INTEGRATION SEMINAR: THEORY, PRACTICE, AND WORLDVIEW

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1 MF751 Syllabus Carla M. Dahl, Ph.D. Steven J. Sandage, Ph.D. Bethel Theological Seminary Spring Quarter Mondays, 1:00-5:00 p.m. (Please both of us with any questions) INTEGRATION SEMINAR: THEORY, PRACTICE, AND WORLDVIEW Course Description This course is designed to encourage students to integrate theoretical, theological, and clinical elements into a coherent worldview that will facilitate congruence in professional therapy and ministry practice. Attention will be given to epistemological theories in shaping integrative knowledge; the moral nature of clinical practice, research, and theory; wholeness and holiness in the self of the therapist; and the value of paradigms such as virtue and wisdom for effective ministry to individuals and families. This course will be taught as a seminar course, with students taking primary responsibility for directing discussion and dialogue based on extensive reading. Course Objectives Students should be able to: 1. Articulate a coherent definition of relational integration. 2. Demonstrate a professional approach to discussion and dialogue, characterized by critical thinking, respectful assertiveness, and the capacity for integration. 3. Demonstrate an understanding of the theological, moral, and spiritual dimensions of marriage and family therapy. 4. Demonstrate an awareness of the importance of wholeness and holiness in the self of the therapist, both theoretically and experientially. 5. Analyze their personal integration story and identify goals for continuing integrative work. Required Reading and Listening Abernethy, A. D., Houston, T. R., Mimms, T., & Boyd-Franklin, N. (2006). Using prayer in psychotherapy: Applying Sue s differential to enhance culturally competent care. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 12, Cooper-White, P. (2004). Shared wisdom: Use of the self in pastoral care and counseling. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. ISBN Hiebert, Dennis (2008). Can we talk? Achieving dialogue between sociology and theology. Christian Scholar's Review 37(2), Pargament, K. (2007). Spiritually integrated psychotherapy. New York: Guilford. ISBN Rizzuto, A.-M. (2005). Psychoanalytic considerations about spiritually oriented psychotherapy. In L. Sperry & E.P. Shafranske (Eds.), Spiritually oriented psychotherapy (pp ). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Sandage, S. J., & Shults, F. L. (2006). Transforming spirituality: Integrating theology and psychology. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.s

2 2 Volf, M. (1996). Exclusion and embrace: A theological exploration of identity, otherness, and reconciliation. Nashville: Abingdon. ISBN Course Requirements This is a four-credit course, and therefore we assume that you will be spending approximately 100 hours outside of class on readings and assignments. Since the first draft of your major project is already completed, much of these 100 hours will be spent on reading and preparing for discussion. 1. Readings: Complete all readings as assigned. Come prepared with written questions, application examples, theoretical and theological critique, integrative thinking (using the form attached). Note: You are all just a few weeks away from holding a master s degree and assuming the role of a new professional. We understand how powerful senioritis can be, and we also assume that you will all finish strong. Balancing the personal, professional, and academic responsibilities that you have will be a challenge one that you will face for the rest of your career in some way. This course has the potential to be provocative and exciting, as it offers you the opportunity to pull together a number of threads that you ve been holding for at least a couple of years and to find a new jumping-off place for your continuing growth and development. It also demands a great deal of reading, which is usually the first thing to go when we are stressed. We cannot over-emphasize the importance of scheduling into your already busy lives your reading for this course so that you do not fall behind and so that you are able to interact in meaningful ways with the material and with your peers. 2. Participation: Each student must take responsibility for engaging the rest of the class in discussion with regard to the readings. In addition, each student will serve twice as one of two discussants for another student s project presentation. The discussant role is described in more detail in the next section. 3. Integrative Project: This will involve two parts. You will revise your Integrative Project to reflect relevant course concepts and new understandings you come to during this course. This will be turned in as a paper on May 24 (no more than 30 pages approximately 7500 words). You will present a summary of your Integrative Project (considering it as a work in progress) to your peers. This will take the format of a paper presentation at a professional conference. Your presentation must not be more than 20 minutes long, in order to allow your discussants time to respond and to give the audience time for questions. All faculty and staff of the MFT program will be invited to attend the presentations. Be sure to your discussants your draft at least one week prior to your presentation.

3 3 In your presentation, you will not be able to cover your entire project, and you should not read from it. Rather, choose one aspect of the project and focus on that in depth. Feel free to be creative in your presentation, but do not sacrifice content and professionalism for the sake of creativity. Plan your time carefully. As a discussant, your role is not to agree or disagree with the project (in fact, do not use the words, I really liked how you. ). You will need to spend some time reflecting on your colleague s project from the perspective of your own commitments and assumptions. Bring three integrative questions that come out of those commitments and assumptions that might extend the motif or idea into new areas, suggest alternative theoretical or theological considerations, or be developed in future work. The two discussants will engage the presenter in a fishbowl conversation for ten minutes before the rest of the audience raises questions. As the audience for these presentations, remember that respect for another s work is demonstrated by engaging with it. Listen carefully and develop integrative questions to ask during the follow-up time. Don t attempt to do your colleagues a favor by not requiring them to support or explain their perspectives. 4. Integration Journey: Write a paper about your own journey of integration (2500 words maximum for the paper; due May 24). Use course concepts explicitly as you identify: your current definition of integration and your preferred model(s); critical incidents and/or turning points in your integration journey; challenges and/or obstacles, both overcome and yet to overcome; your goals for personal, theological, theoretical, and clinical integration. At the Senior Lunch on May 24, we will ask each of you to offer a word or phrase that captures an important element of your integration journey and share a bit about why that has emerged as an important theme for you. Course Schedule March 29 April 5 April 12 April 16 Course overview; guidelines for dialogue and discussion; models of integration; epistemological considerations Guest: Dr. Virginia Holeman Integration: Family studies, psychology, and theology READ: Pargament; Abernethy et al.; Hiebert Thinking theologically, ethically, and therapeutically READ: Sandage and Shults (chs. 1,6-10; skim 2-5) Two Integrative Project presentations Guest: Dr. Steve Harris, U of MN 4:30-6:00 p.m. Conversation with Dr. Ana-Maria Rizzuto

4 4 April 19 Thinking theologically, ethically, and therapeutically READ and LISTEN: Volf; Speaking of Faith Two Integrative Project presentations April 23 April 26-May 7 May 10 May 17 May 24 MAMFT Spring Conference (register at Ken Hardy: Children, Families, and Trauma: A Relational Approach Research and reading weeks Self of the therapist: differentiation of self; family of origin; countertransference; nonanxious presence; stages of professional development READ: Cooper-White Two Integrative Project presentations Three Integrative Project presentations Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them (Nehemiah 8:12) MFT Senior Lunch (note time: 12:30-2:30 p.m.) DUE: Final Integrative Projects (bring two copies) DUE: Integration Journey Paper (bring two copies) Grading The assignments in this course will be weighted as follows: Reading 10 (Explicit reference to readings in discussions and projects) Participation 25 (Discussion leadership/participation; role of discussant for two project presentations) Integrative Project 40 Paper 30 Presentation 10 Integration Journey 25 Because of the seminar nature of this course, attendance at all sessions is essential. Missed sessions cannot be made up and will affect your grade. Since the course is required for graduation, no late work will be accepted, and no Incompletes will be given.

5 5 General Course Expectations 1. Tutorial assistance and editorial help may be hired through the Office of Student Life. Please take advantage of these kinds of services if you do not have the time or inclination to make sure your written work meets graduate-level expectations. We will not edit your papers but will include style criteria (grammar, spelling, organization, clarity, proper citation style) in grading. Use a cover page for all work except weekly discussion preparation summaries, and make sure that your P.O. number is on all assignments. 2. Technology. We are a plugged-in seminary. Given the nature of this course, however, please consider how you might limit your use of technology in order to engage more fully with yourself and your colleagues. We reserve the right to ask you to disconnect if your technology has a distracting, distancing, or disruptive effect on the process. And of course, we expect that all ing, e-trading, ebaying, and other e-activities will take place only on official breaks. 3. Any course which requires us to examine our previous experience and understandings of spiritual formation has the potential to be unsettling. Our ability to learn in such a course depends on several things: our ability to tolerate ambiguity; our willingness to dialogue honestly and respectfully with fellow students; our willingness to consider alternative interpretations; our acceptance of truth, no matter where it is found; our ability to take responsibility for both our beliefs and our anxiety about different beliefs; and our ongoing struggle to integrate new information with present beliefs. If you find that you are having personal difficulty in this course, please feel free to check either of us or with Mary Sanders ( ) or Dan Jass ( ) regarding a referral for consultation or counseling. 4. We expect that in this course, we will all work to create a spirit of respect, curiosity, and dialogue, partly by following these guidelines. Your presence in this class is taken to represent your commitment to the following guidelines and your willingness to be held accountable to them. Keep breathing and stay in the room. Presume welcome and extend welcome. Make a place for yourself and others in the conversation in informal interaction, in small group discussion, and in large group interaction. Refrain from fixing, saving, or setting straight others in the class. Avoid making your experience normative for others. When the interaction gets tricky, turn to inquiry rather than advocacy (wonder about something instead of defending something). Pay attention to the distinction between dialogue (which begins with a question) and debate (which begins with an answer).

6 6 Make sure your questions are real questions, not ones intended to make a point, demonstrate prior knowledge, or communicate a hidden agenda. Observe confidentiality, especially regarding material shared by other students.

7 7 Weekly Seminar Preparation Name Each student must take responsibility for engaging the rest of the class in discussion with regard to the readings for the week. This form can serve as the basis for your participation. Things you found surprising and/or compelling in the reading: Theoretical and theological critique: Implications for you, personally and professionally: