Discussion:
Theory Application Paper:
The theory application paper is an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to apply four different theoretical counseling approaches to a single case situation. Students should complete a term paper analyzing a case situation selecting from one of the following movies:
• Like Water for Chocolate (1992). Directed by Alfonso Arau, and starring Marco Leonardi and Lumi Cavazos. The character to focus on: Tita (Lumi Cavazos) and her relationships with her family.
• One True Thing (1998). Directed by Carl Franklin. Starring Meryl Streep, Renée Zellweger, and William Hurt. The character to focus on: Ellen Gulden (Renée Zellweger) and her relationships with her mother and father.
• The Butler (2013). Directed by Lee Daniels, and starring Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey. The character to focus on: Gloria Gaines (Oprah Winfrey) and her relationships with her husband and son (Cecil and Louis Gaines).
• The Family Stone (2005). Directed by Thomas Bezucha. Starring Diane Keaton and Craig T. Nelson. The character to focus on: Sybil Stone (Diane Keaton) and her relationships with her children incorporating her diagnosis of cancer.
• The Joy Luck Club (1993). Directed by Wayne Wang, and starring Ming-Na Lisa Lu and Rosalind Chao. The character to focus on: An-Mei Hsu (Lisa Lu) and her relationship with her daughter.
• The Story of Us (1999). Directed by Rob Reiner, and starring Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer. The characters to focus on: Ben and Katie Jordan (Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer) and their marital difficulties.
Follow the guidelines for the assignment, making sure to complete all parts. While you have not likely taken a treatment planning course yet, what are the issues you identify with these scenarios? Integrate this information into your paper and discussion along with the requirements for the paper.
1. An introduction discussing the important and key elements of the case. This should be a thorough descriptive discussion so the reader is clear on what are the issues to consider. This should be no longer than 3 pages in length.
2. The student will choose one theory from each group listed below: a. Group # 1: Psychoanalytic Therapy, Adlerian Therapy, Existential Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, or Gestalt Therapy
b. Group #2: Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy, or Reality Therapy
c. Group #3: Feminist Therapy, Social-Constructionism, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Narrative Therapy
d. Group #4: Family Systems Theory
3. For each theory selected, your paper will address the following:
a. Main Assumptions and Tenets of the Theory
b. A discussion related to how well the theory is suited to the case selected, and how well it explains the phenomena associated with the case.
c. Strengths and challenges associated with the theory.
d. Application of the theory in analyzing the phenomena associated with the case.
e. Identification of Treatment Goals & Objectives.
f. Discussion of the specific techniques used to facilitate meeting the goals and objectives.
g. Discussion of the theory that is most appropriate and/or effective for working with the case selected.
4. Papers will utilize graduate-level writing skills, grammar, free of colloquial writing, and be formatted using the most current guidelines and standards of the APA publication manual. This includes using 12 point font in New Times Roman, and double-spacing papers. It is essential you clearly label sections of your paper. Papers not doing this will receive no credit, not be evaluated, and there will be no opportunity to resubmit.
5. You will be required to seek appropriate outside resources beyond the materials used in class. Papers should utilize empirical, scholarly resources to support the original discussion of the paper - not replace it. Correct APA citation format should be used both in the body of the paper and in the references section. Unless the reference is a seminal work, all references should be no older than 5 years. Each theory will require the use of 3 journal articles (not textbooks) to support the material discussed. No more than 1/3 of the total references cited can be books. If you do the minimum in terms of journal articles per theory, then there should be 12 journal articles. This would mean up to 4 textbooks/books could be used to enhance the discussion of the theories. Again, unless a seminal work is being used, all references should be no older than 5 years (nothing older than a publication date of 2008).