Family Therapy Session Dialogue

This assignment requires you to analyze a dialogue from a family therapy session. Pay close attention to the communication styles employed by each participant (Riley, Pat, and Polly). Identify any conflicts present and explore the proposed solutions offered during the session. Consider factors such as emotional responses, power dynamics, and the overall effectiveness of the therapeutic interaction.

Running head: VIDEO TRANSCRIPT ANALYSIS
Video Transcript Analysis
Name of Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1VIDEO TRANSCRIPT ANALYSIS
Perso
n
Dialogue Skill/
behaviour
Critical reflection and analysis using relevant literature
Polly Riley and Pat,
my name is
Polly. I’m the
mediator here
today and I
want to
welcome you
both here
today first of
all and thank
you for
coming in.
Um, it’s not
easy to engage
in a mediation
process and I
commend your
courage in
coming here
today to face
up to these
difficult issues
that you’ve
been
experiencing
in your
marriage. Um,
so have you
been to
mediation
before?
Non verbal
behaviour
(SOLER)
The fundamental qualities of SOLER
(Sit squarely, Open posture, Lean towards the client, Eye contact, Relax
) was followed to some extent (Stonehouse,2014). Polly was sitting
squarely with an open posture, which ensured that she was engaged in
the conversation. However, she was not leaning forward, which showed
lack of friendliness. She seemed quite tensed and she was not relaxed
while making the conversation. The mediator was friendly and this
made the opposite parties at ease.
I am often not comfortable in sitting squarely and hence I do not always
maintain an open posture. However, I make it a point that I lean
towards the client, which arouses the interest in the conversation. I also
maintain adequate eye contact with the persons I am talking to. I also
try to maintain calm and control my breathing process when I am
speaking with someone else.
Riley No
Pat No, no
Polly Okay. Alright.
So, I’ll just
explain a little
bit about the
process for
you just so you
understand
what the
purpose is of
Lack of
listening skills
Blocks to
listening:
Advising
Polly has given a long speech and hence she was unable to make spaces
for accommodating the comments of the Pat and Riley. The mediator
has not given any opportunities for knowing the feelings or viewpoints
of the opposite parties since she had given them no chance of speaking.
The mediator has started advising about the probable situations without
knowing the point of Pat and Riley.
I have also faced similar situations in which I start advising someone
and have failed to understand their feelings. There were times when I

2VIDEO TRANSCRIPT ANALYSIS
being here
today. So, I’m
going to be a
neutral third
party that you
can bounce
information
back between
yourself from
about the
issues that
you’re
experiencing
in your
marriage. And
we’re doing
that to sort of
flesh out what
conflicts there
are between
you and try
and find a way
forward
through them.
Hopefully
doing that in a
cooperative
way and sort
of looking
towards a win-
win situation
in terms of
compromise.
So you both
might have to
give a little bit
to get things
back on track
in your
household but
hopefully we
will find a
solution that
can meet both
of your needs.
So, that may
didn’t give any option to speak for the other parties. In the future, I
should be more careful about this and should practice active listening. I
have made it a point that I would allow the other person to express their
opinions, which would be helpful in my professional endeavours too.

3VIDEO TRANSCRIPT ANALYSIS
not happen in
the first
session today.
Um, mediation
can be a longer
process than
just one
session. I hope
that I can get
something
happening for
you today that
we can work
towards but
just be aware
that these
things can take
time but we’ll
certainly do
our best.
Um, now I
think I
probably said
most of the
things I need
to say, in
terms of
ground rules
though, we
just need to
refrain from
making, sort
of, harsh
statements
towards each
other wherever
possible so try
and refrain
from bad
language.
That’s not
constructive.
That’s not a
good way to
get your

4VIDEO TRANSCRIPT ANALYSIS
information
across. It’s
better to just
do that in an
assertive way.
So if you
could try and
make ‘I’
statements
when you’re
expressing
your feelings,
try and avoid
blaming the
other person,
try and avoid
criticising the
other person
and making
demands. So
just make
statements
about how you
feel about the
situation. And
then hopefully
we can sort of
combine those
‘I’ statements
and try and get
a good
outcome for
you both
happening. Is
that relatively
clear?
Riley Yeah
Pat It is but, I’ve
got allergy
stuff. I don’t
know if
you’ve got a
cat or
something but
Open
Communicator
Pat is clear in communicating his feelings and he seemed to be
straightforward in expressing his feelings. They are comfortable in
putting forward their opinions and hence are receptive to other’s words.
I am not an open communicator and I am reserved in expressing my
feelings. I am not free in expressing my thoughts, feelings and

5VIDEO TRANSCRIPT ANALYSIS
like, but just
so you know
that
sometimes…..
emotions. However, I have decided that I would try to express my
feelings in an open manner.
Riley Are you
kidding me
right now?
Polly Ok.
Pat Look I know
you don’t
necessarily….
Riley-
F
We're not
actually at the
GP for your
hypochondria
right now,
we’re trying to
change our
marriage…
Passive
Aggressiveness
Communication
Riley has displayed passive-aggressiveness behaviour as she suddenly
outburst her anger. According to Kok(2014), the passive-aggressive
style of communication is concerned with the individuals who appear
passive on their exterior but they are actually really angry in their sub-
conscious stage. There can be aggressive or angry tendencies in
indirect, subtle manner. This is what happened with Riley and this is the
cause of the sudden outburst.
I display such behaviour often when I feel stuck, powerless and
resentful. However, I do not express my opinions often and often do it
in a subtle manner. This is also the reason when I am often alienated
from the people around me. However, I should try to act in a more
mature manner and I should address the real issues, instead of keeping
my anger in my sub-conscious mind.
Polly Excuse me.
Excuse me,
both of you. Is
there anything
I can do to
make you
more
comfortable,
Pat, while
we’re in the
room? I’ve got
some…
Empathetic
listening
The empathetic listening is concerned with understanding the feelings
and the emotions of the speakers without a detailed explanation
(Brownell, 2015). It is concerned with placing oneself in the position of
other person’s and understanding their viewpoints. Polly was
compassionate about the relationship dilemma of Riley and Pat. She
connected to their situation at a deeper level.
I display empathetic listening at times, while I do not make judgements
regarding the other persons and I encourage the speaker to speak up
their mind. However, at times, I lack these qualities and I am unable to
understand the views of other persons.

6VIDEO TRANSCRIPT ANALYSIS
Pat Oh, no, I
wanted to kind
of just check
and that you
know….
Critical
listening
Pat was listening patiently to the comments of Riley. As stated by San
Pedro, Carlos and Mburu (2017), critical listening aim is to evaluate the
words of other person with an intention of deducing meaningful
conclusion. It involves the analysis of the given information and
alignment with it. Pat was involved in careful listening of Riley and was
taking a note of the arguments made. This is the reason he could cut
short the speech of Polly and made his own comments.
I rarely do critical listening when I am in seminar or in counselling
sessions. I get carried away by my own thoughts and hence I am unable
to I know I should improve myself. I should try to focus on the actual
meaning of other person and should interpret it accordingly.
Polly Ok, I’ll just
leave those
there and you
can just go for
it if you need
to and if
there’s
anything else
we can do
please let me
know. I spoke
to you both on
the telephone
briefly
concerning the
issues that you
were having in
your marriage
but I’d
actually like to
hear them
from you
again in
person here
today in more
detail. So, I’d
like to start
with Riley. So,
could you
please tell me
Riley about
Conflict
resolution,
empathy,
interactive,
positive body
language
Polly took an active part in resolving the conflicts of Riley and Pat.
According to Zhang and Constantinovits (2016), the Roger Fisher and
William Ury theory of Principled Negotiation, the parties should focus
on interest and create a wide variety of options before settling on
particular agreement. Polly was also involved in positive body language
which made the opponents at ease. She was conducting the session in
an interactive manner.
In my seminars, I have always tried to more empathetic with the
audience. I try to main good postures and gestures so that I can convey
the correct message. However, I lack conflict resolution skills and this
should be improved. I should try to take stand in case of critical
situations.

7VIDEO TRANSCRIPT ANALYSIS
the nature of
the situation
that you’ve
been
experiencing
Pat?
Riley Um, yeah,
sure. You’ll
have to bear
with me if I’m
not super
articulate, I’m
running as
usual on about
3 hours sleep.
Open
communication
Riley was free in communicating herself and open expression of the
feelings was done.
Polly Oh, yep.
Riley Look, I am
committed to
fixing things,
um, I wouldn’t
be here if I
wasn’t, but
I’m exhausted.
I don’t have
anything left
to give.
Open
communication,
clarity in
speech
Riley was open in communicating her feelings and she was clear in her
approach. She was also not afraid of expressing her true concerns.
I also believe in straightforward communication. I also do not make
things unnecessary complicated and like to keep my communications
simple.
Polly Sure
Riley I’m working
doing door to
door sales,
which is
exhausting,
um, I’m doing
that until
sometimes 7 at
night. Selling
car servicing
to like
pensioners and
poor people
that don’t need
car servicing.
It’s… it’s soul
Analytical
thinker
Riley was able to describe the actual happenings in her life and this was
the result of her analytical thinking. The analytical thinking can be
defined as the critical component of the visual component of the
thinking and have the ability to solve the various problems in an
effective and quick manner (Baghaei Lakeh & Ghaffarzadegan, 2015).
I lack the capability of analytical thinking at all times and this makes
me a weak competitor in modern professional job market. I should be
able to analyse the various situations and hence should acquire this
ability.

8VIDEO TRANSCRIPT ANALYSIS
destroying.
And then I’m
coming home
and studying.
I’m at uni
studying
medicine, so,
um, I can have
a better career
and actually
make sure we
can have nice
things for the
kids and I’m
not feeding
them No Frills
pizzas that
don’t actually
have toppings
on them.
Polly Mmm, mmm. Comprehensive
listening According to Silverman, Kurtz and Draper (2016), the comprehensive
listening skills involves the understanding of the messages which are
being communicated. I such listening skills, the listener needs to have
good language and vocabulary skills. In this case, Polly was patiently
listening to the viewpoints of the Riley. She was interpreting the various
sub-messages from the different aspects of the non-verbal
communication.
I always engage in comprehensive kind of listening skills. During the
seminar, I paid attention to the various non-verbal communication
signals such as gestures, tone of voice and body language. But I do not
blindly observe these non-verbal techniques only and also pay attention
to the verbal message.
Riley The deal was
that he would
stay at home
and look after
the kids but he
pretty much
just drops
them off at
school and sits
Aggressive
communication
style
The aggressive communication style is one of the communication styles
in which the individuals express their feelings as well as opinions in
such a manner that it often violates the rights of other person (Men,
2015). Riley was getting impulsive and was trying to dominate her
husband. She may have unhealed emotional wounds and hence she have
adopted the criticize approach.

9VIDEO TRANSCRIPT ANALYSIS
around doing
nothing. I
come home
and have to do
all of the
cleaning as
well because
he thinks, you
know, that
he’s going to
get cancer
from wiping
the benches or
whatever. Um,
and then I’m
staying up
until 4am
doing
assignments. I
don’t know
how I’m
supposed to
have time to
talk to him
about the
marriage.
There are few instances when I behave in a aggressive communication
style. In such instances, I speak in a loud, overbearing and demanding
voice, which often exposes my vulnerable emotional side to others. In
such cases, I have a tendency to blame others and proving me right. My
lecturers have told me that I should understand, think and ponder over
the situation before having emotional attacks.
Polly Sure. So
you’re having
a really hard
time juggling
things by the
sounds of
things at the
moment. Like,
that’s such a
huge workload
to have to deal
with and
working those
jobs on top of
your uni work
and managing
the household
and looking
after the kids
Understanding,
empathetic and
friendly nature.
Problem
solving
approach
Polly was trying hard to solve the marital problems of the couple. She
was trying hard to understand the underlying problem of the couple and
hence she adopted a friendly nature. Her body language was interactive,
positive and allowed the couple to share their worries.

10VIDEO TRANSCRIPT ANALYSIS
all the time. I
mean that’s
just, you
know, that’s
awesome, you
know, that
Wonder
Womaning
type stuff is
amazing. But
there’s only so
long you can
keep that up
for you know,
so…
Riley Exactly
Polly Well, I
understand
why you
wanted to
come in today,
that’s for sure.
Riley Yep, yep.
Polly Yeah, okay, so
Pat. Tell me
about your
take on the
situation.
Interactive,
considerate
Polly was being interactive and was considerate about both the parties
and their viewpoints. She considered both the opinions and also asked
Pat to say his grievances.
Pat Oh, look, look,
things are
quite stressful.
I don’t think
that Riley
understands
how much
time goes into
supporting our
children. And
look to be
honest, I’m
sorry if this
sounds a little
bit sort of like,
Reasoning
skills, good
verbal
communication
The verbal communication is concerned about using the correct words
to deliver the intended message (Hybels, 2014). The effectiveness of the
oral communication need to dependant on voice modulations, clarity of
speech, volume, speed and others. This also concerns with the better
convey of thoughts in a better manner.
I have also displayed good communication skills during my seminars. I
have displayed good reasoning skills during my internship and I was
able to solve existing problems.

11VIDEO TRANSCRIPT ANALYSIS
I don’t know,
harsh or
whatever, but
we did agree,
and she
wanted to, go
out to work
and wanted to
be like, doing
work. And
that’s what
was agreed
and look, it is
a problem, as
you’ve
noticed, it is a
problem with
my allergies. I
think that
she’s
exaggerating a
bit in terms of
the cancer
stuff. Sure, my
mother has
spoken about
things to us
that she’s quite
concerned
about, how
some of the
things in the
house…the
household jobs
may, may
cause
problems, but
there’s so
much other
stuff that I
actually do
taking care of
our children
and you know,
look, I have to
be the main

12VIDEO TRANSCRIPT ANALYSIS
carer
basically…
Pat And that’s
what we’d
agreed that
we’d actually
do, so, I’m you
know…
Polly Okay, so it
sounds like
you’re just
having a
difficult time
managing the
children and
difficult time,
um, you know,
with your
allergies and
everything and
um, I’m sorry,
what was the
last thing you
said?
Interruptive Polly did not let the other person (Pat) complete his speech and
interrupted him in between. This made the other person unable to
complete his speech and there could have been serious points, which
were missed.
Polly Okay, so I feel
like we’ve
really explored
the issues as
much as we
need to for
now, so what
we’d like to do
is perhaps
move into a
situation
where you two
can put
forward some
proposals and
counter
proposals as to
how you might
change things

13VIDEO TRANSCRIPT ANALYSIS
in the
household to
work better for
you both. Um,
how does that
sound?
Riley So as I said,
working full
time and
coming home
and trying to
study, it’s not
doable. I need
to get the
degree out of
the way as
soon as
possible so I
can earn more.
So for me,
what I would
suggest, is that
I would cut
down to half
time, um, he
would pick up
half time
hours, so um,
work half the
week. Um, and
also, actually
start doing the
household
chores so I
didn’t have to
do them when
I was studying.
That would be
really good for
me.
Polly Yep. Yep.
Okay, so that’s
really great. So
a bit of a

14VIDEO TRANSCRIPT ANALYSIS
reduction in
working hours
and yeah, Pat
picking up
more of the
chores at home
to just take the
pressure of
you?
Riley Yeah, that
would be
really helpful.
Pat Look, I think
first off, and
I’ve explained
this, you
know, my
allergies are
difficult and
I’d love to
pick up more
of those
household
chores, love
to, look I
really would…
Polly Would you?
Pat It’s not that I
wouldn’t.
Yeah, no, I
would. And I
know, I know
how important
that is and
look, the idea
of sort of,
doing part
time work,
that’s really
good. But at
the moment, I
haven’t had

15VIDEO TRANSCRIPT ANALYSIS
the
opportunity to
kind of, search
for work and
to kind of do
that. I’ve been
out of the
market for a
bit, so I need
to kind of
work on
things, you
know…
Pat Well, I
suppose, look,
what I can
propose is this
could work
really well.
What about,
um, I look at
some online
stuff. So if
Riley was
prepared to,
and you know
I think it
would be
really good for
her to be doing
this, actually
to be with the
children at
bedtime,
actually really
trying to be
present as a
good
parent…..you
know my
mum’s
mentioned
this…
Riley Are you

16VIDEO TRANSCRIPT ANALYSIS
kidding me
right now?
Like…you’re
supposed to be
putting
forward
reasonable
solutions, so
your….
Riley So you’re
solution is for
me to do more
work…
Pat I, I…
Riley ….to criticise
me as a
mother….
Riley your mother is
pretty much
part of our
marriage, it’s
like a three
way marriage,
with your
mother, like I
can’t…
Riley Like she’s just
a great mother
that she raised
a
hypochondriac
child
Pat you can see
the
difficulties…
Polly I’m terribly
sorry, that was
terribly

17VIDEO TRANSCRIPT ANALYSIS
unprofessional
. Um, I was a
little bit
overwhelmed
with…
Pat You’re telling
me.
Polly Emotional
reaction from
the both of you
at that time,
that was quite
powerful and I
didn’t handle
that well.

18VIDEO TRANSCRIPT ANALYSIS
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