Marriage and Family Therapy Personal Essay
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Grand Canyon University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
640
Subject
Arts Humanities
Date
Feb 20, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
4
Uploaded by ChancellorIceStingray40
Marriage and Family Therapy Personal Reflection Essay
Taylor McLean
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Grand Canyon University
PCN-640: Specialization in Professional Counseling
Dr. Alice Crawford
December 13, 2023
1
Marriage and Family Therapy Personal Reflection Essay
Conceptualizing Problems and Solutions:
The question of who I am as a counselor has always been a tricky question for me to answer. In all honesty, I largely believe it is because I would consider myself as a “new” counselor and there is so much for me to learn in grow in. however, with that being said this question also made me immediately think of a quote that does a really good job in describing what I aim for when being and becoming a counselor. Lisa Olivera said, “As a therapist, I won’t: try to fix you. Give you advice. Tell you what to do. Pretend I know more about you than you do. Assume what is best for you. Have all the answers. Make the hard stuff go away. As a therapist, I will: Remind you that you aren’t broken. Give you room to access your own wisdom. Support you in figuring out what to do. Recognize that you are the expert on your own life. Remember that only you know what is best for you. Honor that I don’t know it all. Collaborate with you on how to make the hard stuff easier to sit with” (2018).
The reason this quote is important to me is because it really boils down to meeting clients
where they are at and taking a holistic view of their life experiences. People have the capacity to make positive changes in their life if they are given the opportunity to do so. I know that I cannot
solve my clients’ problems, but I know that I can be there as a support, sound board and safe place to be able to explore what they may look like for them. I have also noticed that since I have
done my EMDR training, I have looking more lens of adaptive information processing (AIP) theory. Which is a distressing incident that could be stored in state-specific form (thoughts, feelings, sensations) and is unable to connect with other memory networks that hold adaptive 2
information. So, people react inappropriately/dysfunctionally to situations because those events have not been stored appropriately and assimilated over time to adaptive networks. Reflection of Conceptualization:
When working with families and couples/marriage I believe a holistic approach is an appropriate way when working with these populations. It focuses on the entire human (family member/couple) and the life experiences of each individual in these systems as a means to assess
and treat them. In regard to meeting a client where they are at, this applies to families and marriages as you are working with an overall concern for each but within that there a different dynamics, thoughts and feelings that need to be taken into consideration as well. Some family members or people within a couple may be ready for therapy or not and being able to create a space to meet those needs is important. I also recognize that some individuals within the family or marriage may want immediate change and there could be struggles with understanding why things may not be progressing in the way they want or hope it to be. With AIP theory, using this lens to conceptualize families and marriages it can lend to how individuals within the family or marriage may be responding in ways that based on activation of maladaptive neural systems that continue to add to the distress in these systems. 3
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
References
Olivera, L. [@_lisolivera]. (2018, December 6). A therapy manifesto. [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/BrELsyKnaQT/
4