Anna Fitzgerald´s Structural Family Therapy Model

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Identifying Information
Anna Fitzgerald contacted me about seeking counseling services. She shared with me that she is interested in individual and family counseling. Her family is identified as a Caucasian family. They reside in California. The Fitzgerald family consists of two parents, three teenagers, and an aunt. The family members are: Brian (father), Sara (Mother), Kate (Oldest Daughter), Jesse (Middle child/ Kate and Anna’s Brother), Anna (Youngest Sister), and Kelly (Sara’s Sister/ Kate, Jesse, and Anna’s Aunt). The family dynamic is focused around Kate who has Leukemia. Communication occurs only when discussing matters pertaining to Kate. Anna would like for her family to get back to enjoying one another’s company or just
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SFT model integrates the human mutuality of the therapeutic relationship and extientialism (Aponte, 1992). Structural family therapy continues to evolve in response to challenges from within, making counselors mindful of the need for constant feedback from each member of the family system. (Vetere, 2001). This form of therapy was suggested to be more effective than any other therapy in protecting the integrity of the family (Szapocznik, Rio, Murray, Cohen & Al, E., 1989).
Also, a trauma focused therapy will be beneficial especially for the children. Medical Traumatic stress. According The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NTCSN) Pediatric medical traumatic stress refers to a set of psychological and physiological responses of children and their families to pain, injury, serious illness, medical procedures, and invasive or frightening treatment experiences (NTCSN, 2016). The medical trauma experienced by Kate effected the family system. However, Anna endured as many procedures as her sister. To which, she didn’t actively volunteer for. Anna was forced against her will, often being held down. Using SFT in conjunction with trauma focused CBT or SFBT will yield for best results; cultivating change in one member of the family, change will trickle down to all
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She finally confessed that Kate had asked her not to donate her kidney because she was tired of suffering and wanted to die. On the witness stand, Sara admitted that she had not ever asked Anna did she want to donate to her sister. She went on to say that “all she talked to Anna about was helping her sister”. When asked has any procedure had side effects that impacted Anna, Sara said “yes the last procedure she had, there were complications that resulted in her Anna was not given or told about her right of choice to refuse procedures. As I watched the movie and learned more about what happened to and with Anna, all I continued to wonder about was importance of informed consent. Informed consent is a very important document that educates patients about all they need to know about what will take place and it gives medical professional working with them permission before performing the medical procedures. Anna was born in order to be a healthy source of cells and organs to help her sister Kate. Her parents thought that having her would solve all of the problems related to Kate needing healthy donor bone marrow, cells, and organs. Their parents did not stop to think about or realize how all of this could one day impact Anna. Filing the lawsuit was the turning point event that pushed her parents to think about how she has been impacted and how she

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