Topic Facilitation Summary

Hypothesizing

Hypothesizing comprises the way in which the individuals involved make sense of their experience; in other words, it encompasses what people think about what is going on and also the assumptions that they bring to the situation.
Instead of being told what to hypothesize, the beginning family therapist should learn to formulate a hypothesis and then test it through additional data gathering.

Specific Interventions

Specific strategies-behaviors such as questions and directives- should not be thought of as the sole mechanism of change. It is helpful to conceptualize the earlier sequence of the process as specific interventions to address specific issues, whereas formalized interventions represent a less strictly defined stage that might take many different creative forms as a logical extension of data gathering and hypothesizing.Simple Interventions such as questions, directives, and reframing often require minimal data gathering and hypothesizing. other interventions require more extensive data gathering and could be regarded as more elaborate directives .

Evaluation

As a process, evaluation ca be thought of as each party's response top the larger question of fit: What best fits this client? Implicit and explicit evaluations influence the therapeutic contract to clarify expectations and to develop mutually agreed-upon goals.The beginning family therapist is encouraged to seek explicit feedback from the family to avoid impasses and misuderstanding.

In-Session Stages of Family Therapy

As the trainee prepare to practice, we think it is helpful to develop a plan that provide a sense of direction. many models have their own protocols for conducting each session.This series of discussion should address the tasks of negotiating structure, exploring client experience, addressing relatipnships, and developing a shared direction.

Negotiate Structure

These discussions should highlight leadership in the family as it relates to the session. In the event that a crisis has occurred between meetings, this stage could provide an avenue to decide what from the previous meeting is or is not still relevant.

Explore Client Experience

This discussion should elecit  interactional sequences and describe the development of each person's perception of the crisis, problem, or issue over time. As therapy proceeds from session to session , systemamic themes(e.g., transitions, intergenerational process, gender, etc.) can be chosen as the focus of these exploration.

Address Relationship

As individuals' experiences form a collective picture of behaviors, perceptions, and relationships, a therapeutic dialogue should develop in which the practitioner tentatively questions or suggests new possibilities or realities based on existing information. As clients respond to these suggestions, the clinicia should explore whether that particular direction is resonating well with family members or whether addiotional reflections should be added to the dialogue.

Develop a Shared Direction

the therapist searches for language, metaphors, themes, or goals that unite family members in forward motion. Once certain interventions are introduced, questions should focus on a "meta" analysis to determine how each person feels about the process and to discuss any misgivings that arise. As a shared understanding develops about the session (metacommunication), goals or suggestions for the next session can be negotiated to address the interests of all members.

Faclitators:

Dawn Hope Holares

Cristine Joy Juayong

Kennelyn Herrera