Family & Couples Dynamics I

Catalog description

This two-semester course covers the theories and practices of family therapy, theoretical formulations, techniques of a variety of family therapy models, and the integration of the expressive arts into work with families. We focus throughout the course on the impact of intersectional ADDRESSING factors (Hays, 2010) and the sociocultural context on family structure, norms, resilience, stress and functioning, as well as the interplay of these factors. We will actively engage in "decentering" dominant cis-gender and heteronormative assumptions and narratives in the MFT field in our work throughout the year. Family and Couples Dynamics I this fall focuses primarily on family therapy theories and practices. Family and Couples Dynamics II in the spring semester builds upon the foundational family therapy theories and practices explored in the fall, focusing on contemporary approaches to relational and couples therapy. RESTRICTED TO EXPRESSIVE ARTS THERAPY STUDENTS