Family Systems in Social Work Practice

Discussion week6 SOCW 61001

Discussion – Week 6

Collapse

Top of Form

Total views: 31 (Your views: 4)

Family Systems in Social Work Practice

Families are as unique as the individuals who form them. While you may utilize the same or similar techniques, while working with family systems (through the steps in the GIM and related practice skills), it is also important to recognize that each family has its own unique needs and experiences in the world. The empowerment perspective states that an essential aspect of working with individuals and families is to address their feelings of powerlessness and oppression. Empowerment is a process; and one part of that process is to gain an awareness of the oppressive structures evident in our society. Oppression, in the form of racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia, can impact a family’s quality of life and ability to thrive. Empowerment practice includes discussing potential societal barriers that may have contributed to the family’s concerns. 

For this Discussion, review this week’s Learning Resources. Select a diverse family system, such as a family with differences in sexual orientation, a family with differences in race or ethnicity, or a family with members who are managing a disability. Then, consider potential barriers they might encounter in society. Finally, think about how a social worker might address one of these barriers on an individual, family, organizational, group, or community level.

Post by Day 4 a brief description of the diverse family system you selected. Then explain a potential barrier they might encounter in society. Finally, explain one skill a social worker might use to address this barrier on an individual, family, organizational, group, or community level.

Support your posts and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your references.

Bottom of Form

Required readings

Introduction

Working with an entire family or client system provides insight into the true dynamics of its members. Your office becomes a window into the workings of the family and how each member perpetuates the current presenting problem. For many years, social workers and others in counseling professions would focus on the one client who was referred for treatment (either by self-referral or by a member of the client’s family system). As social work treatment progressed, it became clear that there are many pieces to the concerns of one family member. Often an individual’s perceived negative behavior is actually due to strained connections amongst family members. For example, a young boy might be referred by his parents for aggressive, angry, and defiant “acting out” behavior. The family’s sessions reveal that the son’s problematic behavior is actually in response to the marital issues his parents are having, but thought were concealed from their son. How might family systems theory help to explain how an individual’s behavior might be impacted by others in the client system and concurrently how that individual’s behavior might impact the rest of that system? How has your family relationships impacted your daily life? 

This week, you explore potential societal barriers for diverse family systems and skills for addressing them on various levels of social work practice.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

Analyze potential societal barriers for diverse family systems

Evaluate skills for addressing societal barriers on individual, family, organizational, group or community levels 

Analyze social work role play experience

Critique effectiveness of social work techniques

Required

Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hull, G. H., Jr. (2012). Understanding generalist practice (6th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.

Chapter 9, “Understanding Families: Family Assessment” (pp. 330-360)

Required

Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hull, G. H., Jr. (2012). Understanding generalist practice (6th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.

Chapter 10, “Working with Families” (pp. 361-394)