1. Describe how individually-focused group therapy influenced family therapy and how family therapy has morphed into a relational and systemic approach.

2. Given the commonality of blended families, how do you decide who should be included in family therapy? What ethical considerations need to be made when determining who to involve in therapy? What are some ways in which confidentiality and third-party reimbursement challenges may be navigated?

3. What are the pros and cons of insisting that the entire family attend the initial consultation? What would you do if you learned that some of the family members refused to engage in therapy stating that the presenting problem, a recent traumatic event, did not negatively impact them?

4. Create a list of suggestions for cutting down on the no-show and cancellation rates of families scheduled for therapy. Which items on your list would you be comfortable instituting and why?

5. Provide examples of how you would use a genogram and when in the course in treatment it may be most effective.

6. Each family has unique ways of interacting, many of which you, as a therapist, might find uncomfortable. What patterns of family interactions would you find most challenging and how would you appropriately manage these biases?

7. What types of client problems are best suited for structural family therapy? Explain.

8. Traditionally, fathers have been seen as disengaged and mothers enmeshed. What cultural and societal factors can you identify that challenge this traditional perception?

Each question has to be answered with 150-200 words and a cites in EACH answer.

Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, be certain to have read all the required resources for this week.

The collaborative practice of clinicians across disciplines requires a shared language, appreciation of diagnostic and therapeutic paradigms, and recognition of appropriate roles within the health care team.  This collaborative environment is at the heart of a health care system that utilizes the skills and expertise of all its team members in appropriate and extended roles. This model of care delivery is often called integrated care (IC) or collaborative care (CC). Although this model is endorsed by many professional societies and agencies, the CC/IC care delivery model can fail due to multiple factors.

In your initial post, consider the clinical partnerships that result within the CC/IC delivery model. Integrating concepts developed from different content domains in psychology, address the following questions.

• How might health care teams achieve therapeutic goals for individual clients?
• How does this support health literacy?
• What factors might lead to the failure of the CC/IC delivery model?
• How might lack of acceptance of the value or viability of the CC/IC model by stakeholders, lack of awareness of the clinical competencies of various members of the team, barriers to financial reimbursement for services, and lack of integration of support services within the practice cause a breakdown in efficacy?
• What supportive interventions within the CC/IC model address such issues?

In addition, consider how successful health care models assume an understanding of each profession’s competencies and responsibilities. For example, primary care providers (PCPs) are sometimes unaware of the abilities and practice scope of psychology professionals.

• Identify methods of targeted intervention and education for PCPs that might alleviate potential issues for the CC/IC model.
• Explain how the APA Ethical Code of Conduct can be used to guide decisions in these complex situations.
• Evaluate and comment on the potential work settings where you might find the CC/IC model. In what ways might this model provide more job satisfaction?