The ABCs of Teaching Family Counseling: Putting “Fun” into the Fundamentals of the Profession

Learning the essentials of a profession is both uplifting and hard work. It is exciting to become aware of theories, techniques, and major contributors to the domain and gain a perspective on what happened, how and when (Cashwell & McKibben, 2018). Yet it is difficult to remember the vast array of materials involved, such as the names of major innovators, dates of significant events, and lasting outcomes (Rosenthal, 2008). Thus, to get the most out of learning, the process should be developmental, occur over time, and use a variety of methods (Bloom, 1956; Brown et al., 2014; MacCluskie, 2012). Remembering important materials is not mastered overnight. The procedure is like building a house. The foundation must be laid before the floors are put down, the walls erected, and the roof constructed.

While couple and family counseling is a relatively recent field of study, it is filled with names, events, and research results. It is hard to remember all but the most significant of these facts and under the pressure of seeing clients and making therapeutic decisions, much of what has been learned by new clinicians seem to disappear as quickly as fog under a hot summer Sun (Skovholt & Rønnestad, 2003; Wagner & Hill, 2015). It is lost in the tension of having to recall, the who, what, when, where, and how of the profession. Yet, by helping students remember essentials based on a structure they have already mastered, such as their ABCs, more material from a course can be retrieved and new clinicians can feel relieved and be more effective (Blow & Karam, 2017).

Method

Reinforcing what is covered in a course on family counseling can take many forms. Berk (2003) recommended methods that are fun and challenging as ways of helping students remember. Because they are enjoyable, active learning experiences promote student engagement and consequently improve students’ ability to retain the facts associated with such activities (Keyser, 2000). Furthermore, Bradley et al. (2021) advocated incorporating experiential activities into classroom instruction, while other academics affirm the pedagogical value of encouraging spontaneity and creativity in the classroom (Deacon & Thomas, 2000; Gladding, 2021; Lawrence et al., 2015; Laughlin, 2000; Wells & Dickens, 2020).

A simple ABC procedure that is ungraded, but frequently given, is an entertaining way of assisting students in remembering important concepts and ideas. The process is simple. It consists of handing out two blank vertical lists of alphabets from A to Z. At the top of one of the lists is the heading “Significant People in Family Counseling” (see Appendix A). At the top of the second list is written “Family Counseling Techniques” (see Appendix B). Students are then told that they have five minutes to fill-in as many names or techniques as they can.

At the end of the initial five minutes, an additional 10 min is spent making the students call out what they have put down for each letter under “people” and “techniques.” This dynamic is similar to what is done at the end of a Bingo game except that there is no “free space” and students can “borrow” information they hear from fellow classmates to help fill out their papers. Besides verbal recitation, the information is also written down on a PowerPoint slide, so everyone benefits from verbal and visual means of learning (Bradley et al., 2021). Each week these two lists are compiled and students add missing information to their lists until the end of the semester.

Outcome

Since each week the number of answers increases, students acquire new learning and older responses are reinforced or refined. Some competitive students read ahead and come up with names and techniques that have not been covered yet. However, most students do not and instead focus on the material that has been assigned for the class and reviewed in previous classes. Thus, the in-class experience is a time of learning through remembering and new learning as people and techniques are discussed by peers and the professor. The time is meant to be one of absurdity and hilarity too as a few students try to “game the system” by suggesting individuals or methods that are not a part of the mainstream family systems. At such times, the professor must change hats from being a facilitator of discussion to being a referee and ruling in favor of a name or concept being part of the ABC information.

Each week the two ABC lists become longer and stronger with pertinent information. Students may request a new fill-in sheet for each week. However, most will keep their initial sheets and add to them. By the end of the semester, master response pages like the ones featured in Appendix A and B have been created. They are easily duplicated and presented to students before the final exam, either as a text or paper document.

Implications and Conclusion

On the surface, the ABC Method of Teaching Family Counseling may seem simple. Indeed, it is. Yet like the skeleton key used in solution-focused family work, the simplicity of the process is also a beauty and strength of this approach (O’Connell, 2012). Students are challenged to think broadly and realize there are multiple dimensions to working with a family (Granello, 2010; Williams et al., 2021). Thus, they evolve from thinking of one theorist or technique to being mindful of different people and techniques that are a part of the field (Blow & Karam, 2017; Welfare & Borders, 2010). In short, they are in a better position to think creatively and consequentially act in a transtheoretical way instead of being purist in using one approach or one theorist's way of conducting family and couple counseling (Gladding, 2018; Lawrence et al., 2015).

A second important aspect of this way of working is that family counseling students are “taught” the essentials of family counseling by their peers as well as their professors. Peer reinforcement helps students learn about each other as well as from each other (Wagner & Hill, 2015). The relationships formed last longer than the class itself and may result in students helping other students in dealing with difficult family cases even after they have graduated. This type of bonding assures graduates of professionals, who, apart from their professors or immediate supervisors, can help each other when they need it.

Finally, this way of learning is one where there is a certain amount of levity, professors can express their sense of humor (Swank & Houseknecht, 2019), and students can laugh at themselves and their answers to the ABC worksheets (Rosenthal, 2008). In fact, it is essential that students have fun with this exercise. Otherwise, it is sheer rote memory. Therefore, on occasions, professors should suggest wild answers or have a student confederate do so. In this way everyone can relax more and, while taking this exercise seriously, can remember it with delight. Professors may also set up the worksheets in different ways, such as mixing the letters up or arranging them where the letters spell students’ names or even the name of the college where the course is being taught (see Appendix C).

Overall, the ABC method of teaching family counseling is versatile, simple, and educational. It bonds students with one another and with their professors. It gives them tangible knowledge they can take away from the course. In addition, it is fun and memorable. By using this method of learning, the classroom becomes a cauldron for introducing and mixing important facts with future clinicians in a dynamic way.