2. • Family Systems – A system is seen as a complexity within which interactions as
important as the individual. Anyone can be part of a system, as long as they have
some relation to one another. There are boundaries and an understanding who is
part of the system. Ruled by patterns/rules and they help to regulate/stabilize the
family. There are family values and roles. A change in one part of this system
affects the whole system (cog wheel).
• Closed family system- Exists in relative isolation, typically only communication
between members.
• Open family system – Willingness to assimilate and have ongoing interactions
with the environment around them.
3. • Applying the family systems perspective – Understanding how a family interacts,
are they open or closed? Who behavior is influencing whose? Accountability?
Alliances? What problems are being avoided?
4. • Strengths perspective – A perspective that viws all people as having strengths
(pretty simple, huh?). This perspective has a focus on the client’s abilities and
what they have survived throughout their life.
• A strength is any psychological process that consistently enables a person to
think and act so as to yield benefits to himself or herself and society. How are
strengths developed?
• Families have strengths when they stay together during difficult times, caring for
one another. Communities, groups have strengths offering help to one another.
5. • Applying the Strengths Perspective – Understand client’s challenges and
struggles. Pay attention as to how the client has dealt with the challenges?
Abilities given the struggle, point this out to them as well as validating the
struggle.
• Identify past success.
• Pay attention to language and help to change words around and explain the
cognitive triangle.
• Talk about hopes/dreams/goals
6. • The Resilience Perspective – The ability to survive and thrive in the face of
overwhelming adversity or life challenges, “normal development under abnormal
conditions.”
• Resilience is a set of learned behaviors. It also depends on the availability of
protective factors.
• Risk factors – Influencing factors that can predict a negative outcome, such as
belonging to a minority group, low SES.
• Protective factors – Help with the burden of risk factors, serve as an emotional
buffer.
7. • Applying the Resilience Perspective – Understand the situation from the client’s
perspective and then focus on helping the client build on the resilience.
• View a mistake as a window of learning
• Build trust with others
• Help develop a positive outlook
• Identify resources within themselves
• Focus on the present and future and not on their past failures.
8. • Please be aware of the other perspectives in the chapter. The ones in the
powerpoint are what this instructor refers to in the field and he wanted to spend
time highlighting these to you.
