Family Reflection

The Family Crucible, written by therapists Augustus Napier and Carl Whitaker, depicts the remarkable treatment of the Brice family through principles and techniques of symbolic-experiential family therapy. The immediate family comprises of Carolyn; the mother, David; the father, Claudia; the scapegoat daughter, Don; the son, and Laura; the youngest daughter. Following the treatment, there are evident shifts of focus between all parties. This shifting of focus allows readers to see that a system’s problems cannot stem from just one person but all members including their interactions with one another. Many of the principles and techniques used in this model would seem inappropriate or absurd to many other therapy styles. Carl Whitaker and Augustus Napier achieve a sharp depiction of how this model could create immense transformations in families such as the Brice Family.

Participating in the Putting Families First course allowed my training in patient assessment, patient care, interdisciplinary teamwork, and problem solving to be put to practice. I believe my team had a very successful outcome with this course, and I learned many lessons I will continue to apply and develop throughout my professional training. In particular, our team successfully employed the teamwork skills of team leadership, close-looped communication, adaptability, shared mental model, and mutual trust. Upon our first time meeting as a team, we immediately established communication via a messaging app. In addition to this, we reviewed the syllabus and requirements for this course before the first home visit to ensure we understood the expectations

Growing up in a Christian home was nothing extraordinary. My father volunteered at my church and was very connected with the community, while I went to the kid service every Sunday. About four years ago the church we had gone to for my entire life shut down. Loosing that church was a tough experience because the church was like my second family.

Throughout my entire life, it seemed as though everything was centered around my family’s collective core morals and an unwritten ethic code instilled in me as I grew up. My family’s principles remain a major part of my life, especially as I begin the transition to independence in the adult world. Considering my family has always been one of the most important things to me, I have always placed value on what I have learned from them and where we come from. My big, small-town family gave me a sense of what it means to help others, how we can accomplish this goal, and for what reasons. Being raised in a close-knit, Christian family with strong values will assist me in understanding how to be successful in terms of compassion and

Throughout the course of the semester we have been grouped together to work with infants and toddlers with their families. Every Thursday I attend playgroup with four of my peers to interact with multiple different families, but we do not get the chance to meet with the families in the other playgroups. Collaboratively, we arranged an event for all of the playgroups to come together during our parent-child family potluck dinner with activities. When putting together this event, there were many components to take into consideration.

Family collaborations are a major influence in how a child with disabilities contracts the things needed to prosper. Disabilities can affect a child and how interactions occur, however a good support system for families can alter the results. I chose a family for the purpose of the family study based on the disorder of one of the children. Anna, has been diagnosed with Down syndrome. I understood before the interview that Down syndrome was a genetic disorder. I have taught students who also had the diagnosis and have seen some were very high and some were very low functioning. I had become familiar with Anna’s family through a program in our county and I approached her mother to possibly set up a meeting to speak to her about her daughters’ diagnosis and how it affects the family. Anna’s mother was very accepting and willing to assist with the study, inviting me into their home, and a meeting was set.

When I was watching this movie, I felt great sadness for Howard. I’m sure the loss of a daughter can be detrimental to someone. I know that everyone deals with their grief and suffering differently. I could understand his reason for being angry and acting in the way that he did. However, I did fail to see that he was not the only one struggling with grief and suffering. Not only did he need his friends but his friends need him as well. I feel like just like Howard our grief can have a domino effect on others to help them come to terms with their suffering as well. Howard was in a sad and depressed state and his friends simply wanted to help him. Which is what most friends attempt to do for each other. However, like his friends, I feel we get so caught up in helping our friends through their struggles we seem to forget our own. I could see the redemptive suffering through each character.

I enjoyed this assignment to the fullest, at times it was challenging but as time went on and I was progressing in my paper everything became easier. I was never the type of person to have bottomless conversations with my family members but after this assessment it came clear to me that I should do it more often. Although, I did not get the whole physical aspect of the assignment because I did my interviews over the phone, I still caught on to their different tones. While, discussing the past experiences with each individual I caught on to a similar pattern, it would begin with an unsure and moderate tone as if they are not sure what to say, but, as the conversation went deeper they would become more sure and more relaxed and overall fluent when we talked and from there they would just babble and go into depth on their experiences. I enjoyed listening to their stories as they reminisced of their child hood or as Cynthia Burney Wadley put it “the good ol’ days.” Lastly, the information I have learned from my family experiences really shined light into my eyes. Personally, I assumed I knew I enough about the past that I wouldn’t learn much, not only was I completely wrong, it was an inspiring assignment to continue asking and looking into my family history and background.

How I would describe the primary needs for the Harris family situation and the needs I feel are most urgent. The primary need (s) for the Harris family would be prayer and communication, of the most urgent is communication. There reactions with a why Mr. Harris is auctioning on an emotion that Mrs. Harris has no understanding, her son is being effected but without knowing why.

One may say I come from a nuclear family, which is defined by Bélanger & Ward (2015) as “a family consisting of a husband, a wife, and their children.”(p.6) This basic definition not only disregards the vast majority of families but, also fails to describes the intricate relationships within each family. The different personalities in a family, their history, and the challenges they face together often morph and evolve the family’s identity. In the following paragraphs I will attempt to explore my family’s narrative as well as extrapolate what that means too me and my future self.

As I reflect on this five-week course of Marriage and Family, it has challenged me to embrace who I am as a biblical woman of God and continue to grow in Christ. I am free to be that biblical woman. God has made me in His image and I am to bear this image to the world. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27 English Standard Version). I know that God desires for me to be that woman of excellence, as I strive every day to live out the truth of who God is and to glorify and serve Him. “In this culture, there is so much emphasis on the outward beauty of a woman. “Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price” (1 Peter 3:3-4 King James Version. As a biblical woman, I do not look for the world to validate who I am. It is the truth of God’s word that validates me. I give all reference to God, for the woman I am. “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised” (Proverbs 31:30 English Standard Version).

”No one is ever born into Life alone. Everyone has shared the bond of family, at least at birth, and for many people it is a bond that will follow them throughout life. For many people it is the most important bond of all.”

In this skills session my client brought her relationship with her mother and her feelings about that relationship. She brought feelings of “sadness” “hurt” “upset” and “grief”. She states early in the session “I’m constantly searching for some sort of love” and “affection from her”. She describes feeling neglected and disregarded by her mother and the rest of her family. She admits that these feelings have “stretched into the rest of her life” and have left her feeling “unworthy” “not good enough” and like she “doesn’t matter”. She states that she feels “not worthy of affection” or “care” or “regard”.

My interactions with my family, friends, school, and community differ vastly from one another, and therefore I cannot answer the prompt with one simply answer. In terms of my family, I am a dependable son, and intelligent brother. With my friends, I am a light-hearted jokester who isn’t afraid to have fun. In my school, I am seen as an academic and social leader. In Lexington, I am seen as a rising academic, and voice for students’ rights.

I will be observing my Family members (Brother, Dad, Mom). A symbol we commonly use in our family is a Cross. There are many Crosses hung up around our household that represents our love for God and Church. It is a very important and symbolizing piece in our household that we hold very dear. My family believes in Christianity and the importance of God. My Parents also believe republicans are reasonable people and that you should earn what you work for. My parents value discipline and good morals in our household. They believe we should always work hard towards our desired goal. Having good manners is also another very important value in our family for example my brother and my dad are expected to hold the door open for my mom and I