Murray Bowen is one of the most respected family theorists in the field of family therapy

 

Required Readings

Walden University. (n.d.). MSW interactive home page [Multimedia]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. (Eds.). (2013). Sessions case histories. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing.
“The Petrakis Family” (pp. 20–22)

Banmen, J. (2002). The Satir model: Yesterday and today. Contemporary Family Therapy, 24(1), 7–22.

Brown, J. (1999). Bowen family systems theory and practice: Illustration and critique. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 20(2), 94–103. Retrieved from http://www.thefsi.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Bowen-Family-Systems-Theory-and-Practice_Illustration-and-Critique.pdf

Vetere, A. (2001). Structural family therapy. Child & Adolescent Mental Health, 6(3), 133–139.

Bowen Center for the Study of the Family: Georgetown Family Center. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.thebowencenter.org

Document: Group Wiki Project Guidelines (PDF)

Document: Wiki Instructions (PDF)

Required Media

Laureate Education. (Producer). (2013e). Petrakis (Episode 6) [Video file]. In Sessions. Baltimore, MD: Producer. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 2 minutes.
Accessible player –Downloads–Download Video w/CCDownload AudioDownload TranscriptCredit: Provided courtesy of the Laureate International Network of Universities.

 

 

Discussion 2: Family Theory

Murray Bowen is one of the most respected family theorists in the field of family therapy. Bowen views the family unit as complex and believes it is important to understand the interactions among the members in order to solve problems. Satir and Minuchin also advanced family therapy with their concepts and models. As a clinical social worker, using these models (along with having an ecological perspective) can be very effective in helping clients.

For this Discussion, review the “Petrakis Family” case history and video session.

By Day 4

Post (using two concepts of Bowen’s family theory) a discussion and analysis of the events that occurred after Alec moved in with his grandmother up until Helen went to the hospital. If you used the concepts of structural family therapy, how would your analysis of the situation be different? Which family theory did you find to be most helpful in your analysis? Finally, indicate whether Satir’s or Minuchin’s model is the more strength-based model. Why?