This study uses a quasi-experimental design to determine if a solution-focused therapy (SFT) approach to couples counseling can be effective in improving an individual's marital satisfaction, and if a SFT approach to couples therapy can be improved upon by adding a one-time, psycho-educational intervention (i.e. Video #2 from the Fighting for your Marriage series: The Speaker/Listener Technique) that is normally not a part of the model. Nine male-female couples participated in the project. One group (n = 8) completed treatment without viewing the communication skills video while the other group (n = 10) viewed the video at week two of treatment. Three questions were asked when analyzing data: 1. Do individuals who receive both solution-focused therapy and the speaker/listener tape end therapy reporting a greater increase in marital satisfaction than individuals who receive solution-focus therapy only? 2. Do individuals who receive both solution-focused therapy and the speaker/listener tape end therapy reporting a greater increase in satisfaction with their couple communication than those who receive solution-focused therapy only? 3. Do individuals who receive both solution-focused therapy and the speaker/listener tape end therapy reporting more satisfaction with the therapy process than those who receive solution-focused therapy only? No significant difference in marital satisfaction or communication satisfaction was found between the two groups. However, individuals who viewed the video reported being significantly more satisfied with therapy. In addition, both groups reported significant improvement in their relationships which suggests that SFT promotes change. Evidence also suggests that males and females respond to SFT in significantly different ways. The study was limited by its small sample size and one measure that was deemed unreliable. Findings suggest that integration of models and/or interventions is a delicate balance of art and design, and can be altered by such things as dose, philosophy, and placement of psychosocial treatments. / Master of Science

Dans le domaine de la déficience intellectuelle, des relations de nature partenariale entre les parents et les intervenants sont maintenant souhaitées. D’ailleurs, les avantages d’établir un partenariat dans les relations entre les parents et les intervenants ne sont plus à démontrer. Pourtant, les écrits portant sur ce sujet dressent un portrait où le partenariat est plutôt absent des relations entre les intervenants et les parents. En situation d’hébergement, le partenariat entre les parents et les intervenants est encore plus pertinent puisqu’il constitue un facteur influençant positivement l’implication des parents auprès de leur enfant ayant une déficience intellectuelle. Par contre, le sujet spécifique des relations entre les intervenants et les parents de personnes ayant une déficience intellectuelle en contexte d’hébergement a été peu exploré dans les écrits. Dans le cadre du présent mémoire, une recherche qualitative a été menée afin de connaître la perception de parents d’adultes ayant une déficience intellectuelle de leurs relations avec les intervenants dans un contexte d’hébergement. Dix parents ont donc été rencontrés en entrevue. Les objectifs de cette recherche étaient de qualifier, à partir de la perception de parents, la nature des relations qu’ils entretiennent avec les intervenants et de cibler les facteurs qui influencent leurs relations. / In the mental retardation field, partnership relationships between parents and caregivers are now a must. In fact, the advantages of a partnership in the relationships between parents and caregivers no longer need to be validated. Still, written documents on this subject usually depict a picture of a partnership that is somewhat lacking in the relationships between the caregivers and the parents. This partnership between caregivers and parents is even more important in foster homes settings as it strongly influences the parents’ involvement in the life of their child with learning disabilities. However, the actual subject of relationships between caregivers and parents of adult children with mental retardation in foster homes settings has been seldom documented. This thesis required a qualitative research be made to better understand the perception of parents of adult children with mental retardation with respect to their relationship with the caregivers in a foster home setting. Ten parents were interviewed. The purpose of this research was to better qualify, according to the parents’ perception, the type of relationships they have with the caregivers and to identify the factors that influence these relationships. The results showed that most parents are satisfied with their relationships with their adult child’s caregivers. The description they give of their relationships brings us to conclude that there is in fact a partnership. From an ecological analysis, we have grouped these factors according to different systems. The familial systemic model also enabled us to analyze the factors at a deeper level. Amongst the identified factors, some are more important than others. First, there is the factor that caregivers recognize the importance of the parents’ contribution. Then, there is the factor that the parents notice a sense of well-being in their child. Finally, there is the factor that the parents are able to voice their point of view and their expectations.

Dans le domaine de la déficience intellectuelle, des relations de nature partenariale entre les parents et les intervenants sont maintenant souhaitées. D’ailleurs, les avantages d’établir un partenariat dans les relations entre les parents et les intervenants ne sont plus à démontrer. Pourtant, les écrits portant sur ce sujet dressent un portrait où le partenariat est plutôt absent des relations entre les intervenants et les parents. En situation d’hébergement, le partenariat entre les parents et les intervenants est encore plus pertinent puisqu’il constitue un facteur influençant positivement l’implication des parents auprès de leur enfant ayant une déficience intellectuelle. Par contre, le sujet spécifique des relations entre les intervenants et les parents de personnes ayant une déficience intellectuelle en contexte d’hébergement a été peu exploré dans les écrits. Dans le cadre du présent mémoire, une recherche qualitative a été menée afin de connaître la perception de parents d’adultes ayant une déficience intellectuelle de leurs relations avec les intervenants dans un contexte d’hébergement. Dix parents ont donc été rencontrés en entrevue. Les objectifs de cette recherche étaient de qualifier, à partir de la perception de parents, la nature des relations qu’ils entretiennent avec les intervenants et de cibler les facteurs qui influencent leurs relations. / In the mental retardation field, partnership relationships between parents and caregivers are now a must. In fact, the advantages of a partnership in the relationships between parents and caregivers no longer need to be validated. Still, written documents on this subject usually depict a picture of a partnership that is somewhat lacking in the relationships between the caregivers and the parents. This partnership between caregivers and parents is even more important in foster homes settings as it strongly influences the parents’ involvement in the life of their child with learning disabilities. However, the actual subject of relationships between caregivers and parents of adult children with mental retardation in foster homes settings has been seldom documented. This thesis required a qualitative research be made to better understand the perception of parents of adult children with mental retardation with respect to their relationship with the caregivers in a foster home setting. Ten parents were interviewed. The purpose of this research was to better qualify, according to the parents’ perception, the type of relationships they have with the caregivers and to identify the factors that influence these relationships. The results showed that most parents are satisfied with their relationships with their adult child’s caregivers. The description they give of their relationships brings us to conclude that there is in fact a partnership. From an ecological analysis, we have grouped these factors according to different systems. The familial systemic model also enabled us to analyze the factors at a deeper level. Amongst the identified factors, some are more important than others. First, there is the factor that caregivers recognize the importance of the parents’ contribution. Then, there is the factor that the parents notice a sense of well-being in their child. Finally, there is the factor that the parents are able to voice their point of view and their expectations.

The aim of this study is to explore heritage processes within contemporary urban planning in Sweden, which is done through a single-case study. The point of departure for the study is the management of Havrekvarnen, an early modernist industrial building within an urban development area of Nacka, Sweden. Through parallel decisions by the County Administrative Board and the local Municipality in 2016, the building was firstly, listed with the strongest legal, cultural, and historical protection available, and secondly, the municipal urban regulations were changed so that the landowner was given permission to pursuit a reconstruction of the building, replicating its original appearance. As such the case constitutes a hitherto unique example of a listed future reconstruction in Sweden. The study examines how the process took place, focusing on actors and critical junctures involved in the execution and how the description of the building's heritage-values changed. The study uses a composite theoretical framework of authorized heritage discourse and actor network theory. To this an explaining-outcome process tracing is applied as method. Through a sequential process of collecting empirical data, in the form of archival records and interviews, the process was mapped through the conceptualization of a causal mechanism. The method had not previously been used in the field of art history and was chosen as such with a tentative approach. The study gives an extensive presentation of the legal and practical framework surrounding heritage processes within urban planning in Sweden, as well as puts the study within a local historical context. The results of the study show that within the observed case, a trade-off situation between authenticity and aesthetic historical values arose, caused by the poor technical condition of the building: the aesthetic values were deemed to take precedence in the assessment. The study also shows how antiquarian consultants have had a decisive influence on the process of legislative enabling of the reconstruction of Havrekvarnen. The research design’s use of process tracing to map heritage processes is thus deemed useful for future enquiries within the field of art history and heritage studies.