Development of an Interactive Web-based Self-learning Package: Integrating Family Therapy into Practice

Abstract

The web-based self-learning package produced in 2010-2011, focusing on couple therapy with Satir model as the theoretical base, received very positive feedback from the students. It is planned to develop a more advanced leaming package this year. On top of couple therapy, family therapy is incorporated in the new package. To facilitate the learning of the students from the Mainland, a video in both Cantonese and Mandarin, and a supplementary manual will be developed. In the package, the concepts of diffuse and rigid boundaries, enmeshment and disengagement will be used in the family case analysis. Family therapy techniques like joining, enactment, unbalancing, boundary making, highlighting and modifYing interactions will be shown in the case intervention. The package can enrich discovery because questions in the manual can develop students' critical and analytical thinking, and stimulate students' self-discovery of their own families-of-origin as well as areas for improvement. Students can also simulate and model from concrete demonstration of the counselors, apply the skills and strategies in their own practice, and discover and integrate their own intervention strategic. Learning is made more impressive and effective because interactive graphics, sound, video clips can better appeal to the emotion, cognition and behavior of the students."