Instructions – Case Study Outline
1. Read the following case study and interview questions; complete the interview with a couple.
Week 8 Case Study: Couple Interviews
Couple Interviews
Students are to conduct an interview with one couple (e.g., race/cultural difference; same sex couples; older versus younger couples; etc.). You will describe the couples’ strengths and healthy functioning patterns. Please note, this is an assessment interview, not a counseling session. The assessment interview questions below can be integrated into your Case Study outline. You may have the option to hand write, audio record by phone, or video tape this interview.(if you choose to video tape, you must have the camera on you and not the couple).
You can use this interview as a reference, to assist you in completing your assessment. You are going to use the information from the couple interview to formulate your answers for the Case study outline submission. Develop a treatment plan and interventions, and Complete the case study outline, post a 1-2 minute video on your outline. Submit your outline as an attachment. Do not post the questions/or video recording of the couple.
Your outline should present insight into couple dynamics, such as the patterns and strengths you identify within the couple. Consider asking the couple what they consider to be an important story about their relationship. What do you think this story means? You may also ask the couple to tell you how they met. Use resources from your text, videos and readings. Do not include questions in your write up. Submit your case study outline.
Potential Questions for Your Couple Interview
This is just to get you started, you can add or edit these….
1. How long were your parents married (if they were)? ________
2. Are they still Married_______ Divorced? ________
3. Did you do any pre-marital counseling? How did you prepare for marriage?
4. Do you consider marriage a lifetime commitment?
5. Please give your personal definition of “Marriage.” Who have been your role models for marriage?
6. From your viewpoint, what are the advantages or benefits of a marriage?
7. What are its disadvantages?
8. What has been your biggest surprise in being married?
9. Is your marriage different than how you imagined marriage to be?
10. What have been some of the obstacles you have had to overcome as a couple?
11. How do you tell whether a marriage is successful?
12. How has your idea of marriage changed since you were a child?
13. How has having children effected your marriage?
14. How do you navigate in-laws?
2. Complete the Case Study Outline (use pseudo-names and do not include photos).
a. Background information and Socio-cultural considerations.
b. Assessment (assessment methods must be consistent with the theory you have read for this week’s assignments, video clips or theory mentioned in the vignette).
c. Treatment plans, must list 3 treatment goals that follow logical problem solving.
d. Interventions (Interventions must be consistent from theory/ theories you are using for the case study) include collateral stakeholders as part of the interventions as needed.
e. Discuss future research that may be needed.
3. Your Case Study Outline should be attached as a Word .doc file (.doc, .docx) or PDF.
Video Link
5 Essential Moves of the EFT Tango with Dr. Sue Johnson
Book:
Goldenberg, H., & Goldenberg, I. (2013): Chapters 15 and 16Case Study Outline
1. Background information and Socio-cultural considerations.
2. Assessment (assessment methods must be consistent with the theory you have read for this week’s assignments, video clips or theory mentioned in the vignette).
3. Treatment plans, must list 3 treatment goals that follow logical problem solving.
4. Interventions (Interventions must be consistent from theory/ theories you are using for the case study) include collateral stakeholders as part of the interventions as needed.
5. Discuss future research that may be needed.
Please refer to your Case Study Rubric for your outline for your submission.
Initial Video Responses
Please be concise. Write out your case study prior, video practice on your phone, and time your response. Be sure you have good lighting and good sound for others to view your video submission.
These Video submissions must be between 1 – 2 min. maximum in length.Week 8: Overview
Psychoeducational Models, and Clinical Research
As we begin to wind down our dissection of Marriage, Couples, and Family Counseling it is important to consider the impact that Psychoeducational Models have had on the field. We will also explore research that has been conducted on family therapy outcomes. This week we will explore Psychoeducational Models as well as Research on Family Assessment and Therapeutic Outcomes. Your activities for this week will include participating in three discussion posts, as well as responding to one peer for two different questions, and completing a reflection paper. Remember to properly integrate and cite the readings in your work and include a reference list.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this week, you will:
· Articulate the goals of psychoeducational models
· Identify research methodologies used in analyzing the outcomes of marriage and family therapy
· Describe the components of evidence-based family therapy
Readings
Please read the following for this week as well as All Week 8 Online Course Materials:
· Goldenberg, H., & Goldenberg, I. (2013): Chapters 15 and 16
· Gambrel, L. E., & Butler, J. L. (2013). Mixed methods research in marriage and family therapy: A content analysis. Journal Of Marital And Family Therapy, 39(2), 163-181. doi:10.1111/j.1752-0606.2011.00260.x
Week 8: Lecture
The art of teaching skills
I am sure you have heard the expression, if you give someone a fish, you will feed that person for a day, but if you teach someone how to fish, the individual will never hunger again. This is sort of the idea with Psychoeducational Models. The goal is to educate families in the hope of helping them to cope with stressful family relationships through the use of stress management and skills-building techniques.
Psychoeducational Models have been used with families where an individual has schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Short-term psychoeducational approaches are used with issues such as pre-marital counseling, marriage enrichment, parent effectiveness, and step-parenting. In the cases just mentioned, the goal would be to help families manage everyday difficulties, or to prevent them from occurring.
Research Methods
Research on Family Assessment and Therapeutic Outcomes is a topic worthy of discussion as we notice the increasing emphasis being placed on outcomes in our work with clients. Agencies as well as insurance companies want to know that what counselors are doing in treatment is in fact working to help the client. Counselors may even want to ensure that they are using a treatment approach that has been proven to work with a particular population; therefore, providing a justification for them to use the approach with a client presenting with similar issues.
Quantitative research emphasizes data collection and statistical analysis, while qualitative research is exploratory, open-ended, and non-numerical. When you think of quantitative research, consider the MIXED METHODS RESEARCH IN MARRIAGE AND
FAMILY THERAPY: A CONTENT ANALYSIS
Laura Eubanks Gambrel and John L. Butler VI
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Considering mixed methods research is gaining reputability in the marriage and family
therapy field (Research methods in family therapy, Guilford, 2005), we conducted a
mixed methods content analysis to examine the prevalence and quality of published mixed
and multimethod research during the past 10 years in eight prominent MFT journals
(N = 32). Our purpose was to determine the characteristics of studies that utilized both
qualitative and quantitative methods, the themes of the rationales for combining methods,
and their respective topics of study. We found 16 mixed methods articles, many of which
used surveys and interviews, focused on the process of therapy, and did not discuss their
methodology as mixed. We encourage authors of mixed methods studies to explicitly
define design types, to establish a clear rationale for the combination of methods, to state
how qualitative and quantitative methods and data were mixed, and to use theory effec-
tively.
Mixed methods research is quickly gaining in popularity in the social sciences because of
its ability to explore complex and multifaceted phenomena from a variety of perspectives
(Tashakkori & Teddle, 2003). Researchers no longer need to choose between understanding
depth of human experience and generalizability, for mixed methods has the advantage of being
able to account for both narratives and standardized data. As such, mixed methods have much
to offer the marriage and family therapy (MFT) field because it excels in areas that therapists
want to understand: processes of change, evaluations of interventions, and therapeutic relation-
ships. Researchers and professionals in MFT have called for an increase in the use of mixed
methods by marriage and family therapists (Sprenkle & Piercy, 2005), yet little is known about
the scope and application of these methods. Only through understanding the current state of
mixed methods research in our field can we seek to improve upon it. A comprehensive content
analysis of the extant published literature can inform the profession about ways to improve the
uses of mixed methods research in MFT.
Sprenkle and Piercy (2005) argue that a central trend in MFT research is pluralism, espe-
cially the embracing of the benefits of both quantitative and qualitative methods. This pluralism
could improve the study of change in therapy (Sprenkle & Piercy, 2005), therefore increasing
the rigor of research within the field. By having research methods that are applicable to many
aspects of human experience and are at the same time accessible by diverse professionals, mixed
methods may help close the gap between clinicians and researchers that has grown in MFT
(Sprenkle, 2003). The possible benefits of mixed methods research are clear, but the details of
its use in family therapy research are unknown.
To pGoldenberg/Goldenberg, Family Therapy, 8th
edition © Brooks/Cole Cengage 2013 1
Psychoeducational Models:
Teaching Skills to Specific Populations
• Not necessarily theory-driven
• Aimed at how to help families maximize their
effectiveness with a specific concern, often
severe mental illness
• Schizophrenia as an example
• Role of expressed emotion (EE) in family functioning
Goldenberg/Goldenberg, Family Therapy, 8th
edition © Brooks/Cole Cengage 2013 2
Psychoeducational Models:
Teaching Skills to Specific Populations
• Works with Single Families or Multiple Family
Groups
• Medical Family Therapy
• Biopsychosocial model
• Family therapist-physician partnerships
• Family therapist-family partnerships
Goldenberg/Goldenberg, Family Therapy, 8th
edition © Brooks/Cole Cengage 2013 3
Psychoeducational Models:
Teaching Skills to Specific Populations
• Relationship Enhancement Programs
• Premarital Education Programs
• Marital Enrichment Programs (Marriage
Encounter)
• Research-based
• Stepfamily Preparation Programs
Goldenberg/Goldenberg, Family Therapy, 8th
edition © Brooks/Cole Cengage 2013 4
Research on Family Assessment and Therapeutic
Outcome
• The Need for Research in Family Therapy Training
and Practice
• Qualitative and Quantitative Methodologies
• Couple and Family Assessment
• Self-report measures
• Circumplex model
• Family environment scale
• Observational methods
• McMaster model
• Beaver’s system model
Goldenberg/Goldenberg, Family Therapy, 8th
edition © Brooks/Cole Cengage 2013 5
Research on Family Assessment and
Therapeutic Outcome
• Family Therapy Research
• Process vs. Outcome Research
• Efficacy vs. Effectiveness Research
• Common Factors
• Evidence-Based Family Therapy
Instructions – Case Study Outline
1. Read the following case study and interview questions; complete the interview with a couple.
Week 8 Case Study: Couple Interviews
Couple Interviews
Students are to conduct an interview with one couple (e.g., race/cultural difference; same sex couples; older versus younger couples; etc.). You will describe the couples’ strengths and healthy functioning patterns. Please note, this is an assessment interview, not a counseling session. The assessment interview questions below can be integrated into your Case Study outline. You may have the option to hand write, audio record by phone, or video tape this interview.(if you choose to video tape, you must have the camera on you and not the couple).
You can use this interview as a reference, to assist you in completing your assessment. You are going to use the information from the couple interview to formulate your answers for the Case study outline submission. Develop a treatment plan and interventions, and Complete the case study outline, post a 1-2 minute video on your outline. Submit your outline as an attachment. Do not post the questions/or video recording of the couple.
Your outline should present insight into couple dynamics, such as the patterns and strengths you identify within the couple. Consider asking the couple what they consider to be an important story about their relationship. What do you think this story means? You may also ask the couple to tell you how they met. Use resources from your text, videos and readings. Do not include questions in your write up. Submit your case study outline.
Potential Questions for Your Couple Interview
This is just to get you started, you can add or edit these….
1. How long were your parents married (if they were)? ________
2. Are they still Married_______ Divorced? ________
3. Did you do any pre-marital counseling? How did you prepare for marriage?
4. Do you consider marriage a lifetime commitment?
5. Please give your personal definition of “Marriage.” Who have been your role models for marriage?
6. From your viewpoint, what are the advantages or benefits of a marriage?
7. What are its disadvantages?
8. What has been your biggest surprise in being married?
9. Is your marriage different than how you imagined marriage to be?
10. What have been some of the obstacles you have had to overcome as a couple?
11. How do you tell whether a marriage is successful?
12. How has your idea of marriage changed since you were a child?
13. How has having children effected your marriage?
14. How do you navigate in-laws?
2. Complete the Case Study Outline (use pseudo-names and do not include photos).
a. Background information and Socio-cultural considerations.
b. Assessment (assessment methods must be consistent with the theory you have read for this week’s assignments, video clips or theory mentioned in the vignette).
c. Treatment plans, must list 3 treatment goals that follow logical problem solving.
d. Interventions (Interventions must be consistent from theory/ theories you are using for the case study) include collateral stakeholders as part of the interventions as needed.
e. Discuss future research that may be needed.
3. Your Case Study Outline should be attached as a Word .doc file (.doc, .docx) or PDF.
Video Link
5 Essential Moves of the EFT Tango with Dr. Sue Johnson
Book:
Goldenberg, H., & Goldenberg, I. (2013): Chapters 15 and 16Case Study Outline
1. Background information and Socio-cultural considerations.
2. Assessment (assessment methods must be consistent with the theory you have read for this week’s assignments, video clips or theory mentioned in the vignette).
3. Treatment plans, must list 3 treatment goals that follow logical problem solving.
4. Interventions (Interventions must be consistent from theory/ theories you are using for the case study) include collateral stakeholders as part of the interventions as needed.
5. Discuss future research that may be needed.
Please refer to your Case Study Rubric for your outline for your submission.
Initial Video Responses
Please be concise. Write out your case study prior, video practice on your phone, and time your response. Be sure you have good lighting and good sound for others to view your video submission.
These Video submissions must be between 1 – 2 min. maximum in length.Week 8: Overview
Psychoeducational Models, and Clinical Research
As we begin to wind down our dissection of Marriage, Couples, and Family Counseling it is important to consider the impact that Psychoeducational Models have had on the field. We will also explore research that has been conducted on family therapy outcomes. This week we will explore Psychoeducational Models as well as Research on Family Assessment and Therapeutic Outcomes. Your activities for this week will include participating in three discussion posts, as well as responding to one peer for two different questions, and completing a reflection paper. Remember to properly integrate and cite the readings in your work and include a reference list.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this week, you will:
· Articulate the goals of psychoeducational models
· Identify research methodologies used in analyzing the outcomes of marriage and family therapy
· Describe the components of evidence-based family therapy
Readings
Please read the following for this week as well as All Week 8 Online Course Materials:
· Goldenberg, H., & Goldenberg, I. (2013): Chapters 15 and 16
· Gambrel, L. E., & Butler, J. L. (2013). Mixed methods research in marriage and family therapy: A content analysis. Journal Of Marital And Family Therapy, 39(2), 163-181. doi:10.1111/j.1752-0606.2011.00260.x
Week 8: Lecture
The art of teaching skills
I am sure you have heard the expression, if you give someone a fish, you will feed that person for a day, but if you teach someone how to fish, the individual will never hunger again. This is sort of the idea with Psychoeducational Models. The goal is to educate families in the hope of helping them to cope with stressful family relationships through the use of stress management and skills-building techniques.
Psychoeducational Models have been used with families where an individual has schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Short-term psychoeducational approaches are used with issues such as pre-marital counseling, marriage enrichment, parent effectiveness, and step-parenting. In the cases just mentioned, the goal would be to help families manage everyday difficulties, or to prevent them from occurring.
Research Methods
Research on Family Assessment and Therapeutic Outcomes is a topic worthy of discussion as we notice the increasing emphasis being placed on outcomes in our work with clients. Agencies as well as insurance companies want to know that what counselors are doing in treatment is in fact working to help the client. Counselors may even want to ensure that they are using a treatment approach that has been proven to work with a particular population; therefore, providing a justification for them to use the approach with a client presenting with similar issues.
Quantitative research emphasizes data collection and statistical analysis, while qualitative research is exploratory, open-ended, and non-numerical. When you think of quantitative research, consider the MIXED METHODS RESEARCH IN MARRIAGE AND
FAMILY THERAPY: A CONTENT ANALYSIS
Laura Eubanks Gambrel and John L. Butler VI
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Considering mixed methods research is gaining reputability in the marriage and family
therapy field (Research methods in family therapy, Guilford, 2005), we conducted a
mixed methods content analysis to examine the prevalence and quality of published mixed
and multimethod research during the past 10 years in eight prominent MFT journals
(N = 32). Our purpose was to determine the characteristics of studies that utilized both
qualitative and quantitative methods, the themes of the rationales for combining methods,
and their respective topics of study. We found 16 mixed methods articles, many of which
used surveys and interviews, focused on the process of therapy, and did not discuss their
methodology as mixed. We encourage authors of mixed methods studies to explicitly
define design types, to establish a clear rationale for the combination of methods, to state
how qualitative and quantitative methods and data were mixed, and to use theory effec-
tively.
Mixed methods research is quickly gaining in popularity in the social sciences because of
its ability to explore complex and multifaceted phenomena from a variety of perspectives
(Tashakkori & Teddle, 2003). Researchers no longer need to choose between understanding
depth of human experience and generalizability, for mixed methods has the advantage of being
able to account for both narratives and standardized data. As such, mixed methods have much
to offer the marriage and family therapy (MFT) field because it excels in areas that therapists
want to understand: processes of change, evaluations of interventions, and therapeutic relation-
ships. Researchers and professionals in MFT have called for an increase in the use of mixed
methods by marriage and family therapists (Sprenkle & Piercy, 2005), yet little is known about
the scope and application of these methods. Only through understanding the current state of
mixed methods research in our field can we seek to improve upon it. A comprehensive content
analysis of the extant published literature can inform the profession about ways to improve the
uses of mixed methods research in MFT.
Sprenkle and Piercy (2005) argue that a central trend in MFT research is pluralism, espe-
cially the embracing of the benefits of both quantitative and qualitative methods. This pluralism
could improve the study of change in therapy (Sprenkle & Piercy, 2005), therefore increasing
the rigor of research within the field. By having research methods that are applicable to many
aspects of human experience and are at the same time accessible by diverse professionals, mixed
methods may help close the gap between clinicians and researchers that has grown in MFT
(Sprenkle, 2003). The possible benefits of mixed methods research are clear, but the details of
its use in family therapy research are unknown.
To pGoldenberg/Goldenberg, Family Therapy, 8th
edition © Brooks/Cole Cengage 2013 1
Psychoeducational Models:
Teaching Skills to Specific Populations
• Not necessarily theory-driven
• Aimed at how to help families maximize their
effectiveness with a specific concern, often
severe mental illness
• Schizophrenia as an example
• Role of expressed emotion (EE) in family functioning
Goldenberg/Goldenberg, Family Therapy, 8th
edition © Brooks/Cole Cengage 2013 2
Psychoeducational Models:
Teaching Skills to Specific Populations
• Works with Single Families or Multiple Family
Groups
• Medical Family Therapy
• Biopsychosocial model
• Family therapist-physician partnerships
• Family therapist-family partnerships
Goldenberg/Goldenberg, Family Therapy, 8th
edition © Brooks/Cole Cengage 2013 3
Psychoeducational Models:
Teaching Skills to Specific Populations
• Relationship Enhancement Programs
• Premarital Education Programs
• Marital Enrichment Programs (Marriage
Encounter)
• Research-based
• Stepfamily Preparation Programs
Goldenberg/Goldenberg, Family Therapy, 8th
edition © Brooks/Cole Cengage 2013 4
Research on Family Assessment and Therapeutic
Outcome
• The Need for Research in Family Therapy Training
and Practice
• Qualitative and Quantitative Methodologies
• Couple and Family Assessment
• Self-report measures
• Circumplex model
• Family environment scale
• Observational methods
• McMaster model
• Beaver’s system model
Goldenberg/Goldenberg, Family Therapy, 8th
edition © Brooks/Cole Cengage 2013 5
Research on Family Assessment and
Therapeutic Outcome
• Family Therapy Research
• Process vs. Outcome Research
• Efficacy vs. Effectiveness Research
• Common Factors
• Evidence-Based Family Therapy
Instructions – Case Study Outline
1. Read the following case study and interview questions; complete the interview with a couple.
Week 8 Case Study: Couple Interviews
Couple Interviews
Students are to conduct an interview with one couple (e.g., race/cultural difference; same sex couples; older versus younger couples; etc.). You will describe the couples’ strengths and healthy functioning patterns. Please note, this is an assessment interview, not a counseling session. The assessment interview questions below can be integrated into your Case Study outline. You may have the option to hand write, audio record by phone, or video tape this interview.(if you choose to video tape, you must have the camera on you and not the couple).
You can use this interview as a reference, to assist you in completing your assessment. You are going to use the information from the couple interview to formulate your answers for the Case study outline submission. Develop a treatment plan and interventions, and Complete the case study outline, post a 1-2 minute video on your outline. Submit your outline as an attachment. Do not post the questions/or video recording of the couple.
Your outline should present insight into couple dynamics, such as the patterns and strengths you identify within the couple. Consider asking the couple what they consider to be an important story about their relationship. What do you think this story means? You may also ask the couple to tell you how they met. Use resources from your text, videos and readings. Do not include questions in your write up. Submit your case study outline.
Potential Questions for Your Couple Interview
This is just to get you started, you can add or edit these….
1. How long were your parents married (if they were)? ________
2. Are they still Married_______ Divorced? ________
3. Did you do any pre-marital counseling? How did you prepare for marriage?
4. Do you consider marriage a lifetime commitment?
5. Please give your personal definition of “Marriage.” Who have been your role models for marriage?
6. From your viewpoint, what are the advantages or benefits of a marriage?
7. What are its disadvantages?
8. What has been your biggest surprise in being married?
9. Is your marriage different than how you imagined marriage to be?
10. What have been some of the obstacles you have had to overcome as a couple?
11. How do you tell whether a marriage is successful?
12. How has your idea of marriage changed since you were a child?
13. How has having children effected your marriage?
14. How do you navigate in-laws?
2. Complete the Case Study Outline (use pseudo-names and do not include photos).
a. Background information and Socio-cultural considerations.
b. Assessment (assessment methods must be consistent with the theory you have read for this week’s assignments, video clips or theory mentioned in the vignette).
c. Treatment plans, must list 3 treatment goals that follow logical problem solving.
d. Interventions (Interventions must be consistent from theory/ theories you are using for the case study) include collateral stakeholders as part of the interventions as needed.
e. Discuss future research that may be needed.
3. Your Case Study Outline should be attached as a Word .doc file (.doc, .docx) or PDF.
Video Link
5 Essential Moves of the EFT Tango with Dr. Sue Johnson
Book:
Goldenberg, H., & Goldenberg, I. (2013): Chapters 15 and 16Case Study Outline
1. Background information and Socio-cultural considerations.
2. Assessment (assessment methods must be consistent with the theory you have read for this week’s assignments, video clips or theory mentioned in the vignette).
3. Treatment plans, must list 3 treatment goals that follow logical problem solving.
4. Interventions (Interventions must be consistent from theory/ theories you are using for the case study) include collateral stakeholders as part of the interventions as needed.
5. Discuss future research that may be needed.
Please refer to your Case Study Rubric for your outline for your submission.
Initial Video Responses
Please be concise. Write out your case study prior, video practice on your phone, and time your response. Be sure you have good lighting and good sound for others to view your video submission.
These Video submissions must be between 1 – 2 min. maximum in length.Week 8: Overview
Psychoeducational Models, and Clinical Research
As we begin to wind down our dissection of Marriage, Couples, and Family Counseling it is important to consider the impact that Psychoeducational Models have had on the field. We will also explore research that has been conducted on family therapy outcomes. This week we will explore Psychoeducational Models as well as Research on Family Assessment and Therapeutic Outcomes. Your activities for this week will include participating in three discussion posts, as well as responding to one peer for two different questions, and completing a reflection paper. Remember to properly integrate and cite the readings in your work and include a reference list.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this week, you will:
· Articulate the goals of psychoeducational models
· Identify research methodologies used in analyzing the outcomes of marriage and family therapy
· Describe the components of evidence-based family therapy
Readings
Please read the following for this week as well as All Week 8 Online Course Materials:
· Goldenberg, H., & Goldenberg, I. (2013): Chapters 15 and 16
· Gambrel, L. E., & Butler, J. L. (2013). Mixed methods research in marriage and family therapy: A content analysis. Journal Of Marital And Family Therapy, 39(2), 163-181. doi:10.1111/j.1752-0606.2011.00260.x
Week 8: Lecture
The art of teaching skills
I am sure you have heard the expression, if you give someone a fish, you will feed that person for a day, but if you teach someone how to fish, the individual will never hunger again. This is sort of the idea with Psychoeducational Models. The goal is to educate families in the hope of helping them to cope with stressful family relationships through the use of stress management and skills-building techniques.
Psychoeducational Models have been used with families where an individual has schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Short-term psychoeducational approaches are used with issues such as pre-marital counseling, marriage enrichment, parent effectiveness, and step-parenting. In the cases just mentioned, the goal would be to help families manage everyday difficulties, or to prevent them from occurring.
Research Methods
Research on Family Assessment and Therapeutic Outcomes is a topic worthy of discussion as we notice the increasing emphasis being placed on outcomes in our work with clients. Agencies as well as insurance companies want to know that what counselors are doing in treatment is in fact working to help the client. Counselors may even want to ensure that they are using a treatment approach that has been proven to work with a particular population; therefore, providing a justification for them to use the approach with a client presenting with similar issues.
Quantitative research emphasizes data collection and statistical analysis, while qualitative research is exploratory, open-ended, and non-numerical. When you think of quantitative research, consider the MIXED METHODS RESEARCH IN MARRIAGE AND
FAMILY THERAPY: A CONTENT ANALYSIS
Laura Eubanks Gambrel and John L. Butler VI
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Considering mixed methods research is gaining reputability in the marriage and family
therapy field (Research methods in family therapy, Guilford, 2005), we conducted a
mixed methods content analysis to examine the prevalence and quality of published mixed
and multimethod research during the past 10 years in eight prominent MFT journals
(N = 32). Our purpose was to determine the characteristics of studies that utilized both
qualitative and quantitative methods, the themes of the rationales for combining methods,
and their respective topics of study. We found 16 mixed methods articles, many of which
used surveys and interviews, focused on the process of therapy, and did not discuss their
methodology as mixed. We encourage authors of mixed methods studies to explicitly
define design types, to establish a clear rationale for the combination of methods, to state
how qualitative and quantitative methods and data were mixed, and to use theory effec-
tively.
Mixed methods research is quickly gaining in popularity in the social sciences because of
its ability to explore complex and multifaceted phenomena from a variety of perspectives
(Tashakkori & Teddle, 2003). Researchers no longer need to choose between understanding
depth of human experience and generalizability, for mixed methods has the advantage of being
able to account for both narratives and standardized data. As such, mixed methods have much
to offer the marriage and family therapy (MFT) field because it excels in areas that therapists
want to understand: processes of change, evaluations of interventions, and therapeutic relation-
ships. Researchers and professionals in MFT have called for an increase in the use of mixed
methods by marriage and family therapists (Sprenkle & Piercy, 2005), yet little is known about
the scope and application of these methods. Only through understanding the current state of
mixed methods research in our field can we seek to improve upon it. A comprehensive content
analysis of the extant published literature can inform the profession about ways to improve the
uses of mixed methods research in MFT.
Sprenkle and Piercy (2005) argue that a central trend in MFT research is pluralism, espe-
cially the embracing of the benefits of both quantitative and qualitative methods. This pluralism
could improve the study of change in therapy (Sprenkle & Piercy, 2005), therefore increasing
the rigor of research within the field. By having research methods that are applicable to many
aspects of human experience and are at the same time accessible by diverse professionals, mixed
methods may help close the gap between clinicians and researchers that has grown in MFT
(Sprenkle, 2003). The possible benefits of mixed methods research are clear, but the details of
its use in family therapy research are unknown.
To pGoldenberg/Goldenberg, Family Therapy, 8th
edition © Brooks/Cole Cengage 2013 1
Psychoeducational Models:
Teaching Skills to Specific Populations
• Not necessarily theory-driven
• Aimed at how to help families maximize their
effectiveness with a specific concern, often
severe mental illness
• Schizophrenia as an example
• Role of expressed emotion (EE) in family functioning
Goldenberg/Goldenberg, Family Therapy, 8th
edition © Brooks/Cole Cengage 2013 2
Psychoeducational Models:
Teaching Skills to Specific Populations
• Works with Single Families or Multiple Family
Groups
• Medical Family Therapy
• Biopsychosocial model
• Family therapist-physician partnerships
• Family therapist-family partnerships
Goldenberg/Goldenberg, Family Therapy, 8th
edition © Brooks/Cole Cengage 2013 3
Psychoeducational Models:
Teaching Skills to Specific Populations
• Relationship Enhancement Programs
• Premarital Education Programs
• Marital Enrichment Programs (Marriage
Encounter)
• Research-based
• Stepfamily Preparation Programs
Goldenberg/Goldenberg, Family Therapy, 8th
edition © Brooks/Cole Cengage 2013 4
Research on Family Assessment and Therapeutic
Outcome
• The Need for Research in Family Therapy Training
and Practice
• Qualitative and Quantitative Methodologies
• Couple and Family Assessment
• Self-report measures
• Circumplex model
• Family environment scale
• Observational methods
• McMaster model
• Beaver’s system model
Goldenberg/Goldenberg, Family Therapy, 8th
edition © Brooks/Cole Cengage 2013 5
Research on Family Assessment and
Therapeutic Outcome
• Family Therapy Research
• Process vs. Outcome Research
• Efficacy vs. Effectiveness Research
• Common Factors
• Evidence-Based Family Therapy
Instructions – Case Study Outline
1. Read the following case study and interview questions; complete the interview with a couple.
Week 8 Case Study: Couple Interviews
Couple Interviews
Students are to conduct an interview with one couple (e.g., race/cultural difference; same sex couples; older versus younger couples; etc.). You will describe the couples’ strengths and healthy functioning patterns. Please note, this is an assessment interview, not a counseling session. The assessment interview questions below can be integrated into your Case Study outline. You may have the option to hand write, audio record by phone, or video tape this interview.(if you choose to video tape, you must have the camera on you and not the couple).
You can use this interview as a reference, to assist you in completing your assessment. You are going to use the information from the couple interview to formulate your answers for the Case study outline submission. Develop a treatment plan and interventions, and Complete the case study outline, post a 1-2 minute video on your outline. Submit your outline as an attachment. Do not post the questions/or video recording of the couple.
Your outline should present insight into couple dynamics, such as the patterns and strengths you identify within the couple. Consider asking the couple what they consider to be an important story about their relationship. What do you think this story means? You may also ask the couple to tell you how they met. Use resources from your text, videos and readings. Do not include questions in your write up. Submit your case study outline.
Potential Questions for Your Couple Interview
This is just to get you started, you can add or edit these….
1. How long were your parents married (if they were)? ________
2. Are they still Married_______ Divorced? ________
3. Did you do any pre-marital counseling? How did you prepare for marriage?
4. Do you consider marriage a lifetime commitment?
5. Please give your personal definition of “Marriage.” Who have been your role models for marriage?
6. From your viewpoint, what are the advantages or benefits of a marriage?
7. What are its disadvantages?
8. What has been your biggest surprise in being married?
9. Is your marriage different than how you imagined marriage to be?
10. What have been some of the obstacles you have had to overcome as a couple?
11. How do you tell whether a marriage is successful?
12. How has your idea of marriage changed since you were a child?
13. How has having children effected your marriage?
14. How do you navigate in-laws?
2. Complete the Case Study Outline (use pseudo-names and do not include photos).
a. Background information and Socio-cultural considerations.
b. Assessment (assessment methods must be consistent with the theory you have read for this week’s assignments, video clips or theory mentioned in the vignette).
c. Treatment plans, must list 3 treatment goals that follow logical problem solving.
d. Interventions (Interventions must be consistent from theory/ theories you are using for the case study) include collateral stakeholders as part of the interventions as needed.
e. Discuss future research that may be needed.
3. Your Case Study Outline should be attached as a Word .doc file (.doc, .docx) or PDF.
Video Link
5 Essential Moves of the EFT Tango with Dr. Sue Johnson
Book:
Goldenberg, H., & Goldenberg, I. (2013): Chapters 15 and 16Case Study Outline
1. Background information and Socio-cultural considerations.
2. Assessment (assessment methods must be consistent with the theory you have read for this week’s assignments, video clips or theory mentioned in the vignette).
3. Treatment plans, must list 3 treatment goals that follow logical problem solving.
4. Interventions (Interventions must be consistent from theory/ theories you are using for the case study) include collateral stakeholders as part of the interventions as needed.
5. Discuss future research that may be needed.
Please refer to your Case Study Rubric for your outline for your submission.
Initial Video Responses
Please be concise. Write out your case study prior, video practice on your phone, and time your response. Be sure you have good lighting and good sound for others to view your video submission.
These Video submissions must be between 1 – 2 min. maximum in length.Week 8: Overview
Psychoeducational Models, and Clinical Research
As we begin to wind down our dissection of Marriage, Couples, and Family Counseling it is important to consider the impact that Psychoeducational Models have had on the field. We will also explore research that has been conducted on family therapy outcomes. This week we will explore Psychoeducational Models as well as Research on Family Assessment and Therapeutic Outcomes. Your activities for this week will include participating in three discussion posts, as well as responding to one peer for two different questions, and completing a reflection paper. Remember to properly integrate and cite the readings in your work and include a reference list.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this week, you will:
· Articulate the goals of psychoeducational models
· Identify research methodologies used in analyzing the outcomes of marriage and family therapy
· Describe the components of evidence-based family therapy
Readings
Please read the following for this week as well as All Week 8 Online Course Materials:
· Goldenberg, H., & Goldenberg, I. (2013): Chapters 15 and 16
· Gambrel, L. E., & Butler, J. L. (2013). Mixed methods research in marriage and family therapy: A content analysis. Journal Of Marital And Family Therapy, 39(2), 163-181. doi:10.1111/j.1752-0606.2011.00260.x
Week 8: Lecture
The art of teaching skills
I am sure you have heard the expression, if you give someone a fish, you will feed that person for a day, but if you teach someone how to fish, the individual will never hunger again. This is sort of the idea with Psychoeducational Models. The goal is to educate families in the hope of helping them to cope with stressful family relationships through the use of stress management and skills-building techniques.
Psychoeducational Models have been used with families where an individual has schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Short-term psychoeducational approaches are used with issues such as pre-marital counseling, marriage enrichment, parent effectiveness, and step-parenting. In the cases just mentioned, the goal would be to help families manage everyday difficulties, or to prevent them from occurring.
Research Methods
Research on Family Assessment and Therapeutic Outcomes is a topic worthy of discussion as we notice the increasing emphasis being placed on outcomes in our work with clients. Agencies as well as insurance companies want to know that what counselors are doing in treatment is in fact working to help the client. Counselors may even want to ensure that they are using a treatment approach that has been proven to work with a particular population; therefore, providing a justification for them to use the approach with a client presenting with similar issues.
Quantitative research emphasizes data collection and statistical analysis, while qualitative research is exploratory, open-ended, and non-numerical. When you think of quantitative research, consider the MIXED METHODS RESEARCH IN MARRIAGE AND
FAMILY THERAPY: A CONTENT ANALYSIS
Laura Eubanks Gambrel and John L. Butler VI
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Considering mixed methods research is gaining reputability in the marriage and family
therapy field (Research methods in family therapy, Guilford, 2005), we conducted a
mixed methods content analysis to examine the prevalence and quality of published mixed
and multimethod research during the past 10 years in eight prominent MFT journals
(N = 32). Our purpose was to determine the characteristics of studies that utilized both
qualitative and quantitative methods, the themes of the rationales for combining methods,
and their respective topics of study. We found 16 mixed methods articles, many of which
used surveys and interviews, focused on the process of therapy, and did not discuss their
methodology as mixed. We encourage authors of mixed methods studies to explicitly
define design types, to establish a clear rationale for the combination of methods, to state
how qualitative and quantitative methods and data were mixed, and to use theory effec-
tively.
Mixed methods research is quickly gaining in popularity in the social sciences because of
its ability to explore complex and multifaceted phenomena from a variety of perspectives
(Tashakkori & Teddle, 2003). Researchers no longer need to choose between understanding
depth of human experience and generalizability, for mixed methods has the advantage of being
able to account for both narratives and standardized data. As such, mixed methods have much
to offer the marriage and family therapy (MFT) field because it excels in areas that therapists
want to understand: processes of change, evaluations of interventions, and therapeutic relation-
ships. Researchers and professionals in MFT have called for an increase in the use of mixed
methods by marriage and family therapists (Sprenkle & Piercy, 2005), yet little is known about
the scope and application of these methods. Only through understanding the current state of
mixed methods research in our field can we seek to improve upon it. A comprehensive content
analysis of the extant published literature can inform the profession about ways to improve the
uses of mixed methods research in MFT.
Sprenkle and Piercy (2005) argue that a central trend in MFT research is pluralism, espe-
cially the embracing of the benefits of both quantitative and qualitative methods. This pluralism
could improve the study of change in therapy (Sprenkle & Piercy, 2005), therefore increasing
the rigor of research within the field. By having research methods that are applicable to many
aspects of human experience and are at the same time accessible by diverse professionals, mixed
methods may help close the gap between clinicians and researchers that has grown in MFT
(Sprenkle, 2003). The possible benefits of mixed methods research are clear, but the details of
its use in family therapy research are unknown.
To pGoldenberg/Goldenberg, Family Therapy, 8th
edition © Brooks/Cole Cengage 2013 1
Psychoeducational Models:
Teaching Skills to Specific Populations
• Not necessarily theory-driven
• Aimed at how to help families maximize their
effectiveness with a specific concern, often
severe mental illness
• Schizophrenia as an example
• Role of expressed emotion (EE) in family functioning
Goldenberg/Goldenberg, Family Therapy, 8th
edition © Brooks/Cole Cengage 2013 2
Psychoeducational Models:
Teaching Skills to Specific Populations
• Works with Single Families or Multiple Family
Groups
• Medical Family Therapy
• Biopsychosocial model
• Family therapist-physician partnerships
• Family therapist-family partnerships
Goldenberg/Goldenberg, Family Therapy, 8th
edition © Brooks/Cole Cengage 2013 3
Psychoeducational Models:
Teaching Skills to Specific Populations
• Relationship Enhancement Programs
• Premarital Education Programs
• Marital Enrichment Programs (Marriage
Encounter)
• Research-based
• Stepfamily Preparation Programs
Goldenberg/Goldenberg, Family Therapy, 8th
edition © Brooks/Cole Cengage 2013 4
Research on Family Assessment and Therapeutic
Outcome
• The Need for Research in Family Therapy Training
and Practice
• Qualitative and Quantitative Methodologies
• Couple and Family Assessment
• Self-report measures
• Circumplex model
• Family environment scale
• Observational methods
• McMaster model
• Beaver’s system model
Goldenberg/Goldenberg, Family Therapy, 8th
edition © Brooks/Cole Cengage 2013 5
Research on Family Assessment and
Therapeutic Outcome
• Family Therapy Research
• Process vs. Outcome Research
• Efficacy vs. Effectiveness Research
• Common Factors
• Evidence-Based Family Therapy
