Review information on genetic disorders on the National Human Genome Research Institute Site: http://www.genome.gov/.

Choose a genetic disorder that can be inherited from a parent. Write a 525- to 700-word paper on the genetic disorder. Include the following in your paper:

Summarize the Chromosomal Theory of Inheritance and how chromosomal abnormalities can lead to genetic disorders.

• Describe the relationship between chromosomes and DNA.
• Identify an example of a genetic disorder and describe the genetic disorder including symptoms, impact on quality of life, and life expectancy. How common is this disorder? Does it run in specific ethnic bloodlines?

Format your paper according to APA guidelines. Review the Academic Writing Guidelines video and the Center for Writing Excellence for additional guidance on academic writing and APA style.

Discussion Question: Family Therapy

In this discussion you will apply some of your understanding of family therapy to the following scenario:

Debbie is 18 years old and has come in to see a counselor because she knows that she desperately needs help.  Debbie says that she sleeps 14 to 15 hours a day and would probably sleep the whole day if her mother did not wake her up to go to college. She says that she has lost interest in everything. Her parents want her to be a doctor, but she feels that this is not what she wants to be. Debbie prefers to be alone in her room. Her mother constantly nags her about her laziness and sarcastically cuts her down as a way to “motivate” her to do something with her life. Debbie has a very strained relationship with her father who is seldom at home because he is working two jobs. The future seems hopeless to Debbie, and she often thinks about committing suicide, though her parents do not know this. She has thought of cutting her wrist but has not been able to do so. She keeps hoping that she will feel better the next day. Her counselor has diagnosed Debbie with depression and is suggesting that in addition to Debbie’s individual counseling the family also begin counseling sessions.

Please respond to the following questions:

1. 1. Of the three approaches to family therapy mentioned in the lecture notes this week (Experiential, Structural and Strategic), which do you think Debbie and her family would benefit from most? Give a detailed rationale for your choice with supportive evidence from the case study.
   2. If you were the therapist working with Debbie and her parents, what would you assess as the main problem they are facing as a family? Be detailed in your response and include all three members in your assessment. Since a family system is a unit, all members affect each other.
   3. How would you specifically intervene using the family therapy approach mentioned in question 1? Suggest at least two methods or techniques from your chosen theory that you believe would help this family toward healthier interaction. Explain each of these methods or techniques in detail.