Zack (28) and Ashley (27) are a married couple who were in a long-distance relationship for over three years and made the decision to live together. Zack joined the Army and became a member of the military police corps. Ashley was completely unfamiliar with the military and had no prior knowledge of Army life. Shortly after Zack joined the Army, he received orders to deploy to Guantanamo. Zack was experiencing a great deal of anxiety and unease due to the deployment, which was causing him to behave differently than usual at home. Ashley noted that Zack is easily triggered and appears to be easily stressed by minor things. Ashley, on the other hand, was feeling quite overwhelmed by the situation and was unsure of how to effectively communicate with Zack. Zack left on deployment and during his absence, their relationship began to deteriorate. Zack and Ashley appeared to have numerous conflicts, and their communication reached a low point. Following their 9-month deployment, the couple relocated back to Oklahoma. After two years, Zack completed his contract and the couple returned to their hometown of Tampa. Despite Ashley's hopes for improvement upon returning home, the situation took a turn for the worse.

Question:

Describe how you might approach treatment with this couple using a specific systemic therapy model. In your description, distinguish between individual treatment issues, which might be addressed by other therapeutic supports (e.g., individual therapy, support group, medication, etc.), and the relational treatment issues that you would address in therapy with the couple.

List of models

Classic MFTModels:

• Structural (Minuchin)
• Strategic (MRI, Jay Haley & Clo Madanes, Milan)
• Bowen
• Experiential (Satir), Symbolic-Experiential (Whitaker), EFT (Susan Johnson), Internal Family Therapy (Schwartz)
• Contextual (Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy)
• Psychoanalytic [Object relations (Scharff & Scharff)]
• CBFT [Behavioral (Falloon)]; CBFT (Epstein, Dattilio, Gottman).

Postmodern MFT Models:

• Solution-focused (de Shazer & Insoo Kim Berg)
• Solution-oriented (Bill O'Hanlon)
• Ericksonian (Milton Erickson)

All three of these models are listed as "solution-based" in Gehart's Mastering Competencies in Family Therapy.

• Narrative (Michael White & David Epston)
• Collaborative (Harlene Anderson)