n all likelihood, developmental and life transition issues will form the core of your work as a couple and family practitioner. These issues are those that couples and families typically encounter through common day-to-day living and may include being newly married, having a child, or sending a youngest child off into his or her own adulthood. They also may include common stressors, such as divorce, job loss, or death of a family member, just to name a few. Individuals across all cultures experience developmental and life transition issues in one way or another, and you will likely find yourself sitting across from a couple or family experiencing a similar life event to one you have encountered in your own life.
Despite the universality of many developmental and life transition issues, you should still keep in mind that there is no one way to experience a divorce, death, or job loss, nor is there one way to clinically encounter and assist a couple or family experiencing such issues. Different theoretical orientations may suggest different ways for addressing various scenarios, and you may have to modify your chosen theoretical orientation to work effectively in your professional practice.
For this Discussion, choose one life transition or developmental issue, and consider how you might modify your theoretical orientation and/or infuse interventions from other theories in order to address this issue.
By Day 3
Post a brief description of the life transition or developmental issue you selected and your chosen theoretical orientation. Then, explain how you might modify the theory-based interventions of your chosen theoretical orientation to work effectively with client(s) experiencing the issue you selected. Finally, explain the significant aspects of the life transition or developmental issue that influence how you would modify the application of your chosen theoretical orientation.
Required Readings
Gurman, A. S., Lebow, J. L., Snyder, D. K. (2015). Clinical handbook of couple therapy. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Chapter 17, “Therapy with Couples in Step Families”
Chapter 18, “Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Issues in Couple Therapy”
Chapter 19, “Couple Therapy and Intercultural Relationship”
Williams, M. (2012). Couples counseling: A step by step guide for therapists. Boston, MA: Viale Publishing.
Chapter 5, “4th Session: Couple’s Dialogue” (pp. 85–99)
Chapter 6, “5th Session: Problem Solving & Compromise” (pp. 101–126)
Chapter 9, “8th Session: Taking Responsibility” (pp. 177–190)