PSP305 Family treatment (Spring 2029)

The student:

Knowledge

• Has knowledge of central themes, theories and issues within systemic thinking and family therapy.
• Is familiar with key methods of intervention within family therapy (e.g., attachment-based interventions, enactment, circular questioning and hypothesis formation, narrative practices, cognitive behavioural interventions).
• Is familiar with research on family-based treatment for some specific problem areas.
• Knows the history, traditions, uniqueness and role of family therapy in the present.
• Has knowledge of the importance of cultural and language background for how family is understood, and how the family can play a role in change work.

Skills

• Can apply family therapeutic methods in practice and explain when and why they may be beneficial.
• Can apply relevant academic terms from the family therapy literature to illuminate clinical issues.
• Can update themselves independently vis-à-vis family therapy literature.

General competence

• Is familiar with which problem areas it is common to use family therapeutic forms of treatment.
• Can present key subjects and insights from the family therapy literature.
• Can reflect on and apply knowledge about family and family treatment in ways that contribute to equal accessibility of services for all citizens, including Sami patients.

The course gives an introduction to clinical psychological work with the family as a system, and an introduction to key terms and principles for understanding individuals from a systems perspective. Students will be introduced to the theory of family systems, some key models of family therapy, and learn about factors that affect family interaction in a positive and negative direction. The course also addresses how cultural background can affect the understanding and practice of being a family, and what consequences this can have for clinical understanding and therapeutic work. Special emphasis is placed on Sami culture.

The students get the opportunity to reflect on their own family history through work with a genogram, and practice different family therapeutic conversation forms in group work and role-playing.

• Lectures: Lectures focus on basic systemic understanding of the family, key family therapy traditions, as well as family work in a multicultural context. Lectures are not compulsory, but a good knowledge of the subject is considered necessary for meaningful participation in exercises in seminar groups.
• Group work: In parallel with lectures, student-active seminar groups are held where students gain practical experience in applying some of the most common family therapy techniques and frames of understanding that are reviewed in lectures. Here, students watch video recordings of experienced therapists, and practice skills in role-play.

Approved participation in compulsory lectures and seminars.

See detailed description in Canvas.

Individual submission of portefolio with case descriptions. One of the answers will be selected by the lecturer responsible for the course, for assessment.

Grades: Pass/Fail