Healthy families contribute to a well-being. While there are many child’s variations, strength-based research finds remarkable similarities in strong resilient families across cultures and ethnicities. Successful families are described as close and caring, respectful of individual autonomy, exhibiting clear, open, spontaneous communication, effective problem solving skills, and spiritual well-being. Therapists working with children in the 1950s began to notice that often if one child was helped, another became troubled. If all the children were OK, then the parents divorced. They started talking with parents and whole families, rather than just doing individual therapy with the child. The result was Family Systems Theory, a way of looking at the individual in the context of the family their role in the family, the way of – family’s communicating, of expressing feelings. The culture and rules for family’s how to live together. means that all of the parts are interrelated. If one changes they all “System” are affected. Like a mobile. Move one piece and the whole pattern changes. to one person, tends to affect the whole. If Mom looses What’s happening her job, if Grandmother becomes ill or dies, if job requires the family to Dad’s move to a new town when the kids are in high all connected school…. We’re to family, even our very individualistic culture! Individuals in families have roles. An example would be Mom or Dad or – Oldest Child. Other examples or roles are: Good Child, Scapegoat, Smart One, Mediator, Heart of the Family, Star, Baby. Different children in the family often take on different roles.
Healthy families contribute to a child’s well-being. While there are many variations, strength-based research finds remarkable similarities in strong resilient families across cultures and ethnicities. Successful families are described as close and caring, respectful of individual autonomy, exhibiting clear, open, spontaneous communication, effective problem solving skills, and spiritual well-being. Therapists working with children in the 1950s began to notice that often if one child was helped, another became troubled. If all the children were OK, then the parents divorced. They started talking with parents and whole families, rather than just doing individual therapy with the child. The result was Family Systems Theory, a way of looking at the individual in the context of the family – their role in the family, the family’s way of communicating, of expressing feelings. The family’s culture and rules for how to live together. “System” means that all of the parts are interrelated. If one changes they all are affected. Like a mobile. Move one piece and the whole pattern changes. What’s happening to one person, tends to affect the whole. If Mom looses her job, if Grandmother becomes ill or dies, if Dad’s job requires the family to move to a new town when the kids are in high school…. We’re all connected to family, even our very individualistic culture! Individuals in families have roles. An example would be Mom or Dad – or Oldest Child. Other examples or roles are: Good Child, Scapegoat, Smart One, Mediator, Heart of the Family, Star, Baby. Different children in the family often take on different roles.
FAMILY%20MATTERS%20Recovery%20Workbook.docx