Direct Practice in Social Work, 2e Scott W. Boyle Grafton H. Hull, Jr. Jannah Hurn Mather Larry Lorenzo Smith O. William Farley University of Utah, College of Social Work Power Points by Julie Emmer, University of Central Florida This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; Preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; Any rental, lease, or lending of the program. © 2009 Allyn & Bacon

Direct Practice in Social Work In Chapter 10 we will learn the following: General systems concepts as they relate to family therapy How understanding the family life cycle helps in family assessment Cultural competence issues with families How to use tools such as ecomaps and genograms An overview of some of the techniques and models of family therapy How to respond to families mandated for treatment

General systems concepts in family therapy Homeostasis Feedback loops Boundaries Closed/open systems Subsystems Roles Rules

In working with families, keep in mind: You are establishing a relationship with several people at one time You will need a broad range of assessment skills to gather all the data you need You must be able to handle communication issues among family members. You must engage different family members around a common goal

Goals for the initial contact Establishment of guidelines for the sessions Building therapeutic alliances with all of the family members Eliciting information from each member in terms of identified problems and goals Assessing patterns of family functioning Building on the strengths Focusing on the family as a system Encouraging continuation of the family sessions

A family brings many perspectives © 2009 Allyn & Bacon

The family life cycle Families with school-aged kids Families with Teenagers Families with Young Children Launching years Marriage Middle-aged parents Aging family members

Stages of divorce Phase Developmental Issue Decision to divorce Acceptance of one’s own part in the failure of the marriage Planning the breakup Working cooperatively on problems of custody, visitation, finances Dealing with extended family Separation Mourning the loss of the intact family Restructuring relationships and finances, adjusting to the change Realigning relationships with extended family Divorce Mourning the loss of intact family, accepting the change Retrieval of hopes, dreams, expectations Staying connected with extended family

Assessing family functioning Meta-communication patterns Problem solving skills Belief patterns Family of origin issues Alliances and coalitions Support systems

Environmental factors Basic needs such as food, shelter Social networks and institutions Economic factors Safety issues Culture, background, and ethnic identity

Cultural competence with families (Dillard, 1983) Many cultures rely more heavily on nonverbal, than verbal, communication Eye contact is beneficial in most but not all cultures Both open ended and closed ended questions are permissible in most cultures Some cultures will be uncomfortable with feeling reflection Most cultures have no problem with the use of paraphrasing Care should be taken when using self disclosure Some cultures would expect the helper to give interpretations and advice Periodic summarization is probably appropriate Confrontation may be misinterpreted by some cultures All cultures respect the core skills of genuineness and openness

Different cultures bring different family dynamics: African American families Native American families Asian American families Gay and lesbian families

Ecomap

Genogram

Processes and techniques Family sculpture Questioning Multiple family therapy Changing family communication

Unique models Bowenian Family Therapy Structural Family Therapy Experiential Therapy Strategic Family Therapy Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Psychoanalytic Family Therapy Feminist Therapy Narrative Therapy

Working with mandated families These values remain particularly important: Client self determination Dignity and respect Social justice Support of strengths

Substance abusing families Be particularly aware of the concepts of enabling and codependency © 2009 Allyn & Bacon