In this paper, I will be writing about how I have balanced stability and change in my life. First, I will address my own personal view and how I describe myself in terms of my comfort with stability and change. Next, I will address my relational view with other people that I relate to in my life and how I see stability and change in these relationships. Lastly, I will address the professional aspect of a vocation and how stability and change is expressed and experienced. This will include information from the textbook called, “Systems Theory in Action: Applications to Individual, Couples, and Family Therapy” written by Shelly Smith-Acuna (2011). Smith-Acuna writes, “…systems inherently resist change and seek to maintain a certain predictable order. At the same time, systems are constantly reorganizing and transforming themselves” (p. 67). This statement holds true to my personal view. In general the majority of people like a predictable order and stability, myself include. One of the primary reasons that I rely on predictable order is because I am a mother. As a mother, it is essential to provide a consistent predictable order for my boys. The consistency helps with discipline, bedtime, school routine, and gives my boys general stability in life when they know what to expect. During the school year, a reliable pattern of the school routine schedule is developed. When summer vacation comes, I always feel lost for the first few days. The school year starts and comes to a
The family system is founded on the notions that for change to occur in the life of an individual, the therapist must understand and work with the family as a whole. In working with the family, the therapist can understand how the individual in counseling functions within his family system and how the client’s behaviors connect to other people in the family. This theory also holds the perception that symptoms are a set of family habits and patterns passed down by generation and not a result of a psychological problem or an inability to change (Corey, 2017). Furthermore, the family system theory holds the idea that when a change occurs everyone in the unit is affected by the change.
Coursework may cover contemporary models of couple and family therapy, family systems theories and practices and clinical assessment and psychotherapy for families. Classes may teach students how to conduct assessments and implement interventions based on family dynamics. Students learn about the prevention and resolution of problems arising from unemployment, substance abuse, chronic illness, domestic violence and legal challenges. Case studies illustrate real-world scenarios in hospital, mental health and human service
In The Family Crucible, Augustus Napier and Carl Whitaker’s form of therapy was strongly influenced by family systems theory, a burgeoning theory of the time. General systems theory examines relationships between elements that constitute a whole (Andreae, 2011, p. 243). When applied to families, this theory views the family as an emotional unit and uses systems thinking to describe the complex interactions in the unit (The
System perspective is the procedure that I use in family system theory because it is believed that the functionality of an individual reflects the functionality of a family and shows the way a family functions. Even though individuals can exhibit symptoms that are different from that in the family, they usually have impact on the rest of family members (Broderick, 1993). Family system theory is therefore concerned with changing the family system as a strategy of changing the individual. This is achieved through alteration of the dysfunctional systems of incorporating and integrating functional systems of interacting. In our Christian counseling process Family systems theory has been applied to solve various dilemmas in a family set up and has been very successful. There are limited categories that this therapy has
Developed by Carter and McGoldrick (1988), the family life cycle views dysfunction in relation to normal functioning, It frames problems within the course of the family as a system moving through time. The individual life cycle takes place within the family life cycle (Carter & McGoldrick, 1988, p. 4). The foundation of the theory assumes that all families go through predictable change precipitated by life events and sometimes-unpredictable events (Azar, 2017b, 6). As these changes are occurring, the family must be able to adapt accordingly in order to avoid dysfunction. This may involve tasks that must be negotiated as they become more complex, and new roles and operations.
The school day should start later in order improve students’ mental health. Survey results have consistently indicated that middle level and high school students who start school at 7:15 a.m. or earlier obtain less total sleep on school nights due to earlier rise times in comparison to students at later-starting schools. () This is just the beginning of the negative impacts that early start times have on students. By starting school at a later time, students’ brains will function better, their grades and learning increases, and will be more mentally stable.
Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT) in training are tasked with helping a family work through conflict and arrive and more intimate and interdependent relationships, which can seem daunting or maybe even terrifying. However, the interaction patterns that show up in families can find some context and clarity for a therapist who knows systems theory. Systems theory suggests that individuals cannot be understood in isolation from their family context because families create relational processes and generate a “sequence of interactions” and behaviors in order to maintain dynamic stability of the self-regulating family system (Nichols, 2013, pp. 58-59). How does this general systems theory help an MFT guide a family in therapy? In this paper I will take three systems theory principles and apply them to a movie in order to demonstrate how it provides a language and context for MFTs, thus making it an essential tool in family therapy.
Systems theory describes a set of interrelated parts, comprising a functional whole. According to this theory, social systems construct society rather than individuals (Luhmann, Gilgen, & Mitchell, 2012). The theory provides a framework for understanding human existence and recognizes the transactional nature of human life within physical and social environments. This theory could aid in analyzing the interconnected parts that may have stifled an individual’s growth, adaptation, and their pursuit of goals.
The systems Perspective sees human behavior as the outcome of interactions within and among systems with interrelated and interdependent parts; as defined by its boundaries. Changing one part of the system affects other parts and the whole system, with predictable patterns of behavior (Hutchinson, 2015). The family system has been a widely used theory of family interventions and assessment. The family systems theory is focused on the family dynamic, involving structures, roles, communication patterns, boundaries, and power relation (Rothbaum, 2004). Many theorist such as Bowen, developed the systems theory that focuses on how a
Transitions can allow individuals to uncover knowledge through the provoking of principle values, which causes one to reevaluate their position and relations in life. This can create change that allows for circumstantial acceptance, which causes monumental growth and significant personal reward for individuals and those around them. A confronting transition can force an individual to reevaluate their relations with others, due to an emotionally provocative realisation. Whilst transitions encapsulate negatively challenging ones principle values, they have the potential to allow for a ‘new start’. Additionally, one’s comprehension of values may be reformed during transitions, as an individual is forced to overcome hardships. These notions are
However, some people argue that having a system of a year-round school year is not very beneficial. Although there are many studies that support year-round schooling, there are also many studies that don’t. Many recent studies have found no significant connection between year-round schooling and improved student achievement. For example, a review of 39 studies found that modified school calendars have very small, insignificant, effect on achievement (Cooper, et al., 2003). Another argument that is made for having a traditional calendar is that despite year-round schooling generating strong feelings, it can also generate negative feelings in that it is disrupt to family life. Having a traditional calendar allows families to spend valuable time together and go on a well needed vacation. The traditional calendar allows students to relax and refresh themselves and get ready for next year.
It takes very special people to want to make a difference in people’s lives, to want to help them to be better. Some people seek to become counselors after overcoming a most important life challenge. The individuals that seek the profession of marriage and family therapy do not think of this work as a job or career, more typically a constellation of life experiences that demand explanation and a sense that others seek one out for assistance and emotional sustenance become driving forces leading one to counseling profession (An Invitation to Counseling Work).
When I consider family systems, I am reminded of a metaphor I heard while in undergraduate school about a mobile. A mobile is used to soothe an infant, normally placed above a crib or basinet. Each of its parts are in balance, when working correctly, however if one section becomes off balance the objects become out of sync. This is true with families. If each member of the family unit is doing their part, there is complete balance or homeostasis (Henson). This balance is viewed as a healthy family system. However, if one part of the unit becomes off balance, it disrupts the whole unit causing an unhealthy response with possible long term consequences. As families grow, each member plays an equally important role in the family unit. Children learn quickly the importance of relationships and adapt quickly to their environment. No one can deny the family unit is the most complex system in existence.
In discussions of whether or not schools should start later, one controversial issue has been that it gets in the way of parents work schedules. People who believe that it’s too much of an inconvenience claim that it’s never too soon to start getting used to an early schedule. On the other hand, those who believe schools should start later assert that it’s much better for a student's concentration and overall health. My own view is there are more benefits than negatives and we should really start to consider such a change.
A big reason school’s may enjoy having a later start time, is because it can contribute to the school’s success. A later start time can improve the school’s overall test scores (Why We Must - and Can - Restore Safe & Healthy School Hours). Students can learn their best when they are not tired or drowsy. The School Start Later — Healthy Hours campaign stated that, “Academic improvements have been shown, and overall school climate has been measurably improved when high schools have restored later start times,” (Why We Must - and Can - Restore Safe & Healthy School Hours). The sleep researcher mentioned earlier, Wendy Troxel, said in her presentation that when kid’s are woken up by an alarm, they are literally robbed of their dreams. Dreams are associated with learning development. In order for student’s to use the most of their brains, they need to be receiving the right amount of good quality sleep. Not only do test scores rise, but so does the graduation rate, which is a major problem in today’s generation (Why We Must - and Can - Restore Safe & Healthy School Hours). In contribution to the student success, later start times could drastically improve the school’s success. Later start times have increased attendance around