Analyze What You Bring To The Therapy Room

ANALYZE WHAT YOU BRING TO THE THERAPY ROOM BY NOELLA STONE CASE SCENARIO Jake is a 30-year-old straight, male, married to Kathy, with two little boys. He's been dealing with bipolar disorder and depression for years and recently has been at the peak. His job was affecting his mental health, so he quit and has been unemployed for about a year now. When he got his savings, he bought professional sound equipment to start a podcast but hasn't done it yet. Also, he bought a four-wheeler and some other big purchases. Due to COVID, they were able to stop making payments on their house, but that relief is over, and they have begun paying their mortgage, which they have had to pay with their dwindling savings. Jake also hasn't been much help with parenting the boys, so Kathy has taken on most of the parenting and housework. This has caused Jake and Kathy to have a lot of strain on their marriage. Kathy left Jake. Jake's mental health is deteriorating, she's burnt out after taking on so much, and she's worried about their finances because he hasn't been working for a year, and they have depleted their savings due to his spending habits and paying their mortgage. Since Kathy left Jake and they're getting divorced, Jake has decided to seek help to get his mental health back on track and work through the things that led to his divorce. 2 Modernism Postmodernism "Modernism is the idea that if we look hard "Many current theorists define postmodernism in a variety of ways, yet each definition highlights that all humans have a different set of lenses with which they view the world" (Glass, pg. 66, 2017) enough, there is one 'answer'" (Glass, pg. 66, 2017) • There's a chance Jake's marriage wouldn't have fallen apart if he hadn't left his job. • Kathy wouldn't have been so burned out if he'd done more around the house and helped with the kids more. • It's important to figure out what's wrong. • Kathy wouldn't have been so burned out if he'd done more around the house and helped with the kids more. • Change the way you think about divorce turning it into an actual solution instead of a last resort. DEFINITION OF SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONISM "SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONISM, AS A THEORY, SUGGESTS THAT WHAT WE CONSIDER TO BE TRUE AND REAL IS LARGELY SHAPED BY THE COMPLEX INTERACTIONS OF SOCIAL GROUPS" (POSTANOWICZ, PG. 35, 2019). • Often, mental health is overlooked because it's unseen - Jake looked healthy, so he should have been able to make his marriage work. • Divorce, in our society, is considered a bit of a failure, or a last resort if things don't work out. • Patriarchal society makes Kathy's decision to leave Jake look bad since her role as a wife is to stand by and support her husband. DEFINITION OF SYSTEMS THEORY "SYSTEMS THEORY IS THE THEORY THAT A SYSTEM IS COMPRISED OF AN ORGANIZED WHOLE OF MULTIPLE ELEMENTS THAT INCLUDE FAMILY MEMBERS, EXTERNAL FACTORS, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE ENVIRONMENT THAT OPERATES IN A HOLISTIC MANNER" (WATTERS & ADAMSON, 2022). • "Families are made up of individuals with unique interpersonal relationships, whether they're married or divorced" (Pearce, 2020). • The family system can be altered by divorce, but it's not necessarily broken (homeostasis changes) 5 • Homeostasis-This systemic concept applies to this situation because when Jake quit his job and was unemployed, the family's homeostasis abruptly changed. • FOUR EXAMPLES OF SYSTEMIC CONCEPTS Closed System-Because Jake and Kathy kept their problems to themselves, they didn't tell anyone that their marriage was struggling as much as it was. They didn't announce their divorce until their problems became too much to handle. • Equifinality-This concept could also apply to this scenario because many variables came together to cause a specific result - Kathy's decision to divorce Jakes. • Positive Feedback Loops-When Jake quit his job without any immediate plan of action and stayed unemployed for almost two years, he created a positive feedback loop in his family. LINEAR CAUSALITY "LINEAR CAUSALITY IS WHEN ONE ASPECT CAUSES ANOTHER ASPECT...SIMPLY PUT, IT IS WHEN A CAUSES B" (GLASS, PG. 51, 2017). • When Jake left his job voluntarily, he had no idea what he would do next. • In order to buy recording equipment and a new four-wheeler, Jakes depleted the family's savings. • Because Kathy did most of the parenting and household chores, she was burned out and resentful. 7 CIRCULAR CAUSALITY "CIRCULAR CAUSALITY EMBRACES THE IDEA THAT MULTIPLE FACTORS ‘CAUSE’ RESULTS" (GLASS, PG. 52, 2017). • As a result of not getting treated for his bipolar disorder and depression, Jake stopped taking his medication. • Eventually, he became suicidal because he wasn't fulfilled at his job • Due to his bipolar disorder, Jake’s manic episodes manifest themselves by making rash decisions, often with money. • As he fell deeper into unemployment, he became hopeless and depressed, so he isolated himself from his family. 8 FIRST-ORDER CHANGE TAKING ON MOST OF THE HOUSEHOLD AND PARENTING DUTIES COULD BE AN EXAMPLE OF A FIRST-ORDER CHANGE IN THIS SCENARIO. SHE DID IT TO HELP JAKE FEEL LESS OVERWHELMED, BUT IT SOON BECAME OVERWHELMING FOR KATHY AND WASN'T SUSTAINABLE FOR THEIR FAMILY SYSTEM, SO THERE WASN'T ANY PERMANENT CHANGE. 9 SECOND-ORDER CHANGE The family's decision to divorce is an example of second order change. Because of the loss of their family unit, the family system changed and developed a new homeostasis. As Kathy gained most custody of the boys and Jake moved 45 minutes away, both parents' responsibilities changed. Creates a new equilibrium. 10 SELF-OF–THE-THERAPIST The key to being a good therapist is self awareness and understanding your own internal biases, or blind spots. Not just understanding them but also addressing them so that they don't affect your work. It's possible for therapists to do more harm than good when it comes to treating patients if they can't separate themselves from their clients. Within the presented scenario, there is potential for the therapist to place all of the blame of Kathy and Jake's relationship failing on Jake alone. There is potential to maybe have a bias towards Kathy, who could easily be seen as a victim in this scenario And while a lot of that might be true, coming into a situation like this ready to place blame does not fix the issue. This could also be seen as a potential blind spot, especially if a therapist has seen similar situations like this and when it is usually the man that is to blame for many marital issues. It's important for therapists to take inventory of their privilege, and to stay neutral and not judge people. It's our job as therapists to help people solve problems and get better. It's not our job to blame Jake for everything he did in this situation. It's our job as his coach to make sure he gets through this and gets ready for the hard stuff he's going to face in the future. 11 FUTURE PLANS 1. To be a better therapist, you have to recognize and confront your biases. 2. Develop my open-mindedness and non-judgmental attitude. 3. Make sense of different issues that come up in therapy using family systems theory 4. My knowledge base is diverse, so I'm always looking for ways to make it better. 5. Continue my education to eventually become the best therapist i can. 12 CONCLUSION MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT THIS ASSIGNMENT WAS THAT I APPLIED EVERYTHING I LEARNED IN CLASS DIRECTLY TO A REAL-LIFE SCENARIO, WHICH REALLY SOLIDIFIED WHAT WE'VE LEARNED. THIS ASSIGNMENT HELPED ME INSTILL THIS INFORMATION PERMANENTLY FOR ME. I REALLY ENJOYED USING THEM TO HELP ME UNDERSTAND THIS SCENARIO. DOING THIS ASSIGNMENT HELPED ME TURN THE COURSE MATERIAL FROM AN ABSTRACT TO AN ACTUAL ONE. THIS PIECE ABOUT SELF-OF-THERAPISTS IS ALSO HELPFUL BECAUSE IT SHOWS FUTURE THERAPISTS THAT EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE DEALT WITH SOME BIASES, THEY STILL HAVE A LOT TO LEARN. ALSO, IT SHOWED HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO BE ABLE TO OVERCOME THOSE BIASES SO THAT YOU CAN BE A BETTER THERAPIST. IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE'RE NOT JUDGMENTAL, BUT JUST THERE TO HELP, NOT CAUSE MORE TROUBLE IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS. Glass, V. (2017). Building blocks to conceptualizing family: A family system’s perspective. In D. Adamson & Y. Watters (Eds.), An introduction to MFT: Systems theory and foundational models. San Diego, CA: Northcentral University. Lum, W. (2002). The use of self of the therapist. Contemporary Family Therapy, 24(1), 181-197. doi: 10.1023/A:1014385908625 REFERENCES Pearce, D. (2020, February 5). Understanding divorce’s role in family systems theory. Men’s Divorce. https://mensdivorce.com/family-systems-theory/ Postanowicz, P. (2019) An Introduction to MFT Systems Theory and Foundational Models. Watters, Y., & Adamson, D. (2022). An introduction to MFT systems theory and foundational models (1st ed.). Northcentral University