Homework
As you may recall from your theories courses earlier in your program, there are many counseling theories and perspectives upon which to base case conceptualization and treatment. You also may recall that theory integration and modification are important skills for marriage, couple, and family counselors. Your course text presents this kind of theory integration in a model called the integrative couples' model.
For this week's Homework, you apply the integrative couples model to a case study and use it to plan assessments and interventions for the couple in the case. Base your responses on the following case study:
Stella, age 34, and Dan, age 37, present for couples counseling with two primary complaints. First, the partners report that they have been fighting frequently, often several times a day, since their first child was born eight months ago. Second, both partners report that they are "very dissatisfied" with their sexual relationship. Stella reports, and Dan agrees, "We've probably had sex about three times since I first got pregnant." Both partners report that they just lack the interest and energy to be sexually intimate with each other.
Stella and Dan report that they have been married for 3 years. They both acknowledge that their sex life "wasn't great" even before Stella became pregnant, but they report that they previously were not concerned about that aspect of their relationship. However, as Dan says, "Now that we're fighting in addition to not having sex, it just seems like there's not much there for us in our relationship at all." Both partners report that they would like to see their sexual relationship, in addition to other aspects of their marriage, improve.
Task(2- to 3-page paper):
i. Explain why the integrative couples' model of sexuality counseling is an appropriate approach for the case study.
ii. Describe the assessment you would conduct based on the model, including two key components of the assessment. Explain why you would use this assessment.
iii. Finally, in light of possible information, you might gain from the assessment, describe two interventions you might use with the client based on the integrative couples' model and explain why.
Format your homework according to the following formatting requirements:
(1) The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
(2) The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the homework, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
(3) Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.
Reference
Course Text: Murray, C., Pope, A., & Willis, B. (2017). Sexuality counseling: Theory, research, and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
o Chapter 2, "Assessment in Sexuality Counseling"
o Chapter 3, "General Interventions and Theoretical Approaches to Sexuality Counseling"
o Article: Goren, E. R. (2017). A call for more talk and less abuse in the consulting room: One psychoanalyst-sex therapist's perspective. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 34(2), 215-220. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
o Article: Hendricks, C. B., Bradley, L. J., & Robertson, D. L. (2015). Implementing multicultural ethics: Issues for family counselors. The Family Journal, 23(2), 190-193. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.