Collaborating on a Family Genogram

Description

As you found out in Week 5, it is important as a counselor working with couples and families to understand one’s own family dynamics. Exploring your family dynamics helps you understand where you come from, issues that have influenced your family and can help you overcome any issues that may be a challenge. After creating your own genogram, hopefully you now realize all the valuable information contained in a genogram that may not have been recognized or considered before the use of this vital assessment tool.

For this Assignment, you will apply what you have learned about genograms and your own family by collaborating with a friend to create his/her family genogram. As you work with your friend, keep in mind that you must take the ethical and legal considerations of working with this sensitive information very seriously.

To Prepare:

*Review the article, “Cultural Genogram: A Tool for Teaching and Practice” from the Week 4 Learning Resources.

*Select a friend to complete a genogram assessment. (Please avoid using a family member since you just completed your own genogram on your family.)

*Use the theoretical information presented in this module to help you construct your genogram assessment.

*Review the Optional Learning Resources for this week to become familiar with the symbols and information included in a genogram.

Assignment:

*Create a genogram assessment of a friend’s family including three generations (i.e., your friend and their siblings, their parents and parent’s siblings, and their grandparents and siblings OR your friend’s children, your friend and their siblings, and your friend’s parents and parent’s siblings.

*The genogram can be drawn by hand, photographed, and submitted as an image, OR it can be created with a computer program and submitted as a file. Make sure you include a master key to the genogram.

*Summarize the genogram you created by describing the roles and patterns that emerge in it, using concepts from the systems theories that are discussed in this week’s Learning Resources. The summary should be in APA format and 3 pages maximum.

*Explain how you believe this genogram assessment may be useful in couples and family counseling of this friend.

*Briefly explain how your understanding of your friends’ genogram assessment might impact your work as a counselor.

Support your Assignment by citing all resources in APA style, including those in the Learning Resources.