This course will present core theories and practices framing the foundation of clinical practice with families and co-parents. The course objectives will assist participants in understanding, assessing, formulating and treating children, youth and families through a systemic lens. The workshop will include:
· How human problems are conceptualized using relational, family process, structural and systems theories.
· The relationship between the family and the socio-cultural environment,
· Including the Impact of inter-generational family process, trauma, family structure, culture, family organization,structural and systemic process on the development and maintenance of family strength, resilience and problem formation.
· How to effectively assess and formulate presented problems into a systemic plan of care? Including understanding and incorporating diverse family structures, meanings, and narratives that are inclusive of multiple identities, contexts, and life experiences across the world.
· Strategies to engage families and co-parents in treatment including engagement and treatment strategies for high conflict families and couples.
Attention will be given to foundational theory and practice that contribute to the development of the family therapy as well as newer epistemological positions and concepts deriving from post-modern, feminist, and social constructionist theories. Our exploration of family theory and practice will include crosscutting issues of culture, ethnicity, race, gender, socioeconomic status,religion, sexual orientation, age, and disability. We will discuss the changing definition of family forms and social norms. This course will stimulate participants to think about human behavior and relationships through a family systems perspective. Ultimately the class will focus on integrating theory and practice in order to give participants a working understanding and strategy to engage, formulate, assess and treat co-parents and families.