Course Code: BMC02

Marriage and Family Counseling

BD III, Semester 1, 2 Credit Hours, College Paper

Course Objectives:

1. To help students understand marriage and family life with reference to the changing patterns of the family in India so as to engage in the ministry of marriage and family counseling effectively.
2. To help students understand the role of family in influencing the spiritual, intellectual, social, emotional, and relational growth of its members.
3. To help students to gain basic analytical and practical skills in dealing with marital and family issues in their congregational ministry.

Method:

• Lectures.
• Role Play.
• Group Interaction.
• Practicum.

Course Requirements:

• Final Examination: 60%.
• Internal Assessment: 40%.

Course Outline:

I. Introduction:

• Family studies as a discipline – the Indian context.
• Pastoral care to families – an essential aspect of the ministry of the Church.
• Roles, functions, rules, rituals, family’s social obligations.
• Marriage and family counseling – definitions, basic assumptions, and objectives.

II. Biblical and Theological Foundations

• Marriage and family in the Bible.
• Theology of Marriage and family.
• The role of faith and faith community in marriage and family.

III. Pre-marital Counseling

• Importance of pre-marital counseling.
• Elements of pre-marital counseling:
  • Sacramentality of marriage.
  • Life-long relationship.
  • Effective communication.
  • Personality assessment- (for better understanding of self and the partner).
• Challenges and issues related to present family life:
  • Job stress and family life (IT, Extended family, both working, etc).
  • Understanding the changing family life.
  • Understanding the issues of children.

IV. Marriage and Family in Human Development

• Purpose of Marriage.
• Socio-Cultural and Religious Influences on the Understanding of Marriage and Family.
• Sexual Identity Formation:
  • Factors in formation of male identity.
  • Factors in formation of female identity.
  • Understanding sexuality – Biological, psychological, biblical, theological, and ethical.
  • People with different sexual orientations.
• The Stages of Marriage: Nurturing in Relationship – Fulfillment or Failure:
  • Bonding and Settling.
  • Parenting.
  • Mid-life years.
  • Senior Citizens.
  • Old age problems.

V. Introduction to Family Therapy

• Family System Therapy – Murray Bowen.
• Conjoint Family Therapy – Virginia Satir.
• Structural Family Therapy – Salvador Minuchin.
• Relevant family Therapeutical approaches in India – A contextual Reflection.

VI. Marital and Family Counseling: Focus on Dealing with Dysfunctional Patterns

• The Nature of Functional Families.
• Dealing with Conflicts and Dysfunctions.
• The Helping Process.

VII. Pastoral Care and Counselling through Crisis and Change

• Addiction problems.
• Sexual problems in marriage.
• Parenting issues and childless families.
• Divorce and single parenting.
• Patriarchy and intimate violence.

Bibliography

Essential Readings

• Anderson, Hebert. The Family & Pastoral Care. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1984.
• Bowen, Murray. Family Therapy in Clinical Practice. New York: Jason Aronson, 1978.
• Clinebell, Howard J. and Charlotte H. The Intimate Marriage. New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1970.
• Everett, William Johnson. Blessed be the Bond: Christian Perspective on Marriage and Family. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1965.
• Kapadia, K.M. Marriage and Family in India. Calcutta: Oxford University Press, 1966.
• Miller, Jean Baker. Towards a New Psychology of Women. Boston: Beacon Press, 1976.
• Minuchin, Salvador. Family Therapy Techniques. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1981.

Suggested Readings

• Augustine, John S., ed. The Indian Family in Transition. New Delhi: Vikash Publishing Home, 1982.
• Bailey, Derrich Sherwin. Mystery of Love and Marriage: A Study in Theology of Sexual Relation. New York: Harper Brother Publishers, 1950.
• Becker, Russell J. Family Pastoral Care. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1963.
• Burnabas, Daniel. Distance Half Distress Heart Stress of Wife in relation to Prolonged Absence of Husband. Delhi: SATHRI/ISPCK, 2008.
• Calderone, Mary Steichen. Release from Sexual Tension: Towards an Understanding of their Cause and Effects in Marriage. New York: Vintage Books, 1960.
• Connidis, Ingrid Arnet. Family Ties and Aging. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2001.
• Dominion, Jack. Marriage, Faith and Love. London: Flamingo, 1981.
• Duval, Evelyn. When You Marry. New York: Association Press, 1947.
• Grant, Brian W. Reclaiming the Dream. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1986.
• Haley, Jay. Problem Solving Therapy. San Francisco: Jossey Bass Inc. Publishers, 1987.
• Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner, ed. In Her Own Time: Women Development Issues in Pastoral Care. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2000.
• Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner, ed. Through the Eyes of Women: Insights for Pastoral Care. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996.
• Penelope, Washboum. Becoming Woman: The Quest for Wholeness in Female. New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1977.
• Satir, Virginia. Conjoint Therapy. 3rd ed. Palo Alto: Science and Behaviour Books, 1967.
• Satir, Virginia. People Making and the New People Making. Palo Alto: Science and Behaviour Books, 1972.
• Singh, Dhirendra P. Female Psychology and Mysticism. New Delhi: A.P.H. Publishing Corporation, 2004.
• Sobhanam, Gideon. United to Adjust: A Sacramental Theology of Marriage for Marital Counselling. Delhi: ISPCK, 2007.
• Taylor, Donald L. Marriage Counselling: New Dimensions in the Art of Helping People. Springfield: Charles C. Thomas, 1965.

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