ESSAY: Applying Humanistic/Experiential and Emotionally-Focused Theories

Humanistic/Experiential Therapy:
https://waldenu.kanopy.com/video/satir-family-therapy

Emotionally Focused Therapy:
https://waldenu.kanopy.com/video/emotionally-focused-couples-therapy

Based on the theory demonstrated in the humanistic/experiential media resources:
• Define the problem.
• Formulate a theory-based treatment plan including short-term and long- term goals for the couple or family.
• Describe two theory-based interventions you would use and justify your selection.
• Explain one anticipated outcome of each.

Based on the theory demonstrated in the emotionally-focused media:
• Define the problem.
• Design a theory-based treatment plan including short- and long-term goals for the couple or family.
• Describe two theory-based interventions you would use and justify your selection.
• Explain one anticipated outcome of each.

ANSWER

Humanistic/Experiential Theory

The primary focus of the humanistic theories in psychotherapy is on comprehending people’s experiences and emphasizing on the person as a whole rather than their symptoms (Elliott & Greenberg, 2017). Therapists view psychological difficulties as outcomes of people’s inability to make positive, self-directed, and meaningful choices about how they lead their lives (Meneses & Scuka, 2016). The humanistic approach focuses on positive behaviors of persons as well as their positive traits and encourages them to utilize their intrinsic indicts to attain growth, fulfillment, healing, and wisdom (Elliott & Greenberg, 2017).

In the humanistic demonstration media, the therapist uses Satir’s approach to family therapy that emphasizes on self-actualization that results in lived experiences in the present (Haitoglou, 2017). John reveals that he has too much anger and wants to stop being unpleasant to others. John had admitted to the mother of his behavior and asked to see a therapist about it (McLendon, 2010). Based on Satir’s approach, the short-term goal is to create a safe environment where John can feel free to express himself. Through empathy and active listening, the second goal is to help the client to realize and acknowledge the underlying reason for his anger through the validation of emotions. Lastly, in gradual succession, help the family embrace the vulnerable characteristics with gentleness and compassion.

To fulfill these goals, using a client-based approach for both John and his mother will be crucial for emphasizing on making contact and justifying individual desires and feelings. The other intervention is to use gestalt therapy, which focuses on the “how” and “what” the family feels. The outcome of the client-centered approach is that John and his mother will express their feelings and underlying fears. Using the gestalt method will enable the family to find solutions to their problems while respecting each other’s emotions and needs (Ginger, 2018).

Emotionally Focused Theory

The emotionally-focused theory focuses on adult couple relationships and attachments (Johnson, 2019). In the presence of a therapist, couples examine patterns in their relationships and act towards creating a more secure and durable bond. This theory is good for couples dealing with anger, loss, betrayals, trust, or fear (Wiebe & Johnson, 2016). Due to the short-term nature of this approach, sessions may contain at most 12 sessions. After the sessions, the couple gradually learns to connect outside the therapy while scheduling appointments to report their advancements. In the media demonstration, Leslie and Scott are a couple who separated, because of Scott’s temper issues (Johnson, 2009). Scott had been verbally abusing Leslie and the children. On the other hand, Scott has a different opinion since he revealed that Leslie only saw him as generally “mean and nasty” (Johnson, 2009). For this couple, the short-term goal would be to teach Scott how to manage his anger using….