Sociology- Applying Theoretical Interventions for Clients Experiencing Life Transitions or Developmental Issues

Sociology- Applying Theoretical Interventions for Clients Experiencing Life Transitions or Developmental Issues

Life transitions often present considerable difficulties to individuals. This is due to the lifestyle changes that these transitions usually bring to these individuals. The transitions will be more difficult when the lifestyle changes they present are significant, often requiring near-complete shifts to the new lifestyle. Various types of life transitions are evident within society and may include parenthood, marriage, job losses, exit from university, and loss of a loved one, among others. In all instances, individuals have to adjust to the new normal. Whereas some people traverse through these transitions smoothly, the majority of people often find them distressing, painful, and challenging. This is the case with the character portrayed by Kym Buchman in the movie “Rachel Getting Married” by Demme, J., Armian, N., & Platt, M. This paper seeks to analyze this movie to establish the transitional problems experienced by this character as well as describe the applicable theoretical interventions for the character.

The movie Rachel Getting Married portrays a character, Kym Buchman, once a drug addict who is currently on a rehabilitation program for her drug addiction. In the plot of the movie, this character temporarily leaves the drug rehabilitation center to take part in her sister’s wedding. However, her presence in the family is conferring considerable difficulties not only to herself but also to other family members, who are not sure of how best to appropriately handle their interaction. This character is experiencing multiple life transitional problems ranging from reintegration into normal life from rehabilitation centers to embracing her dark past. The complexities resulting from her integration into a normal life are attributable to the perception her family members have of her, with some of them torn between fully accepting her or rejecting her. Her dark past, on the other hand, is due to an event in her past years that resulted in the death of her brother, Ethan and was due to her insobriety state. She, however, has to contend with all these as she attends her sister Rachel’s wedding.

Theoretical orientation defines a specific set of assumptions and theories that enable a provider to understand the needs of their clients better. Theoretical orientations will, therefore, provide a framework to which client problems can be understood, their needs outlined, and a specific intervention availed to the benefit of the clients. Various theoretical orientations have been proposed. These theoretical orientations differ from one another in their point of focus as well as their level of scrutiny. They include the structural function approach, conflict approach, and symbolic interaction approach (Stanley, Hom, Rogers, Hagan & Joiner, 2016). The family portrayed in the movie has specific concerns that can be conceptualized using the social functionalism approach.

According to this theory, society is constituted by components such as institutions, relationships, and norms that all serve to stabilize the society itself. These components are interlinked and are indispensable to each other. As drawn by the theory, social changes remain a significant part of society and are often an adaptive process to relieve specific tension within the society. This is the scenario drawn in the movie described above. 

The tension present within Kym’s family results from herself. Her past behavior of drug abuse and consequent addiction presented considerable problems to her family members. This was even worsened by the fact that her behavior was attributable to her brother’s demise. Despite having undergone the rehabilitation process, the family members have yet to adapt to her new personality. Her sister Rachel even accounts that she has never forgiven her for causing their brother’s death. Whereas their father seems to have coped with her new self, he almost always keeps tabs on her daughter, wanting to know whether she is okay, an action Kym finds uncomfortable. When this tension becomes unbearable, a fight ensues that sees Kym drive off just to be involved in a minor accident. This, however, draws sympathy from her sister Rachel, who finally seems to have embraced her, indicating an adjustment to the new normal.

The treatment plan for this family is aimed at releasing the tension within the family. The short-term goal is to ensure that the family members forgive her and accept her as one of their own. The long-term goals, however, are to ensure that Kym embraces her past, recovers from drug addiction, and experiences complete behavioral change to exclude triggers that may reverse any program that may be realized. The treatment plan will utilize counseling and cognitive behavioral therapy. Counseling should be done to the entire family. They should be made to understand the significance of acceptance and forgiveness as the initial step of dispute resolution and moving on. Cognitive-behavioral therapy may as well be beneficial to Kym herself. 

The interventions utilizable in addressing this family’s problems are counseling and cognitive behavioral therapy. Counseling entails active listening to a client’s problem and talking them through towards resolving the problem. This form of therapy is beneficial in the resolution of mental and psychological problems (Carandang et al., 2020). The basis of counseling Kym’s family members and herself is not only to establish where the problems are sourced from but also to enable them to come up with a strategy for acceptance and forgiveness towards Kym.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy has, as well, found considerable benefits in the treatment of some mental disorders. This therapy involves subjecting the victim to the source of their fears (Kazantzis et al., 2018). As evident in Kym’s case, her past behavior is attributable to her current suffering. Allowing her to talk over whatever happened the fateful day that saw her brother’s demise might provide considerable relief to her. Whereas this kind of therapy may elicit pain and misery in the individual in the short term during the initial phases, the long-term effects may prove beneficial to Kym. This may usher a new dawn in her life that may enable her to embrace her past as well as live with it.

Theoretical interventions offer frameworks by which clients’ problems can be understood and resolved by their providers. Various theories have been postulated that explain the various frameworks that are utilizable in understanding and addressing people’s problems. A structural, functional approach is one such type that can be utilized. This theoretical intervention adequately explains the problems experienced by the character portrayed in Kym Buchman drawn from Demme, J., Armian, N., & Platt, M movie “Rachel Getting Married”. As described above, the client is undergoing life transitions that are conferring considerable difficulties to her and her family members. This, however, can be resolved by a series of interventions, including counseling and cognitive behavioral therapy.

References

Carandang, R., Shibanuma, A., Kiriya, J., Vardeleon, K., Asis, E., Murayama, H., & Jimba, M. (2020). Effectiveness of peer counseling, social engagement, and combination interventions in improving depressive symptoms of community-dwelling Filipino senior citizens. PLOS ONE, 15(4), e0230770. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230770

Kazantzis, N., Luong, H., Usatoff, A., Impala, T., Yew, R., & Hofmann, S. (2018). The Processes of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Review of Meta-Analyses. Cognitive Therapy And Research, 42(4), 349-357. DOI: 10.1007/s10608-018-9920-y

Stanley, I., Hom, M., Rogers, M., Hagan, C., & Joiner, T. (2016). Understanding suicide among older adults: a review of psychological and sociological theories of suicide. Aging & Mental Health, 20(2), 113-122. DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2015.1012045

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Couples and family-helping professionals have varying degrees of work. What they all have in common is that their clients represent a variety of human experiences. Even those helping professionals with a specific clinical focus see the variety of specific issues that manifest in different relationships. Part of the goal of your program is to expose you to varying scenarios so that when you are faced with differing client situations, you will have the evidence-based research knowledge, flexibility, analytical skills, and theory-integration practice to know the best course of action to take with a particular couple or family.

Sociology- Applying Theoretical Interventions for Clients Experiencing Life Transitions or Developmental Issues

Select and view one movie from the list provided in this week’s resources below for this assignment. If you need assistance locating these movies, see this guide: Does the Walden Library have popular films or novels? Begin to conceptualize the couple’s or family’s problem through your theoretical orientation and identify interventions that you might use. Finally, begin to locate articles in the Walden Library that could be used to justify the interventions you selected.

Gilbert, B. (Producer), & Rydell, M. (Director). (1981). On Golden Pond [Motion picture]. United States: IPC Films.

Demme, J., Armian, N., & Platt, M. (Producers), & Demme, J. (Director). (2008). Rachel is getting married [Motion picture]. United States: Sony Pictures Classics.

Schwarz, R. (Producer), & Redford, R. (Director). (1980). Ordinary people [Motion picture]. United States: Paramount Pictures.

Fischoff, R., & Jaffe, S. (Producers), & Benton, R. (Director). (1979). Kramer vs. Kramer [Motion picture]. . United States: Columbia Pictures.

Pratt, C. (Producer), & Carlino, L. J. (Director). (1979). The great Santini [Motion picture]. United States: Warner Bros. & Orion Pictures.

The Assignment (2–3 pages)

Identify the movie you selected and the life transition and developmental issues present in the couple or family.
Conceptualize the couple’s or family’s problem through your chosen theoretical orientation.
Design a treatment plan including short- and long-term goals.
Explain two evidence-based interventions you would use to address these couple’s or family’s issues and how you would use them.
Note: The interventions may not emerge from your chosen theoretical orientation.

Justify the intervention you selected with two evidence-based research articles.