Brief Therapy Plan Free Essay Example

Brief Therapy PlanNameInstitutionInstructorCourseDate Brief Therapy PlanFamily therapy is a form of counseling that helps a family in improving communication which is important in resolving any conflicts in the family. This form of therapy is usually short-term due to its nature where most family members are involved in the counseling sessions (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2012). Family therapy helps a family in developing important skills that are useful in improving family connections where members are able to receive support from other family members in overcoming some of the stressful situations in life.

One of these scenarios may include a family member dealing with substance use disorder where a counselor needs to develop an effective brief therapy plan to help the family member to address this problem (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2012). PART 1Counseling Scenario for a Family Dealing With a Substance Use DisorderJohn who is the client has recently split with his partner on allegations that she is too nagging and constantly bothers him while he needs time to do some of his personal agendas.

John has also not shared this news with his family and has remained private regarding his personal matters. John has a close friend Peter whom has been involved in illegal activities constantly rubbing shoulders with the police. Although John’s parents have warned John about his interaction with Peter, he has not heeded to this instruction. Any effort of John’s family to communicate with their son about the break up has proven futile, as John has not shown any interest in sharing his private life to his family members.

On three occasions, John has been brought home drunk by his friends after being involved in drinking sprees which John is not remorseful. On several occasions, he has also not slept at home claiming he slept at his friend’s house. John also complains about the rules put in place regarding socializing with his friends as well as bringing his friends at home. These rules are attributed to some incidences of theft in the house that have become more rampant. Other family members are now afraid of John, as he rapidly gets angry. John who had a good relationship with his father and his siblings is always absent during house meetings. He has a bad relationship with his small brother who does not like his new behavior as he claims that John has turned hostile to him. However, Victoria who is John’s sister loves his brother and continues to tolerate him regardless of his changed ways. She takes care of his brother by ensuring that he is able to find food in the house as well as washing clothes for him. John has also been heard saying that he sees no reason to live, as he is so unhappy with his life. With his parents not sure on what action to take regarding their son, they have made a decision to seek counseling services from their family therapist. PART 2The Therapy Model You Will Implement with the Family and Rationale for the Selected ModelThe most effective therapy model to implement is the solution-focused therapy which seeks to help clients with substance abuse disorders such as John to address any underlying problems that could have contributed to such problems (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2012). This model provides the client with an opportunity to reveal the root cause of his problems, where the counselor is able to implement effective solutions to help John reduce his substance abuse and his socialization with wrong people (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2012). This therapy is important as it will also help John rediscover his abilities which will be useful in helping the client to overcome these problems. This therapy is the most effective since it provides the client with an opportunity to participate in the counseling process where effective solutions can be developed (Zhang, Franklin, Currin-McCulloch, Park, & Kim, 2018). This is because the client is able to provide detailed information related to his/her problems where the counselor can implement effective interventions to address the problems. In this type of counseling, the counselor collaborates with the client instead of providing what actions need to be taken (Zhang et al., 2018). This approach engages the client during the counseling process where the counselor observes the client as he/she provides different responses to the counseling questions. This approach is based on the fact that clients have knowledge on what solutions may be effective in addressing some of their concerns (Zhang et al., 2018). This is because clients are able to understand their problems better than any other person close to them. This therapy model will be the best and most effective counseling model to be implemented in John’s family as it is one of the counseling theories which may help save the client from negative effects associated with substance use disorders (Zhang et al., 2018). Two To Four Initial Counseling Goals That You Hope To Achieve Using This ModelThere are different counseling goals that a counselor may achieve using this model which include promoting decision-making by allowing the client to participate in the decision-making process which will lead to the development of effective interventions (Seber, 2013). This model puts more focus on the client as he is able to better understand his/her problems as well as what effective solutions may be implemented to address the problems. The counselor can collaborate with the client in exploring a range of options where the most effective option is selected after a consideration of factors that may influence the treatment process (Seber, 2013). The second counseling goal involves helping the client in addressing the underlying problems that have led to the current crisis. These may include his break up with his girlfriend as well as bad company that may have contributed to the current crisis. These problems are the main reason why the client/family has sought counseling services which should direct the counseling process (Seber, 2013). The third counseling goal that can be achieved using this model is improving communication between family members. This will in return improve relationships between different family members that have been negatively impacted by these problems. This will enable the client to receive adequate support from other family members since this model focuses on the family unit in helping a client to address some of the underlying problems (Seber, 2013). The client has had strained relationships with his brother and his parents which need to be addressed. The last counseling goal that can be achieved using this counseling model is behavior change which will help the client live a more productive life as well as prevent any negative effects due to his involvement in certain behaviors (Seber, 2013). Planned Frequency and Duration of CounselingThe frequency and duration of counseling is based on different factors that may influence counselors in making these decisions. Since this scenario involves family therapy, it is important to involve the members in the decision-making process where they are able to provide their views on the counseling process (Dameron, 2016). Family members may have diverse jobs making time a main issue in the counseling process. This means that counselors can develop 30 minutes counseling sessions which will enable the family members to return to their jobs. These sessions can be spread in a week to allow family members to implement the developed interventions (Dameron, 2016). This may be two sessions in a week where the counselor reviews the progress of any implemented interventions on the second session. This will also help the family save some of the resources required during the counseling process. The total sessions may be between six and eight sessions depending on the progress of the client in addressing his problems as well as the support from the family in helping the client to overcome these challenges (Dameron, 2016). A Description of Three Counseling Activities, Exercises, or Homework Assignments That You Will Use (One in the Initial Session, One in a Subsequent Session, and One at Termination) That Are Consistent With The Model You Have SelectedSince the solution-focused brief therapy focuses on the family setting, any counseling activities should involve each family member. Some of the activities that a family can perform together at the initial session include asking questions which can be used to check their communication level as well as provoke thinking and discussions on some of the pressing concerns (Pakrosnis & Cepukiene, 2015). The counselor may guide these discussions in the aim of developing solutions to some of the problems affecting the family. The counselor can ask questions in helping a client to recognize some of the issues caused by his behavior. The second session can involve participating in activities that are aimed at improving communication between family members as well as help the client to improve some of his skills (Pakrosnis & Cepukiene, 2015). One activity that can be incorporated in this session involves using art therapy which can help the client to identify what is happening in his life and what he can do to make things better (Lutz, 2014). Clients may be asked to draw or write about their current life status and what they would like to change. It is important for the client to provide as many details as possible about his life and any issues surrounding his life that will help the client in identifying some of the goals that he needs to achieve (Lutz, 2014). One technique that can be used at termination of the counseling process is presupposing change which helps clients to recognize and be attentive to positive changes no matter how insignificant they may seem. This will enable clients to identify any small steps of progress where clients are able to celebrate their accomplishments and achievements during the counseling process (Lutz, 2014). ReferencesCenter for Substance Abuse Treatment (U.S.). (2012). Brief interventions and brief therapies for substance abuse. Rockville, Md.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.Dameron, M. L. (2016). Person-Centered Counseling and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy: An Integrative Model for School Counselors. Journal of School Counseling, 14(10).Lutz, A. B. (2014). Learning solution-focused therapy: An illustrated guide. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing, a division of American Psychiatric Association.Pakrosnis, R., & Cepukiene, V. (2015). Solution-focused self-help for improving university students’ well-being. Innovations in Education & Teaching International, 52(4), 437″447.Seber, G. A. F. (2013). Counseling issues: A handbook for counselors and psychotherapists. New Zealand: Xlibris.Zhang, A., Franklin, C., Currin-McCulloch, J., Park, S., & Kim, J. (2018). The effectiveness of strength-based, solution-focused brief therapy in medical settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 41(2), 139″151.

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