Application 2: Psychodynamic/Bowenian vs. Experiential

Select ONLY ONE of the following vignettes and compare and contrast a Psychodynamic/Bowenian Family Therapy assessment with an Experiential Family Therapy assessment.

Vignette #1

Charles and Mary have been married thirty years. Their priest has suggested they seek marriage counseling because Charles has announced he wants a legal separation and Mary has no idea why. They fight occasionally over their four grown children–over how much to help them financially, etc.-but otherwise their life together has been comfortable. Mary is a librarian, Charles is a successful businessman and they share a few interests, primarily in church work. During the first session, Charles is extremely vague about his reasons for separating and Mary says she suspects he is having an affair.

Vignette #2

Albert and Maria Alvarez and their three children live in a Mexican-American community. Juan, age 19, recently went through a difficult period involving drugs and gang activity but now has a good job and has pulled away from his old friends. Roberto, age 16, is heavily involved with the same gang and he is the reason the family has come for help. A close friend of Roberto’s was fatally stabbed and the entire family has been in turmoil, trying to dissuade Roberto from engaging in revenge involving violence. The matter is further complicated by the fact that the dead young man was the boyfriend of the Alvarez’s third child, Elena, age 15.