FSOS4111: Introduction to Family Therapy

This course is designed to introduce students to the discipline of couple/marriage and family therapy (CMFT). Specifically, the course invites students to reflect on mental, emotional, and behavioral problems using a relational/systemic perspective. Students who successfully complete the course should be well-versed in the basics of both the foundational and contemporary theories of the discipline. Further, students will be exposed to several clinical case scenarios that demonstrate the application of the theories in pre-recorded family therapy sessions and some from the instructor's own clinical work. Through class assignments and discussions, students will be able to make a more informed decision as to whether family therapy is a field that holds potential for them in their own professional pursuits. Family systems theory will be the overarching theory that guides of the discussions in this class. Because the various models of family therapy vary from one another, there will be times when we will have lecture-heavy sessions. Efforts will be made to have the class engage in small group discussions where appropriate. As this is an exploration of the foundational theories of family therapy, many of which were developed in the early 1970s, efforts will be made to supplement our conversations with additional readings on how to make culturally appropriate adaptations to these models. Questions and suggestions pertaining to cultural context and the application of these models with diverse populations will be welcomed during this course. We will have the opportunity to hear from Couple and Family Therapists (MFTs) from diverse backgrounds who practice through the lens of some of the models we will be exploring in this course.

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