Graduate-level writing style is expected, with proper grammar, spelling, and sentence structure. This assignment should be in APA format. Please remember proper in-text citations for any information that is taken from an outside source. Students should also avoid overusing direct quotations from outside sources. Please utilize paraphrasing as a primary approach to your writing and only use direct quotes sparingly. Students are encouraged to closely review the APA publication manual prior to submission of the paper.