Health II: Facilitating Health & Healing in Families

In this course, family theory and families' experiences with chronic health challenges are the focus of discussion.  An outline of concepts and essential content is presented below. Course concepts are addressed in relation to the four foundational concepts (ways of knowing, personal meaning, time/transitions and culture/context) integrating the metaconcepts, health promotion and caring.  This content varies depending on the experiences, interests and choices of the course participants. 

Chronicity

Hope

• spirituality

Empowerment

• dependence/independence, autonomy, control
• critique of compliance

Self-image in relation to chronicity

• self concept, body image, sexuality
• role change

Personal meaning

• experience and interpretation of health challenge, e.g. frustration, anger, suffering, courage, resilience

Personal resources and resourcefulness

• accessing resources, financial resources, knowledge, barriers, support systems

Community as context and resource

Loneliness

• isolation

Loss/grieving

• death and dying

Family Theory

• meaning of family in society (introduction)
• assessment (introduction)
• families’ experience of chronic health challenge

Health Promotion

• related to family’s experiences of chronic health challenges

Healing Process (individual and family experiences)

Context /Cultural influences (diversity)

Chronic Pain/suffering

• chronic pain management
• physical pain
• psychological pain

Time/transitions

• effects of chronic health challenge on growth and development
• personal growth
• normal aging process
• change
• family constellation transitions
• trajectory of chronic illness

Vulnerability/stress related to chronicity

• potential for violence
• abuse of clients
• abuse of caregivers (informal)

Tertiary prevention (rehabilitation)

• principles (introduction)