The purpose of this paper is to provide an answer to the following questions regarding the provided description of the Nunes Family: (1) What modalities from chapters 12 and 13 might help this family?, (2) Which modalities don't offer promise?, and (3) What is your prognosis for five years from now?
If Mr. Nunes can be persuaded to attend family therapy, this might be a good treatment modality for the situation. However, rather than group family therapy, I would recommend Multiple Family Therapy (MFT).
The fact that the husband works two jobs leaving the entire management of the children up to his wife and his general lack of interest in the wife, suggests that in all probability, Mr. and Mrs. Nunes do not have much social interaction with others which is to say that the couple is probably not much exposed to other couples and how they handle family problems. Multiple family therapy would provide the Nunes family with the same benefits of regular group family therapy.
However, in addition MFT would provide interaction for the Nunes with other families and, thereby, have an increased likelihood of showing them possible alternative ways for handling their situation. Moreover, if the families included in the multiple family group had similar problems, it would possibly assist Mr. Nunes to see that those in similar situations are willing to seek therapeutic assistance to help remediate the circumstances. Thus, if he retains any reluctance about working on the family problems in a therapeutic context, the multiple group approach would assist in removing this reluctance.
Also, if the family could be persuaded to receive therapy as a unit, the Reflecting Team and Solution-Focused treatment modalities may prove efficacious. Regarding the use of these treatment modalities, I think it is important to realize that there is a cultural factor that needs to be taken into account.
The Nunes' are a Puerto Rican family. This m...