table of contentsdaybreak.education/kor/file/daybreak_university... · course title: mft/irt 6010...

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Table of Contents

1. STUDENT LEARNING FOCUSES ON THE INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL ................3

1.1 Direct Measures ................................................................................................................ 3

1.1.1 Institutional Effectiveness Rates.............................................................................. 3

1.2 Indirect Measures .............................................................................................................. 6

1.2.1 Student Satisfaction Survey Results ....................................................................... 6

2. STUDENT LEARNING FOCUSES ON THE PROGRAM LEVEL ......................... 10

2.1 Direct Measures .............................................................................................................. 10

2.1.1. Program Review Report ........................................................................................ 10

2.2 Indirect Measures ............................................................................................................ 10

2.2.1 Alumni Survey Results........................................................................................... 10

3. STUDENT LEARNING FOCUSES ON THE COURSE LEVEL ............................. 11

3.1 Direct Measures .............................................................................................................. 11

3.1.1 Class Average Comparisons .................................................................................. 11

3.1.2 Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) Evidence Collection .................................. 24

3.2 Indirect Measures ............................................................................................................ 49

3.2.1 Student Evaluation of Course Instruction Results ................................................ 49

3.2.2 Peer Review of Teaching ....................................................................................... 52

3

1. STUDENT LEARNING FOCUSES ON THE INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL

1.1 Direct Measures

1.1.1 Institutional Effectiveness Rates

INSTITUTION

2018

Fall

2019

Winter

2019

Spring

2019

Summer

2019

Fall

Student Enrollment

(taken at Fall enrollment,

Registrar, IEP Annual

Report

HC: Head Count)

21 HC 28 HC 45 HC 33 HC 58 HC

Retention Rates

(student enrollment within

the degree program)

N/A N/A N/A N/A 85.71%

Course Completion Rates

(within 100% and 150% of

degree program length)

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Graduation Rates



N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Job Placement Rates

(upon graduation and within

one year of graduation)

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

State Licensing

Examinations



N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

4

MASTER OF ARTS IN COUNSELING (MAC) PROGRAM

2018

Fall

2019

Winter

2019

Spring

2019

Summer

2019

Fall

Student Enrollment


Registrar, IEP Annual

Report

HC: Head Count)

21 HC 24 HC 35 HC 24 HC 43 HC

Retention Rates

(student enrollment within

the degree program)

N/A N/A N/A N/A 80.95%




N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Graduation Rates



N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Job Placement Rates

(upon graduation and

within one year of

graduation)

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

State Licensing

Examinations

(upon graduation and

within one year of

graduation)

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

5

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PH.D.) IN COUNSELING PROGRAM

2019

Winter

2019

Spring

2019

Summer

2019

Fall

Student Enrollment


Registrar, IEP Annual Report

HC: Head Count)

4 HC 10 HC 9 HC 15 HC

Retention Rates

(student enrollment within the

degree program)

N/A N/A N/A 100%




N/A N/A N/A N/A

Graduation Rates



N/A N/A N/A N/A

Job Placement Rates



N/A N/A N/A N/A

State Licensing

Examinations



N/A N/A N/A N/A

6

1.2 Indirect Measures

1.2.1 Student Satisfaction Survey Results

MASTER OF ARTS IN COUNSELING (MAC) PROGRAM

8

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PH.D.) IN COUNSELING PROGRAM

10

2. STUDENT LEARNING FOCUSES ON THE PROGRAM LEVEL

2.1 Direct Measures

2.1.1 Program Review Report

For details, contact the assessment office.


2.2.1 Alumni Survey Results

Not applicable because none of alumni exists at this point.

11

3. STUDENT LEARNING FOCUSES ON THE COURSE LEVEL

3.1 Direct Measures

3.1.1 Class Average Comparisons

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (SLOS) EVIDENCE COLLECTION

Term: Spring, 2019

Course Title: MFT/IRT 7000 Counseling and Psychotherapeutic Theories and

Techniques: IPCST

Instructor’s Name: Dr. Jea Eun Oh

Class Average Comparisons

MFT/IRT 7000

Counseling and

Psychotherapeutic

Theories and

Techniques: IPCST

Term # of

Students Outliers

Midterm

Exam,

Project or

Paper

Final Exam,

Project or

Paper

Class average Fall 2018 19 0 29/30 38/40

Class average Spring 2019 19 0 31/35 32/35

Comments

The student learning outcomes from the two classes were satisfactory with the high-grade

points of the students.

This course is a mandated course and it covers introductory concepts of therapy. So it is ideal

to offer this course to first year students.

12


Term: Winter, 2019

Course Title: MFT/IRT 6040 Group Process and Techniques in Family

Counseling



MFT/IRT 6040

Group Process and

Techniques in

Family Counseling

Term # of

Students Outliers

Midterm

Exam, Project

or Paper

Final Exam,

Project or

Paper

Class average Winter 2019 24 0 28/30 28/30

Comments

The student learning outcomes were achieved with outstanding grade points from the students.

The course involves a combination of didactic and experiential activities including lectures,

dialogues, role-play, and participation in a group. It is recommended to offer this course in

every Summer term which provides various course formats including the face-to-face

intensive class and hybrid class.

13


Term: Spring, 2019

Course Title: MFT/IRT 6050: Clinical Research and Evaluation

Instructor’s Name: Dr. Hye Jin Kim


MFT/IRT 6050:

Clinical Research

and Evaluation Term

# of

Students Outliers

Midterm

Exam, Project

or Paper

Final Exam,

Project or

Paper

Class average Spring 2019 34

3

(2 Fs, 1

IC)

29/30 26/30

Comments

Overall, the student learning outcomes were satisfactory with high grades from the students.

However, two students received F grades and one student received an incomplete (IC) grade.

The three students seemed outliers because they reported personal reasons for the low grade

and IC.

This course provides the overview of the research process and methods. It is recommended to

offer this course at least every year.

14


Term: Spring, 2019

Course Title: MFT/IRT 6060: Psychopathology: Principles of the Diagnostic

Process Instructor’s Name: Dr. Blendine Hawkins


MFT/IRT 6060:

Psychopathology:

Principles of the

Diagnostic Process

Term # of

Students Outliers

Midterm

Exam,

Project or

Paper

Final Exam,

Project or

Paper

Class average Spring 2019 34 5

(IC) 18/20 26/30

Comments

Overall, the students learning outcomes for this course were satisfactory. Yet five students

received Incomplete grades. Even though they stated that it is due to their personal reasons, it

is important to review the course requirements including the final-term assignment. The five

students attained required attendance points but they did not turn in their final-term

assignment.

15


Term: Spring, 2019

Course Title: MFT/IRT 6600: Law, Professional Ethics, and Community

Practice

Instructor’s Name: Dr. Lorna Hecker


MFT/IRT 6600: Law,

Professional Ethics,

and Community

Practice

Term # of

Students Outliers

Midterm

Exam, Project

or Paper

Final Exam,

Project or

Paper


Comments

The instructor received the highest point of course evaluation from students. The students also

received high grades and completed all requirements for this course.

It is suggested to review the course design and the instructor’s teaching methods. The result

could help instructors when developing their own course.

16


Term: Summer, 2019

Course Title: MFT/IRT 9000: Research Methods I

Instructor’s Name: Dr. Hye Jin Kim


MFT/IRT 9000:

Research Methods I Term

# of

Students Outliers

Midterm

Exam, Project

or Paper

Final Exam,

Project or

Paper


Class average Summer

2019 25 0 19/20 27/30

Comments

The student learning outcomes from the two classes were outstanding with the high-grade

points from the students. There was no outlier from these two classes.

This course could be developed as an asynchronous online course since the course contents are

straightforward and it has less discussion components.

17


Term: Summer, 2019

Course Title: MFT/IRT 6300: Diversity and Multicultural Counseling

Instructor’s Name: Dr. Anne Prouty


MFT/IRT 6300:

Diversity and

Multicultural

Counseling

Term # of

Students Outliers

Midterm

Exam,

Project or

Paper

Final Exam,

Project or

Paper

Class average Winter 2019 31 0 27/30 28/30

Comments

The student learning outcomes were outstanding with all students’ A grades for this course.

The course is well fit with synchronous online or face-to-face class format. The course

includes a lot of discussion and activities among students.


18

Term: Fall, 2019

Course Title: MFT/IRT 6010 Foundations of Marriage and Family Therapy

Instructor’s Name: Dr. Jeong Hwa Yoon


MFT/IRT 6010

Foundations of

Marriage and Family

Therapy

Term # of

Students Outliers

Midterm

Exam, Project

or Paper

Final Exam,

Project or

Paper


Class average Fall 2019 22 1

33/35

(1 IC)

33/35

Comments

This course is offered every year. The student learning outcomes from the two classes were

satisfactory with the high-grade points of the students. There was one student who had an

Incomplete (IC) grade due to her personal reason.

This course is recommended to have a format of having both online video lectures and Zoom

live discussion with an instructor.


19

Term: Fall, 2019

Course Title: MFT/IRT 6020 Advanced Marriage and Family Therapy

Instructor’s Name: Dr. Meryl Ko


MFT/IRT 6020

Advanced Marriage

and Family Therapy

Term # of

Students Outliers

Midterm

Exam, Project

or Paper

Final Exam,

Project or

Paper


Comments

All students achieved A grade. The class learning outcomes of this course were fulfilled based

on the grade and course evaluation.

This course could be designed as both online and offline courses.

20


Term: Fall, 2019

Course Title: MFT/IRT 7900 Practicum in Marriage and Family Therapy

Instructor’s Name: Dr. Jeong Hwa Yoon


MFT/IRT 7900

Practicum in

Marriage and Family

Therapy

Term # of

Students Outliers

Midterm

Exam, Project

or Paper

Final Exam,

Project or

Paper


Class average Spring 2019 17 1

28/30

(1 IC)

39/40


2019 26 0 28/30 37/40


Comments

This course has been offered to students every term. There is a trend that the enrollment number for

this class has been increased. The course continuously achieved outstanding class learning outcomes over the four terms. The one student having the Incomplete (IC) grade has been taking a maternity

leave since Spring term, 2019.

21


Term: Fall, 2019

Course Title: MFT/IRT 9100 Research Methods II

Instructor’s Name: Dr. Meryl Ko & Dr. Sangil Lee


MFT/IRT 9100

Research Methods II Term

# of

Students Outliers

Midterm

Exam, Project

or Paper

Final Exam,

Project or

Paper


2019 8 0 31/35

34/35

Class average Fall 2019 29 3

28/30

(3 IC)

27/30

Comments

Overall, the two class learning outcomes were satisfactory with high grades. Compared to zero Incomplete (IC) students in Summer 2019, there were three Incomplete students in the Fall 2019.

It is recommended to design this class as a quantitative research method class instead of having both quantitative and qualitative. It is because the learning materials to be covered for the quantitative

research method learning is large, so it is recommended to use the whole 10 weeks.

Consequently, one course for qualitative research methods is necessary.

22


Term: Fall, 2019

Course Title: MFT/IRT 9400 Inner Child Therapy



MFT/IRT 9400

Inner Child Therapy Term

# of

Students Outliers

Midterm

Exam, Project

or Paper

Final Exam,

Project or

Paper


Comments

This course is an elective course and yet students showed a high interest in taking this course.

The class learning outcomes were satisfactory with high grades from the students.

It would be recommended that this course is offered every two years.

23


Term: Fall, 2019

Course Title: MFT/IRT 9500 Research Colloquium

Instructor’s Name: Dr. Meryl Ko


MFT/IRT 9500

Research Colloquium Term

# of

Students Outliers

Midterm

Exam, Project

or Paper

Final Exam,

Project or

Paper


Comments

The class learning outcomes are satisfactory with A or higher grades from the students.

The course could be offered with three different formats: Face-to-face, distance learning, and

hybrid formats.

24

3.1.2 Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) Evidence Collection


- SAMPLES: MFT/IRT 6020 ADVANCED MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY

SAMPLE 1

Mid-Term Grading Rubric:

Bowen Family Systems Theory and Contextual Family Therapy Application

[30pts] (PLO2, CLO1)

Student Name: Estelle Namibian Bailey

Students will write a 4-5 page paper analyzing their families of origin from two transgenerational

family therapy perspectives. The paper should be written in accordance with the APA manual

guidelines including 12 pt. font, standard margins, double-spaced, with references properly cited.

The paper should include following:

Contents Points

(30)

Your

points

1 An appendix with a three-generation genogram of your family of

origin. The genogram should include all relevant information such as names, age, birth/death dates, relational patterns, and abuse history.

You may want to communicate with your parent, grandparent,

sibling, or other relative to gather information for the genogram.

5 4

2 Identify at least three concepts from Bowen Family Systems

Theory and Contextual Family Therapy, which were significant

for you. Then, describe how these concepts were/are shown in

your family.

10 10

3 Discuss how the concept/experience might influence you and your

couple and/or family relationships (at least one page).

10 10

4 A 5-6 page paper with the APA manual guidelines/ 12 pt. font/

double-spaced/ reference

5 5

Total You made a great effort to make the genogram even though you

cannot access to many information from your parents.

30 29

25

Assignment: Genogram

Estelle Bailey

Transgenerational family therapies

Transgenerational or intergenerational family therapies typically attend to dynamics across more

than two generations. Although other family therapies, such as structural or strategic, may attend

to dynamics across two generations (e.g., parent-child) in the present, transgenerational therapies

are more interested in how the past affects the present. These therapies are not interested in

learning about individual pathology. Rather, they are interested in how families, across

generations, develop patterns of behaving and responding to stress in ways that prevent healthy

development in their members and lead to predictable problems. Individuals and families can

develop new ways of interacting that do not include symptoms by understanding how certain

patterns develop and changing the way they resolve past issues and interact in their families.

Several key figures are identified with transgenerational family therapies. Murray Bowen

(Bowen family systems theory) and Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy (contextual family therapy)—or

Nagy (pronounced "najh"), as he is often referred to—are probably the most noted theoretical

writers. However, Bowen was the first to realize that the history of our family creates a template

which shapes the values, thoughts, and experiences of each generation, as well as how that

generation passes down these things to the next generation. Bowen's theory focuses on the

balance of two forces (Geldard, K. & Geldard, D., 2009). The first is togetherness and the second

is individuality. Too much togetherness creates fusion and prevents individuality, or developing

one's own sense of self. Too much individuality results in a distant and estranged family. Central

to this theory are the following concepts:

26

Differentiation of self

This concept relates to the ability to separate the individual’s feelings and thoughts, in other

words, their intellect from their emotions so that they are able to respond in a reasoned way

without automatically responding in an emotionally reactive way. Undifferentiated people cannot

separate feelings and thoughts; when asked to think, they are flooded with feelings, and have

difficulty thinking logically and basing their responses on that. Further, they have difficulty

separating their own from other's feelings; they look to family to define how they think about

issues, feel about people, and interpret their experiences. Differentiation is the process of freeing

yourself from your family's processes to define yourself. This means being able to have different

opinions and values than your family members, but being able to stay emotionally connected to

them. It means being able to calmly reflect on a conflicted interaction afterward, realizing your

own role in it, and then choosing a different response for the future.

As I have mentioned before, both my brothers are mentally challenged and my youngest brother

is especially low functioning. He was also diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 18. They

were aged 23 and 22 when our mother died who cared for both of them. Neither one is

differentiated or capable of consistently coherent thoughts and their own interpretations of their

worlds.

Triangles

Dyads are inherently unstable, as two people will vacillate between closeness and distance.

Anxiety can easily develop within intimate relationships. When two people are in such as

27

situation of distressed or feeling intense emotions, they may recruit a third person into the

relationship, thereby reducing their anxiety and gaining stability in the relationship. This is called

triangulation. An example would be the couple who has an argument, and afterward, one of the

partners calls their parent or best friend to talk about the fight. The third person helps them

reduce their anxiety and take action, or calm their strong emotions and reflect, or bolster their

beliefs and make a decision. People who are more undifferentiated are likely to triangulate others

and be triangulated. People who are differentiated cope well with life and relationship stress, and

thus are less likely to triangulate others or be triangulated.

My parents had a lot of strife and bickering in their relationship. My mom came from a wealthy

family who had high expectation for themselves and their children. She was the youngest of three

children and the only one who was not educated after school. My dad was from a poor farming

family who did not place a lot of emphasis on education either. He was the youngest of 10

children and his two older sisters took care of him while growing up. (His mother died shortly

after he was born). My mom’s family never accepted my dad into their circles and as a result we

kept mostly to ourselves. I never knew my grandparents on my dad’s side and also not many of

the uncles from that side of the family. I guess my mother felt isolated and lonely in the

relationship with my father because they were from such different backgrounds as well as the

fact that there was little support from her family. She confided in my at times because I asked her

what was going on but never disclosed any detail of her inner struggles. She ended up depressed

and died young as a result of cancer. My father got involved with another lady shortly after my

mother’s death and they remained together for the last 20 years of their lives. I was never closed

to him.

28

The Nuclear Family Emotional Processes

These are the emotional patterns in a family that continue over the generations. If we take a

mother who lived through The Great Depression, and taught her daughter to always prepare for

the worst case scenario and be happy simply if things are not that bad. The daughter thinks her

mother is wise, and so adopts this way of thinking. She grows up, has a son, and without

realizing it, models this way of thinking. He may follow or reject it, and whether he has a happy

or distressed relationship may depend on the kind of partner he finds. Parent passes on an

emotional view of the world (the emotional process), which is taught each generation from

parent to child, the smallest possible "unit" of family (the nuclear unit). Reactions to this process

can range from open conflict, to physical or emotional problems in one family member, to

reactive distancing.

The Family Projection Process

This is an extension of The Nuclear Family Emotional Process in many ways. The family

member who "has" the "problem" is triangulated and serves to stabilize a dyad in the family

(Geldard, K. & Geldard, D., 2009). Thus, the son who rejects his mother's pessimistic view may

find his mother and sister become closer, as they agree that he is immature and irresponsible. The

more they share this view with him, the more it makes him feel excluded and shapes how he sees

himself. He may act in accord with this view and behave more and more irresponsibly. He may

reject it, constantly trying to "prove" himself to be mature and responsible, but failing to gain his

family's approval because they do not attribute his successes to his own abilities ("He was

so lucky that his company had a job opening when he applied..." or "It's a good thing the loan

29

officer felt sorry for him because he couldn't have managed it without that loan..."). He might

turn to substance abuse as he becomes more and more irresponsible, or as he struggles with

never meeting his family's expectations.

The family member who serves as the "screen" upon which the family "projects" this story will

have great trouble differentiating. It will be hard for the son to hold his own opinions and values,

maintain his emotional strength, and make his own choices freely despite the family's view of

him.

Emotional Cut-off

This refers to an extreme response to The Family Projection Process. This entails a complete or

almost-complete separation from the family. The person will have little, if any, contact, and may

look and feel completely independent from the family. However, people who cut off their family

are more likely to repeat the emotional and behavioural patterns they were taught. In some cases,

they model the same values and coping patterns in their adult family that they were taught in

their childhood family without realizing it. They do not have another internal model for how

families live, and so it is very hard to "do something different." Thus, some parents from

emotionally constrained families may resent how they were raised, but they do not know how to

be "emotionally free" and raise a family as they believe other families would. In other cases, they

consciously attempt to be very different as parents and partners; however, they fail to realize the

adaptive characteristics of their family and role models, as well as the compensatory roles played

in a complex family. Thus, some parents from emotionally constrained childhood families might

discover ways to be "emotionally unrestrained" in their adult families, but may not recognize

30

some of the problems associated with being so emotionally unrestrained, or the benefits of being

emotionally constrained in some cases. Because of this, Bowen believed that people tend to seek

out partners who are at about the same level of individuation (Geldard, K. & Geldard, D., 2009).

This was very true for me especially during my first marriage. I became emotionally cut-off from

my family after my mother died, separating myself from my brothers and my father. However,

because I did not have another model to follow I ended up in the same kind of relationship as my

mother did with similar difficulties. Through studying psychology and some theology as well as

years of living and gaining other experiences I was able to gain a better understanding of who I

am and what life is all about for me. My second marriage is a blessed one and we have a lovely

family with good relationships between us all. My children are close to each other and are lovely

young men who are all good at socialising and forming good relationships. I want to agree with

Bowen’s theory about seeking partners who have the same level of differentiation. This was true

for me in both my marriages. I recognise that I can still be emotionally reserved and distant from

others, but I feel that I am personally attuned with my emotions. My second husband grew up in

a privileged household and is a far more balanced and ‘healthy’ individual. I am still learning to

be emotionally more available and transparent in this relationship and have come a long way

already.

This gives me so much hope when I worked with couples and young people because we are all

capable and able to adapt and change for the better once we gain awareness and insight into our

processes and behavioural patterns.

31

References:

Wetchler, J. L., & Hecker, L. L. (Eds.). (2015). An introduction to marriage and family therapy

(2nd Ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

Geldard, K. & Geldard, D. (2009). Relationship counselling for children, young people and

families. London. SAGE Publications Ltd.

33

SAMPLE 2

Mid-Term Grading Rubric:



Student Name: Thea Smith





Contents Points

(30)

Your

points


origin. The genogram should include all relevant information such as

names, age, birth/death dates, relational patterns, and abuse history. You may want to communicate with your parent, grandparent,


5 4




your family.

10 10



10 10



5 4

Total Excellent! Detailed relational patterns and dynamics on

genogram.

30 28

34

Transgenerational Family Therapy

MFT/IRT 6020: Advanced Marriage and Family Therapy

Thea Smith

Transgenerational family therapies attend to dynamics across more than two generations

and are more interested how the past affect the present. Furthermore, it is not interested in the

individual pathology but rather how families across generations develop behaviors as they

respond to stress and thus avert healthy development. The key to therapy is in having an

understanding of the development and maintenance of past patterns and developing new

interactional patters that exclude symptom (Nelson). Murray Bowen, theorized that mentally ill

individuals were caught up in patterns of family fusion or undifferentiated ego mass and became

symptom bearers for the family and were not characterologically ill.

Concepts developed by Bowen strengthen his theory. These include: differentiation of

self, differentiation of thinking from emotion, fusion, basic self, pseudo self and triangles to

name a few. In this paper I will look at my family and the dynamics that has developed over a

century, as both my maternal and paternal grandfathers would have been 105 years old this year.

The first concept to explore is triangles. According to Bowen all things in nature are

affected by other things as everything and especially relationships exist within a system. A two-

person system can become unstable in the presence of stress and conflict. In order to stabilize a

system a triangle will be formed. Triangles are considered to be small stable units and are formed

when one or both of the two-person unit draws a third person into the relationship. This third

person can even be an object or something that draws energy from the system such as work,

sport, addictions, etc.

35

Triangles may have positive and negative consequences. Since focus gets diverted to the

third person, a couple who is in a heated argument may focus on the third person and this

ultimately may allow them to calm down, allowing them to work out their problems easier.

However, should all the attention be on the third person only, it may prevent the dyad to resolve

issues and increase maladaptive coping mechanisms. In addition, the formation of triangles is

laced with stress, anxiety and tension and when these subside the third person may become the

odd one out and triangle with someone else to reduce the anxiety. Triangles may change shape

but rigid triangles become problematic. On both sides of my family there were a few triangles

formed.

Triangles are evident over the four generations of my family as can be seen in my

genogram (Appendix A). My paternal grandfather passed away when he was only 33 years old

and left behind his wife and three children. He had a very good relationship with all his children

but especially with his only daughter, according to her at least. My uncle could not complete

school and had to start working in order to help with providing for the family. My father was

very sick when he was younger and my grandmother has to give a lot of attention to him.

Additionally, my paternal grandmother lost their youngest child when he was 6 months old and a

year before her husband passed. The relationship between my grandmother and eldest uncle

became very stressful and a triangle occurred between my grandmother, uncle and my father.

Previous exposure to death may have accentuated the need for my grandmother to triangulate

with my father rather than her daughter. My father and my uncle had a very good relationship

and reports to be differentiated from each other. However, because of the strain between my

grandmother and uncle it is possible that my father took in the sick role to divert the attention

from the conflict. He has a history of frequent hospitalizations.

36

In my mother’s family there is also a few triangles, some were rigid but others where

more flexible. My maternal grandfather was very fond and close to his third eldest daughter, but

there was some sort of conflict between him and the fourth eldest daughter. Additionally,

between these two siblings there were also conflict which continues to this day. Since the passing

of my grandfather they seem to oscillate between triangulating with the other siblings. Initially

most of the triangulation occurred with my uncle but changed once he got married. Then the

triangle became more flexible and often my mother would be drawn into this triangulation. The

irony is that growing up, my mother was assigned the role of looking after the other children

since she was the eldest. She also had to take the blame if they misbehaved. In light of Bowen’s

theory, it became clear that since early childhood she was often drawn into triangulation with her

parents who would blame her when they could not manage their own children.

There are a four nuclear emotional processes that families develop in order to deal with

stress and anxiety. These patterns include conflict, appearance of a symptom, distancing and

triangling. My mother made use of distancing to deal with the anxiety and stress of having to

take responsibility of her siblings and when she was made the scapegoat by her parents. She

often sees herself as separate and not a part of her nuclear family. Currently at the age of 77

years she will rarely engage in conflict among her siblings, will spend her time in books or other

activities where she does not need to engage with others. When cornered she would often comply

with people and say “let’s keep the peace”, however I suppose Bowen would see this as a lack of

autonomy.

Since my mother has learned to distance herself from conflict in a way to reduce anxiety,

I have often seen that she does not engage in arguments with my father. Furthermore, I can see

how my father made use of the appearance of symptoms to reduce anxiety. Looking at the

37

genogram I can see how this was used to diffuse conflict between his mother and brother and

that as a married man he would use the same strategies to avoid conflict. Another pattern that he

often used to diffuse anxiety from a withdrawn wife was triangling with my third eldest sister.

What is interesting is that this triangling and favoritism caused conflict between my third eldest

sister her and the second eldest sister.

My second eldest sister was the baby for more than six years before the third eldest was

born and having to adjust from youngest to middle child may have had an impact in the way she

handles anxiety. Bowen hypothesized about the impact that a person’s sex and birth order may

have on the dynamics of the family. According to Kevin Leman (2009) the middle child often

feels left out or ignored. It may then be possible that the anxiety she felt was expressed through a

pattern of conflict with my mother, third eldest sister and myself.

I have always had a very good relationship with my mother and at times think that I am

favored above the rest. I was born following the death of my maternal uncle and maternal

grandfather and can understand why my mother may favor me in some circumstances. However,

I often found that there was conflict between myself and my second eldest sister and she would

often involve my mother in the arguments. Additionally, as explained above the she had many

triangles that she formed within our nuclear family and in the extended family.

The triangling continues into the fourth generation where my second eldest sister makes

use of it in her family. Initially her husband used distancing to reduce his anxiety but has recently

changed the pattern to the appearance of symptoms. He has recently been diagnosed with Major

Depressive Disorder. Initially my sister made use of conflict with her husband to reduce anxiety

but her pattern has changed to triangling and therefore she follows the same pattern as my father.

The triangle is not rigid and alternates between her son and daughter. However, the one most

38

often used in the triangle with her daughter. Over time it has become more evident that the

relationship between my niece and her father has deteriorated.

Another interesting concept within our genogram is the concept of the multigenerational

transmission process. This process suggests that over generations certain branches of a tree

exhibit more and less differentiation and cousins on different branches may have different

outcomes i.e. doing well in life or having problems. This is evident in our family tree. My

paternal cousins have had to go through many challenges in their lives. Their father was part of

the triangulation with my father and their mother and had a difficult relationship with my

paternal grandmother. According to Bowen children who are the recipients of negative attention

or triangling like my uncle, are stunted in their differentiation and ultimately their children

develop with even lower levels of differentiation. Often as is the case with my cousins all of

them had children out of wedlock, financial and substance abuse problems and this is seen in

their children as well.

This assignment helped me to understand the dynamics within my family better. I was

able to see various individuals within our family was able to differentiate while other still

struggle with maladaptive patterns, differentiation and autonomy.

In practice I have become aware that I need to be conscious of triangles that play out in

the families that I counsel. I need to be cautious not to be drawn into such triangles and to not

side with particular members of a family that resonate with behaviors I know from my family of

origin. The opposite is also true. I should also be aware of individuals who make use of a pattern

of conflict to reduce stress as such behaviors may cause an aversion within me for that particular

client.

39

References

Leman, K. (2009). The Birth Order Book. Grand Rapids: Revell.

Nelson, T. S. (n.d.). Transgenerational Family Therapies.

APPENDIX

Thea Smith Genogram

40

SAMPLE 3

Final Grading Rubric:



Student Name: Edelweiss Bester





Contents Points

(30)

Your

points


origin. The genogram should include all relevant information such as

names, age, birth/death dates, relational patterns, and abuse history.

You may want to communicate with your parent, grandparent,


5 4




your family.

10 8



10 10



5 4

Total Great job! Needs to add more relationship aspects on the

genogram.

30 26

41


Edelweiss Bester Scheepers

Daybreak University

42


This assignment allowed me to take the time to reflect on my family structure on both my

own and my husband’s side. It was an interesting activity to undertake as this showed me the

background and structure of both our families with greater clarity. The aim of this paper is to

further examine the structure and patterns within my husband’s and my own family from a

transgenerational perspective.

The transgenerational perspective theorises that the past affects the present and the

approach is less interested in pathology on an individual level (Nelson, 2019). Symptoms are

viewed to result from the multigenerational transmission process. Therefore, previous

generations are also considered when investigating present relational patterns. Murray Bowen,

the father of the transgenerational perspective believed that pathology originates more from

family patterns and poor differentiation rather than individual illnesses or personality flaws. He

also believed that many of the patterns that emerge in family systems occur in attempts to reduce

and manage anxiety (Kerr, 2000). Important theoretical concepts that he posited include;

triangles, fusion and emotional cut-off. According to Bowen, if these patterns could be

addressed, the result would be greater differentiation and therefor reduced anxiety. The main

aim of this approach is to assist individuals in learning new patterns in order to address current

problems.

One of Bowen’s most trusted tools in the transgenerational perspective is the family

genogram (Nelson, 2015). The genogram allows anyone with an interest in the family structure

to consider the transgenerational transmission process across two or more generations. In order

to lean more about the transgenerational patterns in my own family, I will now look deeper into

the structures of my own and my husbands’ family.

43

Transgenerational Concepts

Differentiation of Self

Bowen defined differentiation of self as the ability to remain separate but together with

family members without becoming emotionally or intellectually reactive to others (Nelson,

2015). Bowen stated that achieving differentiation of self is a lifelong journey and that most

individuals do not achieve more than 70% differentiation (Kerr, 2000). As can be seen from the

genograms in Appendix A, many of us are still working to achieve differentiation. Patterns like

emotional cut-off, fusion and triangles are present across generations on both my own and my

husband’s side of the family.

Fusion

The opposite of differentiation of self is fusion. This is when the psychological

boundaries between individuals become blurred and there is an increased flow of emotional and

intellectual functioning between them (Kerr, 2000). In cases of fusion individuals are less able to

differentiate their own thoughts and feelings from that of family members they are fused with

(Nelson, 2012). An example of fusion on my side of the family is between my maternal

grandmother and mother. When I was younger, my grandmother used to live with us in the

house. Now, my mother still takes care of her more than any of her other siblings even though

she has moved away.

I also think there was fusion between my father-in-law and his mother. He was the last-

born child and was about then years younger than his brother and 20 years younger than his

oldest sister. This pattern repeated itself in the next generation, when fusion came with their

second-born son (Pierre), who was an infant when my father-in-law’s (Leon) older brother, with

44

whom he was also in business, committed suicide. I am not sure whether the death of his brother

had something to do with the cause of this fusion. My father-in-law’s second-born son (Pierre)

can do no wrong in his eyes. However, this has also led to the greatest amount of Anxiety being

projected onto my brother-in-law (Pierre). He lived with his parents until the age of 29. He has

moved out at the beginning of 2018 but he has the most difficulty with intimacy, emotional

regulation and health-problems.

Emotional Triangles

Dyads are an unstable relational formation in transgenerational theory (Nelson, 2015).

People tend to polarize as a response to their experience of anxiety. Triangles involve three

individuals, where an anxious individual will seek an outside person to resolve their anxiety. The

results of this is the triangle, where two individuals are close together and one is at the far corner,

being pushed away as it were, to achieve the stability of the triangular shape (Butler, 2008). As

can be seen in my husband’s family, Pierre, my brother-in-law is in a fixed triangle with my

father-in-law and tends to polarize another family member, depending on the situation. First it

was my oldest brother-in-law, Leo who was at the far end of their triangle, and after an incident

where Pierre broke up with his girlfriend, my mother-in-law, Mona took the place of the far end

of the triangle as he saw her as the cause. This resulted in a sudden improvement of the

relationship between Leo and Pierre (Appendix A, p.2).

I think another example of a fixed triangle is between my biological parents, Ben and

Martie (Appendix P.1). They went to school together, dated for two years and got married at the

age of 22 and 20 respectively. They have never been apart, and are fused in my opinion, which

has led to various triangles. Some permanent triangles with my mother and father include my

maternal grandfather and maternal uncle (Andrew). Other individuals have also been involved in

45

this triangle, including my siblings and I, my maternal aunts (Carina and Marina), paternal

grandfather and paternal aunt (Marcelia). These are not indicated in the genogram as their

occurrence were all temporary. The latest triangle that formed was on my wedding day, 23

March 2019. Conflict between my parents and my maternal aunt’s boyfriend (Aus). This has led

to estrangement between my mother (Martie) and her sister (Carina), which is interesting

because throughout their lives, they had been the closest of all their siblings.

I, myself have also been part of triangles on both my own and my husband’s side of te

family. I think there is a level of fusion between my parents, and being the oldest child, I have

been drawn into their fixed triangle and have been on the receiving end of their anxiety.

However, when looking at symptomology and anxiety, it is my sister (Annemarie, the middle-

born) who was the greatest recipient of my parents’ anxiety.

I am also involved in another triangle. I get along well with my mother-in-law (Mona)

better than any of the girlfriends and wives of her other sons. This has led to triangulation

between myself and her, especially when there is tension in the family. When there are

challenges in the family, we tend to take each other’s side over others. It has also happened when

new females enter the nuclear family system. My sister-in-law (Leandri), as well as Pierre’s

current girlfriend and on occasion my father-in-law and brothers-in-law has been on the far side

of our triangle.

Emotional Cutoff

According to Bowen, emotional cuttoff can happen when a family member disntances

themselves from their family in order to reduce their anxiety (Nelson, 2015). My mother and

maternal grandfather was estranged before my birth, to the point where I have only briefly met

him once and I do not know his name off the top of my head. On that side of the family, it was

46

like I never had a grandfather, which was a contrast to the almost overinvolvement of my

paternal grandparents. However, what is interesting to me about this is that of my mother’s

nuclear family and of all her siblings she is the one who was able to achieve the healthiest

outcome, in terms of marital quality, career success, emotional and physical health.

Another example of emotional cut-off would be with the wife and daughters of my

husband’s uncle (Erwin). For reasons that I am still unaware of, he committed suicide in 1991. It

is never talked about. This led to an inheritance dispute between his wife and my father-in-law

(Leon) and resulted in the ostracization of Erwin’s wife and her daughters from the family. My

father-in-law was the closest of his siblings with his mother, and his sister (Nerita). Even though

I do not know them well enough and have never met most of the relatives on my husband’s side,

I am guessing that this might be the result of fusion between my father-in-law (Leon) and his

mother. I have heard that they were close, but I am not certain about the extent of this

relationship. It may also have been the result of a triangle between my father-in-law (Leon), his

mother and his older brother (Erwin).

Influence of Transgenerational Concepts in my Relationships

I am hopeful, that as a result of my training in the field of psychology and family therapy,

that I have done some work towards being more a differentiated individual. Due to my husband

having three brothers and having somehow disappeared in the family system, I do not think the

was the recipient of much of his parent’s anxiety. His older two brothers, Leo and Pierre in being

the oldest and perceived as the most symptomatic, respectively, they received most the anxiety

and have also been the two members of their family who has had the most difficulty in

establishing and maintaining close emotional relationships. I am hopeful that this training,

having done the genogram, and my husband’s differentiation due to being less exposed to

47

parental anxiety than his siblings, will help up to be more aware of the patterns and be cognizant

of their effects.

On my own and on my husband’s side of the family, it seems that daughters tend to move

away from the nuclear family to create a geographical cure for fusion and anxiety. The youngest

siblings tend to remain behind and carry on the family empire. I see this in my father (Ben),

father-in-law (Leon), my brother (Paul) and this stands to reason their either my husband and his

youngest brother (Morné) or only Morné may be the one(s) that remain on the original farm to

carry the family legacy further. My husband’s older brother (Leo) has already moved away from

the family business as well as their hometown and there are signs that the second-born brother

(Pierre) who is currently part of the family business may not always be interested in continuing

to run it. This gives me an idea of what to expect for my own future, as the family business on

my husband’s side will play a large part in where we will live.

I hope that the patterns of the past also inform my approach to my own children one day,

as I can now see that there tends to be fusion between mothers and sons in both my own and my

husband’s side of the family, like my father (Ben) and maternal grandmother (Annatjie) as well

as between my father-in-law and his mother. I have also seen fusion between my own mother

(Martie) and my maternal grandmother (Edelweiss). This would be something to look out for as

that may predict that I am at risk to also be overinvolved with one of my own children, which

may lead to cut-off between them and my husband or between them and their own siblings. This

pattern seems to a part of every generation on both sides of my family.

48

References

Butler, J. (2008). The Family Diagram and Genogram: Comparisons and Contrasts. American

Journal of Family Therapy. 36(3), 169–180.

Kerr, M. E. (2000). One Family’s Story: A Primer on Bowen Theory. The Bowen Center for the

Study of the Family. http://www.thebowencenter.org.

McFarlane, W. R. (1991). Family psychoeducational treatment. In A. S. Gurman and D. P.

Kniskern (Eds.). Handbook of family therapy (Vol. 2), New York, NY: Brunner Mazel.

Nelson, T. S. (2015). Transgenerational Family Therapies. In Wetchler, J. L., & Hecker, L. L.

(Eds.). An introduction to marriage and family therapy (2nd Ed. pp. 255-269). New York,

NY: Routledge.

http://www.thebowencenter.org/

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3.2.1 Student Evaluation of Course Instruction Results


SAMPLE: MFT/IRT 9500 RESEARCH COLLOQUIUM

52

3.2.2 Peer Review of Teaching


SAMPLES

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