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Audrey Sumner

Case Study 1

PSY 305- Counseling and Psychotherapy

23 November 2023
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In case study 1 we examine the Kine family, which includes the parents Gail and George, the

daughters Jessie and Jaimi and son Gary. Each family member plays a crucial role in the

dynamic structure of the family. The father, George, is the main provider and has a responsibility

to take care of his family financially. George is rarely ever around due to his job which puts a lot

of pressure on his wife Gail to maintain the family. Gail has been struggling with her use of

alcohol for quite some time, which has had a great impact on her kids and husband. The daughter

Jessie is seen by her father as the spoiled kid which has contributed to her behaviors within the

family. Jaimi, the oldest daughter, is seen by her parents as the most reliable and responsible

sibling which has put a lot of pressure on her to maintain emotional support to her siblings and

parents. Gary is seen as the troubled son, having a history of stealing, lying and dealing drugs.

He has caused major stress to his family. These roles and relationships within the family system

might provide insight on some of the present issues. Exploring these interactions can assist in

identifying the underlying issues that contribute to the family's difficulties and guiding the

therapy strategy. Given the complex situation involved, working with the Kline family requires

an organized and broad approach. “Family therapy is a type of treatment designed to help with

issues that specifically affect families' mental health and functioning. It can help individual

family members build stronger relationships, improve communication, and manage conflicts

within the family system. By improving how family members interact and relate to one another,

family therapy can foster change in close relationships” (MSEd, 2023). Based on Family System

Therapy, here is how I may address this situation. My initial assessment would be to use

strategies of communication patterns, engagement, identify power structures and roles and

expectations. In order for therapy to be beneficial, all parties involved need to be engaged,

attentive, and open to hearing opinions. Therapy is a highly vulnerable atmosphere, and it can be
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uncomfortable for individuals the first few times they go. It is critical to be open with your

therapist; otherwise, treatment may not be productive or beneficial. Though, seeing how the

father, George, speaks of his family, it may be quite difficult to build a connection with each

family member in order to increase their chances of opening up. Therapy may be extremely

useful since it provides a secure, confidential, and judgment-free environment. Having effective

communication with this family is very important because there is a lot going on and different

perspectives with everyone involved. I would assess how each family member best

communicates with each other and from there I would establish the negative and positive

patterns they have with one another. Avoiding negative communication would be ideal due to the

fact it would create harmful and uncomfortable situations within the Kline family. To have

engagement we need to break down barriers, establish trust, help clients become goal oriented,

individualize treatment plans and empower clients. With engagement I would talk to each family

member individually and understand their opinions, problems, individual relationship to each

family member, and their therapeutic expectations. I would need to understand the power

structure within this family. Each family member gets the chance to contribute their opinion,

emotions, and experiences inside the family system by including everyone involved. It is clear

that Geroge believes he is the main provider for his family as well as the most responsible, and

he blames Gail for all the family problems. The family power structure is crucial to the

functioning of family health. Power has been described as having the ability to control,

influence, or change the actions of another individual. I would then move onto exploring their

family roles, expectations they hold one another to, and the issues they feel each other are

responsible for. Family roles, whether beneficial or not, may have a major impact on each

member's ability for development, growth, and learning. Although every family has a unique
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dynamic, each role serves the same purpose, the role varies depending on the family structure.

This has the potential to have an influence on the lives of the children. My next step to help the

Kline family would be to establish what I want to get out of the initial family session. I would

make each family member set goals, inform them about psychoeducation, create family

mapping, and give feedback and validation. Setting goals for the Kline family would give

everyone realistic opportunities about what they would hope to get out of the family therapy

sessions. The purpose of the assessment process is to establish which problems or concerns the

family would like to address in therapy. During goal setting, my clients and I would establish

specific issues they want to concentrate on during the therapy session. I would then proceed to

inform the family about psychoeducation. Psychoeducation is “The basic aim is to provide the

patient and families knowledge about various facets of the illness and its treatment so that they

can work together with mental health professionals for a better overall outcome” (Sarkhel, 2020).

Psychoeducation provides knowledge on family structures and how each person's actions can

have an impact on the entire family system. With combining elements of cognitive-behavior

therapy, group therapy, and education (Sarkhel, 2020) . I would then proceed to create a family

mapping system. For reference, “Family mapping is a structure which provides the therapist and

the marital couple with information about family of origin issues which can then be used as a

therapeutic point of reference.” (Synol K. M, 1984). Some benefits to family mapping would be

to identify and comprehend patterns of behavior and family interactions. I would build a graphic

picture of the family's problems and how those problems are sustained through family dynamics

during this process. The last strategy to the initial family session would be to provide feedback

and validation. Depending on what information the Kline family gives me about their situation, I

will use that information and assess how best to give feedback and validation on specific areas of
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conversation. I will validate each family member's point of view by addressing their emotions,

concerns and anxieties. This creates a space of trust and transparency. While working with the

Kline family I do expect to run into some anticipated problems such as misplacing blame, lack of

ability to accept feedback and understanding that everyone in the family dynamic has played a

role in the situation. Because of this, I will review the problems I expect to see then provide

solutions and ways to efficiently counter the problems with the least amount of tension and angst

possible. First and foremost I expect that Geroge will try to play the blame game and make Gail

the root of the issues the family is experiencing. My strategy for this would be to shift the blame

to problem-solving collaboration. Encourage George to communicate his emotions without

blaming Gail, and analyze the influence of his work trips on family dynamics. I also expect Jaimi

and Gary to have hesitation and resistance about coming to therapy and opening up about

themselves. My solution for this is to recognize their resistance and include them in the

therapeutic process. Allow Gary to have private sessions at first if necessary, while eventually

increasing family participation. Some key family dynamics with the Kline family are power

imbalance, sibling dynamics and external issues. With power imbalance George believes he is

the responsible parent and continues to blame Gale for all the family issues. With the sibling

dynamics there are different perceptions of Jaimi and Jessie. I would address favoritism and how

it has impacted the family as well as the relationship the siblings have. Some external issues I

have observed are with George and how he externalizes family problems onto societal issues,

such as thinking his kids are spoiled. I would suggest the Kline family engages in ongoing

therapy, there we will work on communication skills, alcohol counseling and e​​mpowerment and

accountability. I believe that individual and family sessions would be very beneficial to the Kline

family, I would address private issues with each family member then collectively bring those
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issues into family sessions. I would encourage the Kline family to work on communication

patterns and how better communication would promote positive change and help conflict

resolution skills within the family. I would suggest for Gail to engage in some sort of alcohol

counseling to address and accept her drinking behavior. Recognizing her addiction with alcohol

is crucial in understanding the underlying issues within the Kline family, everyone is impacted

with having an alcoholic in the family. I would like to explore the root cause of her need for

excessive drinking behavior and from there make a positive change and introduce strategies to

help her cope without the need of alcohol. Some strategies I would offer would be some sort of

rehabilitation center, program for struggling alcoholics and support groups. Therapy, with its

supportive and nonjudgmental approach, can provide Gail with the advice and tools she needs to

overcome her addiction and restore balance within the family structure.

I would like to restore the father- daughter relationship in some ways between George and

Jessie. I believe in the Kline case it is important to have individual therapy sessions so no one

feels pressure to not say something they feel uncomfortable saying in front of their family. I

think it is important to understand the reason why Geroge feels that Jessie is spoiled and

ungrateful, there may be underlying reasons for his belief. By understanding this view, I would

investigate the circumstances that lead to it and how it affects their relationship. My state for

these two would be practicing positive communication, active listening and open dialogue.

With Gary I can recognize how his negative behaviors have taken effect on his entire family. I

would first try to find the root cause of his behaviors and have him understand that his family is

there for him and can be a positive resource to use when he feels urges to steal and deal drugs. I

would talk to him about developing some sort of coping mechanisms and gaining resilience. I

would also encourage him to engage in normal teenage activities such as sports, friends and
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hobbies he enjoys. Gary may be enabled to overcome his difficulties and establish a more

rewarding and bright future through therapeutic treatments.

In order to improve the Kline's family dynamic I would need to address George's behavior.

Recognizing his point of view on his role as a provider is critical because it impacts his

impression of his own responsibilities to family dynamics. I believe it is also necessary for

understanding his reasons for blaming Gail for everything, I would like to find the root cause of

this. I would like to encourage empathy and understanding with Geroge, to help him recognize

just how much impact he has on his family.

Finally with empowerment and accountability I would have each family member recognize what

they bring to the family and take accountability for their roles and actions to work towards a

more positive dynamic. This therapy approach recognizes that individual family members are

interconnected and that any problems within the family are the consequence of complex

dynamics and connections. My ultimate goal for the Kline family is to work toward healthier

communication patterns, more understanding, and, eventually, positive transformation by

promoting an environment of openness and collaboration.

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References

KM;, S. (n.d.). Family mapping: Toward an understanding of the interactional dynamic of

the alcoholic marital dyad. The International journal of the addictions.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6526545/

MSEd, K. C. (2023, November 15). How family therapy works. Verywell Mind.

https://www.verywellmind.com/family-therapy-definition-types-techniques-and-efficacy-5

190233#:~:text=Family%20therapy%20is%20a%20type,conflicts%20within%20the%20fa

mily%20system.

Sarkhel, S., Singh, O. P., & Arora, M. (2020, January). Clinical practice guidelines for

psychoeducation in psychiatric disorders general principles of psychoeducation. Indian

journal of psychiatry.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7001357/#:~:text=Psychoeducation%20co

mbines%20the%20elements%20of,for%20a%20better%20overall%20outcome.