Family & Therapist Dynamics

Assignment II

Analyzing Family & Therapist Dynamics

Melonie A. Grier

SSW CP 772

Clinical Practice with Families

Boston University

September 27, 2015

In the beginning of the session, Harry Aponte addressed each family member separately. He showed a genuine interest in learning about who each member was outside of the family context but still within as well as in relation to each other. He maintains eye contact with each member he addresses, while patiently waiting for the answers to his questions. He maintains a calm but engaging demeanor, smiling and laughing and smiling when appropriate. One of the first moments where he gains a laugh from the family is when he talked to Carl, Jr. about his nickname. When other people call us by our nickname, it’s usually because they are familiar with us. He was able to get a laugh not only from Carl, Jr. but from mom and dad too. One of the first things he does is address the boys’ relationship with their ”missing” parent, the mother for Carl Jr. and the father of Earl. He gages the family during the explanation as to the cause of the distant relationship. I think initially he understands the dynamics of the Taylor family. He validates the discussion by saying “I hear you” quite often. He continued to be interested in each family members perspective. When the boys talked about their “missing” parent, he joined the boys by asking how it was from their perspective. He validated each member by highlighting things in a positive perspective and asking questions where it might have been perceived negatively. When Carl, Sr. is talking about the reason that he got parking tickets, he intervened by interjecting and asking questions about the situation. When he was able to say, “The lord said no, right? ” he was able to get a laugh from the entire family but especially from Carl, Sr. who seemed the most reluctant initially.

The presenting problem is that Earl has begun to steal...