For the first four weeks of class, we will focus on groups in family work. This week you will read Hepworth et al. (2023) Chapter 10 Assessing Family Functioning in Diverse Family and Cultural Contexts. The assessment is the foundation for any successful service. Some of the dimensions we must look at include: family structure, including homeostasis, boundaries, power and decision-making, roles, rules, life cycle, and sociopolitical environment

• Genogram cutout activity
• Strengths perspective and families
• Engagement and assessment with families

Learning Objectives include:

• Engaging in a group activity that can later be implemented with clients
• Identify and articulate strengths within family systems using a strengths-based perspective.
• Describe core functions and diverse structures of families from a generalist social work lens.
• Explain key concepts of family systems theory, including homeostasis, roles, rules, boundaries, and communication styles.
• Apply foundational assessment principles to analyze family dynamics using a systems framework.