Problem
Steve is a 50-year-old Hispanic man. He considers himself fairly religious, choosing a 5 (on a 7-point scale) when asked, "How religious would you say you are?" Jan was 40 identifies herself as Hispanic and a 6 on the religiosity scale.
They are raising two children together-a son (Jan's biological son from a previous relationship) age 7, and another son, age 5, a mutual biological child (age is at the time they started in the study). Jan reports that she considers both children their biological children, while Steve does not. Steve also reports having two other children from previous relationships with two different partners and does not talk with any of the previous partners. For Jan and Steve, their "target child" (the one that filled out the questionnaires) is their 7-year-old son. They both described him as overly active and as a child who tends to feel like he has to be perfect at least some of the time.
They both reported their relationship status as engaged to be married and indicated that they had an unstable relationship to the point they were seriously considering "divorce." In terms of relationship quality, there was domestic violence present, and yet, despite their plans to split up, they reported confidence in their ability to make their relationship work.
Steve is a security guard on the Denver light rail system and makes $1,900 per month before taxes. He expects to marry in the near future. Jan is employed for a school as a janitor making $1,560 per month after taxes. On her preassessment forms she noted that they have been engaged for a long time and still hopes to be married in the near future. (Carson, 2013)
In your response, identify two main couple therapy goals for this couple. Utilize the Frederick (2014) article to describe the telos, target, and tactics you would use to work with this couple. Additionally, include any materials from chapter 17 in Clinical Handbook of Couple Therapy that may be relevant to this case. Make sure to provide evidence for your perspective, including biblical/theological viewpoints toward developing your goals for this client couple.
Carson, D. K. (2013). Case Studies in Couples Therapy. [[VitalSource Bookshelf version]].