A family assessment is a powerful tool that allows the generalist human service provider to get a feel for what being a member of the specific family is really like. In this type of assessment, it is good to have many different
viewpoints from different family members.
For this activity you will be completing a family assessment of your own family or by interviewing a friend or coworker and their family.
IMPORTANT NOTE IN REGARDS TO ETHICS: You are expected to adhere to ethical principles if you conduct
any part of this assignment with a friend or colleague, meaning you will respect their confidentiality and will not attempt to treat/address any of the problems that come up in the assessment. In regards to confidentiality, you
are to keep all information they share confidential EXCEPT for information that reveals any form of child abuse,
homicidal or suicidal intentions. You will then make a report to law enforcement, attempt to contact any
potential victims and DSS if applicable. When you submit the assignment to me, you should use a different
name than his/her real name. You are also expected to notify friends/colleagues prior to the assignment that
their participation is strictly voluntary and they have the right to not answer any questions you ask (if they
decline to answer, state this in your assessment and/or ask different questions). You will also need to notify them of their confidentiality and inform them that this is for educational purposes only—you will not be
treating/addressing any of their problems.
The Interview
You will have to come up with your own questions for the topics, listed below, in the assessment. Make sure
that you are thorough and ask several open-ended questions for each of the topics so you can obtain enough
information to make measurable and plausible treatment goals. Make sure you pay attention to non-verbal
communication as well.
Please provide your questions as the first part of the assignment. See example below for formatting.
TOPICS:
Family Communication
Family Strengths and Weaknesses
Family Structure
Life Cycle Adjustments
Impacts of the Social Environment
Key Areas of Family Conflict
The Assessment Recommendations and Summary Section:
For the second part of the assignment, you are to complete an assessment summary, which is the place for
conclusions about the client’s and family’s strengths and the difficulties in functioning they are experiencing.
The written summary is important because it makes sense of the assessment and captures in a short space its
most important points.
The written summary provides a “snapshot” of the client and family’s situation at the beginning of your work together that you can use to gauge your progress toward goals.
Clients’ strengths are their best resources. They are the key to motivating clients to take action and the source from which they are empowered to take control of their lives.
There are examples on our Course page and syllabus for formatting as well.
Question : How would you describe how the family communicates to one another?
Question: Tell me how the family handles arguments/disagreements?
Question: Tell me about the family’s thoughts about secrets within the family?
Question: How does the family communicate during times of distress?
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How could the family improve their communication skills with one another?
Etc
(Summarize information that you obtained regarding this topic from your questions to the family)
Mrs. Jones stated that she felt the family communicated openly but that Sarah was passive and would not be honest with her at times. It was observed in the interview that Sarah was quiet and only spoke when she was addressed. Mr. Jones stated he feels that the family does not communicate well together. Mrs. Jones appeared uncomfortable, constantly fidgeting and shifting around in her chair while Mr. Jones shared his perspective on family communication. The family agreed that when it comes to arguments, they usually yell or end up shutting down and not solving the issues at hand. Mrs. Jones stated she did not believe that the family keeps secrets from one another. Sarah physically withdrew at this point in the interview and sank into her chair with her arms folded. Mr. Jones stated he feels that Mrs. Jones just ignores the signs of secrecy and pretends there is not a
problem. There was a feeling of tension in the room after Mr. Jones made this statement. The family all agrees that when something bad happens (i.e. death of loved one) they are initially there for one another but do not continue to support each other after something happens. Mrs. Jones would like for them to sit down as a family and talk more about what is going on in their lives. She also felt that she and her husband needed to communicate their feelings to one another more often. Sarah felt that her parents needed to be more involved with her and ask her about her life. Mr. Jones would like Mrs. Jones to become more aware of what is happening in the family especially when it comes to Sarah.