Theories of Family Systems – COUC 601

Course Description

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

This course is designed to introduce the student to the field of marriage and family counseling, with an integrated Biblical worldview. Theories of Family Systems is a required course in the licensure programs and is intended to introduce the student to the concept and philosophy of marriage and family counseling. The student will understand systems philosophy, major theoretical models, marriage and family counseling history, key theoretical figures, and cultural, ethical, and legal considerations with couples and families. Additionally, the student will be exposed to clinical topics, techniques, current trends, and future themes. The student will explore his/her family of origin in order to obtain awareness of potential areas for personal and professional growth and development. This is the first marriage and family course in the program; thus, it is designed to teach foundational materials necessary to practice marriage and family counseling as well as to pass state licensure examinations. 

Method of Instruction: This 8-week course is delivered in a digital asynchronous format, with Canvas® as the primary instructional delivery method. The student will complete one module per week over the duration of the course.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (4)

The student will complete 4 Discussions throughout this course. The student is required to create an initial thread in response to the provided prompt for each discussion. The initial thread must be at least 500 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. In addition to the initial thread, the student is required to reply to 1 classmate’s thread. The reply must be at least 400 words. The initial thread and reply must cite at least 1 source. These discussion activities are designed to allow the student to discuss, articulate, analyze, and integrate the various aspects of marriage and family counseling as well as learn how faith can be integrated within counseling. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, K)

Family Genogram Project Assignment

The student will use the GenoPro software and the McGoldrick et al. (2020) textbook to prepare a family genogram of at least 3 generations of his/her family system. The student will also write a 5-page paper in current APA format analyzing his/her genogram. (CLO: J)

Family Counseling Approach Research Paper Assignment

The student will write a research paper/formal literature review on 1 of the specific approaches to family counseling. The paper must be in current APA format and use a minimum of 12 scholarly references. The research section (Part I) of the paper must be at least 6 pages. In the personal integration section (Part II), the student will integrate his/her own faith and family counseling approach, and this section must be at least 2 pages. In the SYMBIS section (Part III), the student will integrate the family counseling approach with his/her personalized 15-page report about himself/herself within the context of a potential/current relationship through the “phantom partner” (computer generated) option; this section must be at least 2 pages. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K)

Quiz: SYMBIS Facilitator Certification Assignment

The student will complete the SYMBIS Assessment Facilitator Certification and submit proof of completion. This certification will assist the student in assessing and identifying crucial elements in counseling pre-marital and marital couples, as well as, couples in their second marriage. (CLO: B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, K)

Quizzes (4)

Each quiz will cover the Learn material for the assigned Modules: Weeks. These quizzes will require the student to synthesize, compare and contrast, and demonstrate graduate-level integration of the materials covered in the course. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, consist of 45 or 50 multiple-choice questions, and have a 1-hour and 30-minute time limit. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, I, J, K)

Quiz

This Dispositions Reflection quiz will ask the student to rate himself/herself on the nine dispositions required for this program by our accrediting bodies. The quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 9 multiple-choice and 1 essay questions, and have a 60-minute time limit.