6. Family Therapy
a) Required 3 months
b) Faculty: Susan Hill, ARNP
c) All of the classical approaches and many of the current journal articles on family and group therapy are reviewed. An 8-week course in parent training is included in the curriculum. Each resident presents a continuous case of a family and/or of an individual child over several sessions using videotapes. Special issues like cultural differences and influences are also covered during this seminar series.
d) Other disciplines may attend with permission
e) 1 hour weekly for 2 years
f) Goal and objectives: To understand the theory, research and practical application of various approaches to parent training and be familiar with multiple modalities of family therapy.
Knowledge:
- Clinical indications for family interventions.
- Parent training techniques, such as:
Behavior contingency methods, (i.e., time-out, reward/ignore) effective parental communication, problem-solving skills
- Theoretical framework underlying commonly used family therapies
Skills:
- Effectively communicate normal development expectations to a child’s primary caregiver
- Instruct a primary caregiver in behavior contingency techniques
- Monitor progress during course of training and provide supportive feedback
- Identify family dynamics and their relationship to child psychopathology
Attitudes:
- Empathy for parents raising a child with behavior problems
- An appreciation for the parental burden of childhood psychiatric disorders
- Commitment to integrating parent-level interventions into the care of childhood psychiatric disorders when clinically indicated.