Family Systems Social Work
Curriculum guideline
Lectures
Group work
Experiential classroom activities
Audio-visual presentations.
Course content will be guided by research, empirical knowledge and best practice. The following values and principles, consistent with professional standards, inform course content.
- Ability to reflect on one’s own family experience is central to understanding the potential impact of one’s values, beliefs, and attitudes on social work practice.
- A multi-generational family systems model such as the Multi Contextual Life Cycle Framework provides a comprehensive assessment of a family’s current situation.
- Diversity exists within individuals, families, communities and cultures.
- Everyone comes from a family. A family systems perspective provides multiple opportunities to provide support and assistance to clients.
- All families have strengths, even when under stress. It is essential for social workers to encourage resiliency and positive coping mechanisms.
- Providing support to families is only possible through collaboration with client families, as well as with other professionals and community members.
- Families develop through life transitions that present opportunities for change and growth.
- Stress can have a significant impact on both individual and family development. The effects of major stress, trauma and loss can go on for generations (e.g., Aboriginal people, refugees, etc.), and have a direct or indirect effect on individual or family functioning.
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Describe the relationship between individual development and family dynamics;
- Examine and analyize the nature of crisis, stress and change from a family systems perspective;
- Demonstrate understanding of relevant theoretical frameworks (e.g., family life cycle and family systems theory);
- Describe impact of gender roles, culture, socio-economics and stress on families;
- Apply the social support network model for families and explain the significance;
- Describe the role of social workers in supporting client families;
- Demonstrate understanding of variables that are used to assess levels of need in client families;
- Demonstrate importance of self-awareness in reflective practice.
- Examine own values and attitudes towards families
- Articulate how one's own family background shapes one's approach to working with others
- Describe how the conscious use of self is part of one's own professional practice model
Means of Assessment: This course will conform to Douglas College policy regarding the number and weighting of evaluations. Typical means of evaluation would include a combination of:
- Research papers
- Classroom activities and participation
- Examinations.
Text(s) such as the following, the list to be updated periodically:
Madsen, W., 7 Gillespie, K. (2014). Collaborative helping: A strengths framework for home-based services. Hokoken, NJ: Wiley.
McGoldrick, M., Carter, B., Garcia-Preto, N. (2011). The expanded family life cycle, (4th ed.). Toronto: Allyn & Bacon.
Shimoni, R., & Baxter, J. (2012). Working with families (5th ed.). Toronto: Pearson/ Addison Wesley.
Nil