Interventions as a Crisis Therapist within a Couple - Essay Example

The essay aims to address a two-fold objective: (1) to expound interventions as a crisis therapist with a couple who were both married before and are now considering a divorce, and (2) to provide evidence of steps or interventions taken using peer-reviewed articles.   PSYC 317 DB3 According to Proverbs 1:8-9 “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.” At some point in a child’s development, a crucial point that needs to be decided is confronted by the growing child. This may be experienced in cases like a parent’s divorce or blending into a new family. This is called a crisis in the marital subsystem where profound interventions by a crisis therapist are needed to address the challenges associated with the impact of blended families on children. In addition, the biblical passage cited earlier encompasses the continuous role of both father and mother in a child’s life even when they seek divorce.  Several studies, particularly the work of Erik Erickson, relate the increasing rates of divorce to the parents’ lack of resolution in the developmental crises they have experienced. As a crisis therapist, interventions may vary according to the types of cohabitation. In this case, we will use the ABS Model as we have a couple who were both married before and are now considering a second divorce. Each spouse also brought in a child to the marriage and had two children together in eight years.   ABC Model A: Developing and Maintaining Rapport In developing rapport, a crisis therapist must initially know whether the family comes from a pre-divorce or post-divorce phase (Sara, 2011, 305). We have to define therapeutic contact to identify the degree of involvement, financial provisions, and access or frequency of the therapy. At first contact, the crisis therapist should ensure the confidentiality of the information and a contract for the treatment.    B: Identifying the Problem and Therapeutic Communication Once rapport has been established, it is time to identify the problem through assessments and therapeutic interviews. The assessment revealed that the couple came from failed marriages with each spouse bringing in a child to the marriage. They have two children and lived together for eight years. The man appears detached while the woman feels like a failure. According to the study of Shafer et al. (2007), remarried couples need more effort in relationships,p, and crisis therapists must take a holistic approach toward treatment because of past issues in relationships and low levels of expectations (18). When counseling, it is also essential to meet them separately to encourage the verbalization of feelings. A crisis therapist should also ask open-ended questions to collect more information about psychological status. In dealing with children, it is significant to explain to them what is happening and emphasize that the parent-children relationship continues even when the couple ends their relationship. Read More