Spring 2025 SOWK 487w Week 04 - Further Practices for Engaging with Families

title: Spring 2025 SOWK 487w Week 04 - Further Practices for Engaging with Families date: 2025-02-12 00:09:15 location: Heritage University tags:

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  • BASW Program
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In week four, we continue with our consideration and work on understanding and working with families. You have to do readings to go over outside of the textbook. First, Chovil (2009) a report that helps explain some of the best practices in working with and engaging families. It also provides context to what roles families can play in developing and promoting services. As you read Anderson-Butcher et al. (2004), we will also be the first to focus on the connection that families might have to other types of groups. Next, you can watch a short documentary about services for families, Administration for Children and Families (2015). During class, we will also be spending time talking about potential family roles and some specific tools for doing family work.

The following is the agenda for week four:

  • Specific tools for working with families
  • Dysfunctional family roles
  • Some standard techniques for working with families

Family Therapy

[Whole Class Activity] Watch Family Therapy Video clip of the Simpsons.

Today we will be talking about working with families and what that looks like.

Agenda

  • Specific tools for working with families
  • Dysfunctional family roles
  • Some standard techniques for working with families

What Families Provide (4 of 4)

Chavil’s (2009) paper lays out three types of family engagement that could be laid out on a sort of a continuum.

  • Family focused: more than working with just child, but whole family.
  • Family-centered “Family-centered treatment is not simply a new technique that can be learned by frontline clinicians. Family-centered treatment involves the program’s philosophy, organization, financing, staffing, and many other policies and procedures.” (Ooms & Snyder, 2007)
  • Family-driven “Family-driven means families have a primary decision making role in the care of their own children as well as the policies and procedures governing care for all children in their community, state, tribe, territory and nation” (Chavil, 2009).

Reference

Chovil, N. (2009, April) Engaging families in child & youth mental health: A review of best, emerging and promising practices. Retrieved from http://www.forcesociety.com/sites/default/files/Engaging%20Families%20in%20Child%20&%20Youth%20Mental%20Health.pdf

Requirements for Practice of Wraparound Model (1 of 2)

The wraparound model includes several components.

  1. The wraparound approach must be a team-driven process involving the family, child, natural supports, agencies, and community services working together to develop, implement, and evaluate the individualized plan.
  2. Families must be full and active partners in every level of the wraparound process.
  3. Services and supports must be individualized, built on strengths, and meet the needs of children and families across life domains to promote success, safety, and permanence in home, school and community.
  4. The process must be culturally competent, building on the unique values, preferences and strengths of children, families, and their communities.
  5. Wraparound child and family teams must have flexible approaches and adequate and flexible funding.

Requirements for Practice of Wraparound Model (2 of 2)

  1. Wraparound plans must include a balance of formal services and informal community and family supports.
  2. There must be an unconditional commitment to serve children and their families is essential.
  3. The plans should be developed and implemented based on an interagency, community-based collaborative process.
  4. Outcomes must be determined and measured for the system, program, and individual child and family.

Phases of Wraparound

Eber et al (2008) describe four phases of wraparound as a tertiary level intervention with students with EBD.

Reference

Eber, L., Breen, K., Rose, J., Unizycki, R. M., & London, T. H. (2008). Wraparound: As a tertiary level intervention for students with emotional/behavioral needs. Teaching Exceptional Children, 40(6), 16-22. https://doi.org/10.1177/004005990804000602

Phase I: Engagement and Team Preparation

The first phase of wraparound is mainly between the facilitator and the family (client system)

The facilitator…

  • Meets with family and key team members to gather their perspectives.
  • Guides family to generate a strengths list (multiple settings and perspectives) and a list of needs.
  • Generates a team member list, which includes natural supports, with the family.
  • Documents and shares baseline data about student’s strengths/needs.

Phase II: Initial Plan Development

The second phase of wraparound is around initial plan development with the client, family, and team.

The team…

  • Begins regular meeting schedule.
  • Documents and reviews strengths and needs data (home/school/community).
  • Chooses a few needs for team to focus action planning, with special priority assigned to family concerns.
  • Develops an intervention plan (including function-based behavior supports as needed) to respond to home, school, and community strengths/needs.
  • Assesses community supports/resources available to meet needs identified by family.

Phase III: Plan Implementation and Refinement

The third phase is implementing and making incremental changes to the plan.

The team…

  • Documents accomplishments of student and team at each meeting.
  • Meets frequently, checking follow-through and assessing progress of different interventions.
  • Receives regular documentation including data and plan updates.
  • Facilitates ongoing communication among those providing interventions at home, school, and in the community.

Phase IV: Transition

The fourth phase starts to look at transitioning out of services.

The team…

  • Discusses transitioning out of wraparound.
  • Considers the concerns of all team members in transition planning.
  • Communicates methods for future access to services to all team members.
  • Negotiates methods of introducing student and family to future teachers or providers.

What Are My Cues

This activity is based on work done ART and from Guiding Good Choices Parenting Classes. In ART, the following are the sections of what is called the anger control chain.

  • Triggers (internal/external)
  • Cues
  • Anger reducers
  • Reminders
  • Thinking ahead (if __ then __ thinking)
  • Social skill
  • Self evaluation

I want to show you an activity you could do in groups or with families to help you brainstorm a youth’s cues.

[Whole Class Activity] Outline a person. Have people brainstorm what they feel like when they get upset. Using outrageous drawings.

Dysfunctional Family Roles

There can be several roles that family members might fall under. Sometimes, especially in literature regarding substance abuse, there are roles described as co-dependent or dysfunctional considered common. We are going to spend some time examining those.

Also, something to consider: Some of this has no real scientific backing. It is taken as standard and frequently seen but has not been scientifically verified.

Addict: The Victim

The entire family life revolves around the addict or alcoholic. Each codependent role has been taken on to “make sense” of, and handle, the dysfunction in the everyday life of the family.

Understanding the addict is very important. Of equal importance is knowing that by making changes in your own actions, you can stop supporting the addictive behavior of your loved one.

The Hero

This family member (often the oldest child) devotes his time and attention to making the family look “normal” and without problems.

  • By overachieving and succeeding in school, work, or social activities.
  • The Hero feels he can mask or make up for the dysfunctional home life.
  • Everyone sees the Hero as kind, helpful, and positive.
  • Inside
    • Heroes often feel isolated inside
    • Unable to express their true feelings.
  • They may have difficulty with intimate relationships in later life
  • May suffer from illness related to stress.
  • They are often workaholics as adults.

The Scapegoat

The Scapegoat (often the second born) always seems defiant, hostile and angry. They are perpetually in trouble at school, work, or social situations…

  • Often our target client….
  • Their behavior turns the focus away from the addict or alcoholic in the family
  • They may also be reacting to the attention that the hero child receives
  • Frequent turns to high risk behaviors as a way to express their inner feelings of emptiness.
    • The Scapegoat may experiment with drugs or alcohol.
    • They may become sexually active at an early age, or get into frequent fights.
  • They can be very clever, and leaders in their peer groups.
  • Often the groups that they choose to associate with are gangs or other groups that do not present healthy relationships.
  • All these negative behaviors can be seen as a cry for help!

The Mascot

This family member is often the youngest child in the family. They are the court jester, trying to get everyone to laugh. They do this unconsciously to improve the atmosphere in the dysfunctional household, as well as turn the focus away from the addict or alcoholic.

  • The rest of the family may try to protect their “class clown” from the severity of the addiction, and whatever other problems exist within the family. The problem with this is that the Mascot may run away from problems, even as an adult, or continue to use humor to distract from them.
  • The Mascot is often busy-busy-busy.
  • They become anxious or depressed when things aren’t in constant motion. This hyperactivity makes it difficult for them to concentrate for very long on any particular thing, making school or work difficult.
  • Some mascots turn to drugs or alcohol to help them “slow down” or handle their anxiety.

The Lost Child

The lost child basically disappears. They become loners, or are very shy. They feel like strangers or outsiders, not only in social situations, but also within their own families. Often they feel ignored, and that they don’t matter.

  • Their way of handling the addictive behavior in the family is to draw away from interaction with family members.
  • The Lost Child often has a rich inner life.
  • Because they don’t interact, they never have a chance to develop critical social and communication skills.
  • The Lost Child avoids trouble, even if they truly need something.
  • Sometimes they develop physical problems, such as asthma or obesity, to gain attention. They may never even realize they are doing this.
  • As adults, they may never marry, or may have difficulty having an intimate relationship.

The Caretaker

Next is the caretaker, but another descriptive word for this type of codependent family role is “enabler.”

  • The Caretaker feels like they have to keep the family going.
  • Over and over they take on the addict’s problems and responsibilities.
  • The fact that they have to do this may make The Caretaker angry or frustrated, but they never quite see that by choosing not to help they actually could help the addict.
  • The Caretaker is the martyr of the family, and often supports not only the addictive behavior of the addict or alcoholic, but also the codependent roles that everyone else is playing.

Activity

We will be going through an activity where you will break into groups of three or four. Somebody will be the clinician. Everybody else will act as the family. Spend a little time discussing and thinking about what role (doesn’t necessarily have to be co-dependent family) and your family’s needs. Practice going through some of the initial phases of working with a family.

  • Consider drawing out values, rules, norms

Wellness Wheel

The wellness wheel is not an activity I did as frequently with families as I did with individuals, but it it still works just as well.

[Whole Class Activity] Have entire class complete a wellness wheel themselves, walking them through questions.

Implementation of Family Intervention

“Social workers address a wide range of family problems and issues. Thus, the techniques and approaches used vary dramatically.” (p. 371)

We can think of these interventions as tools we can keep in our tool belt.

Empowerment by Emphasizing Family Strengths

“Reinforcing and reaffirming the positive qualities, strengths, and resources of a family should be an ongoing theme in work with families.” (p. 371)

  1. Emphasizing Positive Communication: Emphasize positive statement reported by the family
  2. Explore Exceptions: Encourage family members to share stories about themselves - discuss aspects of their previous success. (think SFBT “Exploring for exceptions”)
  3. Strengths & Competency: Note family interactions that reflect strength and competency (Underscoring positive family interactions)
  4. Positive Activities: Investigate times that family members enjoy together (what it looks like, where they do it) and encourage more.
  5. Examine Problem Solving: Emphasize what families do well (learn how families solve problems)

Reframing

“Reframing is a strategy that helps family members view a problem or issue with a different outlook or understand it differently.”

  • Often means changing negative thinking about another family member to a new, more positive perspective
  • Provides opportunities for sharing strengths

[Activity] With a partner, think about something you are ambivalent about changing. Discuss the topic, and practice reframing your fellow students’ views.

Teaching Families Problem-solving Techniques

“Problem-solving focuses on how the family experienced differences as well as on its methods for solving difficult problems.” (p. 372)

  • Exploring how to manage behaviors (or other problem solving applications)
  • Teaching the generalist intervention model

[Discussion] What might this look like?

Teaching Child Management Methods

“Teaching parents how to improve their children’s behavior is a common goal in family treatment.” (p. 373)

  • Opportunities for increasing positive behavior
  • Opportunities for decreasing negative behaviors
  • Teaching I-Messages

-> Slide

  • Behavioral approaches (operant conditioning)
    • Positive reinforcement (consequence to increase a behavior)
    • Negative reinforcement (removal of negative impact to increase behavior)
    • Positive punishment (addition of something negative have to do)
    • Negative punishment (taking away something enjoyable)
    • Modeling (learning behavior by observation)

Offering Families Support

Our clients often need a little more support and can be successful.

Brokering activities

  • Focus on formal / in-formal supports

Role-Playing

“Role-playing refers to having a person assume a different role or part than the one he or she would normally assume.” (p. 374)

  • (pretend to be somebody else) Can be one family member assuming the role of another family member (i.e. dad sees how yelling looks, kid sees how tantrum looks to others)
  • (pretend to manage differently) Can be the person remains, but practices doing it differently than would have (think about ART)

Digital Recording and Tape Recording

Recording makes people confront the effectiveness and appropriateness of their verbal and nonverbal behaviors.

Notes of caution -> Using discretion, only for infrequent/specific purposes. Can take time for families to get used to being recorded.

Homework Assignments

“Homework assignments are tasks given to the client to be completed at home or outside the interview.” (p. 375)

[Discussion] What are some possible examples of homework assignments?

  • Should have at least one of the following:
    • Specific directions for activities
    • Specific directions for frequency
    • Specific directions for how to track progress
    • Specific directions of what is going to be shared at the next meeting
    • Indication of what might happen while implementing

Implementation of Family Intervention

Plan for next week