Couple and family helping professionals have varying degrees of work. What they all have in common is that their clients represent the variety of human experience. Even those helping professionals with a specific clinical focus see variety in the ways in which specific issues manifest in different relationships. Part of the goal of your program is to expose you to varying scenarios so that when you are faced with differing client situations, you will have the evidence-based research knowledge, flexibility, analytical skills, and theory-integration practice to know the best course of action to take with a particular couple or family.

For this Assignment, select and view one movie from the list provided in this week’s resources below. If you need assistance locating these movies, see this guide: Does the Walden Library have popular films or novels? Begin to conceptualize the couple’s or family’s problem through your theoretical orientation, and identify interventions that you might use. Finally, begin to locate articles in the Walden Library that could be used to justify the interventions you selected.

Gilbert, B. (Producer), & Rydell, M. (Director). (1981). On golden pond [Motion picture]. United States: IPC Films.

Demme, J., Armian, N., & Platt, M. (Producers), & Demme, J. (Director). (2008). Rachel getting married [Motion picture]. United States: Sony Pictures Classics.

Schwary, R. (Producer), & Redford, R. (Director). (1980). Ordinary people [Motion picture]. United States: Paramount Pictures.

Fischoff, R., & Jaffe, S. (Producers), & Benton, R. (Director). (1979). Kramer vs. Kramer [Motion picture]. . United States: Columbia Pictures.

Pratt, C. (Producer), & Carlino, L. J. (Director). (1979). The great Santini [Motion picture]. United States: Warner Bros. & Orion Pictures.

The Assignment (2–3 pages)

• Identify the movie you selected and the life transition and developmental issue present in the couple or family.
• Conceptualize the couple’s or family’s problem through your chosen theoretical orientation.
• Design a treatment plan including short- and long-term goals.
• Explain two evidence-based interventions you would use to address these couple’s or family’s issues and how you would use them.

Note: The interventions may not emerge from your chosen theoretical orientation.

• Justify the intervention you selected with two evidence-based research articles.

Support your Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. You are asked to provide a reference list for all resources, including those in the resources for this course.

Required Readings

Gurman, A. S., Lebow, J. L., Snyder, D. K. (2015). Clinical handbook of couple therapy. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Chapter 20, “Couple Therapy and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder”
Chapter 24, “Couple Therapy and Sexual Problems”