SOSV3151 Family Treatment with Children and Parents Course description

This course provides an introduction to different schools of family therapy and other useful models when working with children and parents. Reflection on ourselves as helpers in the tension that may exist between parents and children will form a core part of the course and will contribute to greater awareness of our own dilemmas in work with families. 

The student must have passed all exams in the first and second year of the programme.  

After completing the course, the student should have the following overall learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence: 

Knowledge 

The student has knowledge of 

• methods and concepts in family therapy, with a focus on children and parents 
• manual-based models that can be used in counselling with children and parents 
• developmental psychological thinking on the child-parent relationship 

Skills 

The student can 

• apply some knowledge from family therapeutic models and other similar models in conversations with children and parents 
• reflect on the fundamental dilemma of parents being both the child’s most important helpers and contributing to the development of the child’s problems 
• reflect on dilemmas related to talking to children and parents together 

General competence 

The student can 

• acquire knowledge of and skills in obtaining and using sources (basic reference and quotation techniques) 

Teaching methods vary between plenary teaching sessions and exercises and skills training in groups with and without the use of filming. 

No coursework requirements/compulsory activities. 

An individual written in-depth paper. The topic and issues are based on a case involving children and parents and must be related to theory from the syllabus. The answer paper should be 8-10 pages long. Font and font size: Calibri 12 point. Line spacing: 1.5. The approved citation style APA for assignments must be complied with. 

Students who were absent for a valid reason or who fail the exam may take a resit/rescheduled exam in the same format as the ordinary exam. If the student fails the exam, they will be given one opportunity to submit an improved version of the in-depth assignment for assessment. 

All aids are permitted, as long as the rules for source referencing are complied with.  

Grade scale A-F.  

All exam papers are assessed by one internal and one external examiner. 

Signe Vagle and Maritha Blaker