The knee-jerk reaction is the way of society, right now, eh? "In my opinion..."Have you learned to consider, to look deeper into things, to research -- to do some philosophy?? To make your time and life count??Consider this URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unsolved_problems_in_philosophy (Links to an external site.)/ (Links to an external site.) - you see that uncertainties run deeper than racism, politics, religions, and inequality.What is yours -- what issue is your passion?DIG INTO something you really care about: cats, sports, fashion, cats, health care, engineering, dogs, cooking, cats... for whatever you have a passion -- a show me in five (or so) pages that you can understand it with some philosophical depth when it comes to the ethics involved. The Philosophy of My Love and Reason for Living!!! Well, yeah... not quite that crazy. Need at least five quotes/facts from respected thinkers to back your ideas, MLA heading, abstract, cites, works cited -- the usual stuff.Learn deeply.

The assignment for this week involves applying the assessment concepts from the Structural Family Therapy model to a family portrayed in a video.  The focus is NOT on the video and providing a synopsis of it.  It IS on application of the concepts of this model to the family dynamics portrayed in the movie.  Step one:  select one of the following movies.  You can find these movies on Netflix (or other subscription video streaming websites), Red Box (or video store), or at your local public library. Antwone FisherBig FishCrazy/BeautifulDan in Real LifeExtremely Loud and Incredibly CloseFather of the Bride (1 or 2)JunoKeeping the FaithLove & Basketball Madea's Big Happy FamilyMadea's Family ReunionMildred PierceMy Big Fat Greek WeddingOrdinary PeopleOn Golden PondPursuit of HappynessReal Women Have CurvesSeasons 1 OR 2 of Downton AbbeySleepless in SeattleThe BirdcageThe Blind SideWhat’s Eating Gilbert GrapeWhile you were SleepingThe Kids Are Alright Step two:  Read the material in the chapter.  Focus on understanding the basic concepts and how those apply to the work of a MFT.  Step three:  Analyze the family dynamics portrayed in the video and apply at least 4 concepts from the list of assessment concepts provided below. Write a brief essay giving specific examples to illustrate each chosen concept: BoundaryHierarchySubsystemCoalitionStrengthStage of development Step four:  Address how cultural/diversity concepts apply to the assessment of the family(ies) in this movie? Step five: Address what makes this model systemic. Reflect on the concepts from systems-based approach and how they apply to the structural family therapy model. Remember to avoid the tendency to provide a synopsis of the video and focus on providing a Structural Family Therapy assessment and summary of the family dynamics portrayed in the video.Length: 4-5 pages Your paper should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts that are presented in the course and provide new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards. Be sure to adhere to Northcentral University's Academic Integrity Policy. This Week provides an introduction to Salvador Minuchin’s Structural Family Therapy model. This is one of the earliest Classic Models developed for the practice of Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) and often is suggested for use as a primary approach for beginning therapists. The ideas for assessing the family’s organization and functioning are relatively straightforward, although it would be a mistake to think of the approach as simple. There are two general ways that a model helps us: (1) to understand a family and (2) to help a family change. Before we can effectively help a client change, we first need to understand their situation. The process of developing an understanding of a client is sometimes called “case conceptualization.” Related to case conceptualization is assessment, which refers to a structured process of collecting information about a client. One of the key ways that a therapy model helps us work with clients is it tells us what types of questions to ask and what areas to observe when working with a new client. Each model that you study in this course includes certain concepts that are used for assessing a client and developing a case conceptualization (i.e., theory-based understanding) of that client’s situation. After we’ve conceptualized a case, using concepts from our chosen therapy model, we can work on developing a plan to help the client change. This is the second major way that a therapy model helps guide us. Therapy models include ideas about how to set helpful goals and how to intervene in order to help clients meet those goals. This phase of therapy—setting goals and designing a plan to help the client change—is called treatment planning. Each model you study includes ideas about the goals for therapy and the strategies (interventions) used to meet those goals. As you learn about the different models covered in this class, pay attention to how each model sets goals and what interventions the model includes for meeting those goals. Even if you cannot yet practice with clients, you can begin to use some of the ideas in this model to examine your own roles and rules regarding relationships.  Association for Advanced Training in the Behavioral Sciences (AATBS) materialsRead materials related to the Structural Family Therapy modelGehart, D. R. (2014) Mastering competencies in family therapyRead Chapter 5 ArticlesReferenceInstructionBecerra, M. D., & Michael-Makri, S. (2012). Applying structural family therapy with a mexican-american family with children with disabilities: A case study of a single-parent mother.http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/1027228302?accountid=28180Read Article WebsitesReferenceInstructionStructural Family Therapy.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91wTCgPa_xwWatch VideoThe Minuchin Center for the Family: Structural Family Therapyhttp://minuchincenter.org/structural_family_therapyReview WebsiteDocument/OtherReferenceInstructionAdelman, D., Farwell, L., and Saathoff, A. (n.d.). Confessions of a Dysfunctional Family: A Structural Family Systems Approachhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPW0UZd9gQ4&feature=PlayList&p=3AB69B095BC6159F&index=0&playnext=1Watch VideoPowerPoint - Chapter 5 Structural Therapy MCFTChapter 5 Structural Therapy MCFT.pptx  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOrnOcHWXgAView PowerPoint