Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

1. The Family-Oriented Approach in the Mental Health Field

http://www.ackerman.org/

This is the website of the Ackerman Institute for the Family, which was established

in 1960 as one of the first centers for family-oriented clinical treatment and research in

the mental health field.

• Read the “Mission Statement” and “History of the Institute.”
• Browse the site to find a training topic and a clinical or research program of interest to you, and read the information provided.
• Use the information you have found, or continue browsing the website to identify an activity or service that clearly incorporates a focus on the whole family system, whereas that might not typically be the approach in a more traditional mental or behavioral health setting.
• Write a paragraph about a specific contribution that the family-oriented approach to mental heath has made or is making and e-mail it to your instructor.

LO 7.3 Compare and contrast five theoretical perspectives for understanding families (psychodynamic, family systems, feminist, family stress and coping, and family resilience).

2. International Influence of Family Resilience Theory and Intervention

http://ccfhchicago.org/

This is the website of the Chicago Center for Family Health founded by Froma Walsh, a social worker and family therapist whose work on family resilience has received international attention.

• Browse the information about training and programs provided by the center.
• Note at least three different ethnic or cultural groups who are involved in or are receiving services through the center, and describe their involvement or the service.
• Based on information from the center’s website about its work and on the textbook content about family resilence, reflect on how the family resilience theory can be valuable to so many diverse groups and nationalities when expectations and even definitions of families vary so much across cultures.
• Write two paragraphs briefly describing the family resilience approach in your own words and discussing how you think it can be applied in an area of social work you are interested in, and e-mail it to your instructor.

LO 7.4 Identify a number of types of diversity in family life that might be encountered by social workers.

LO 7.6 Apply knowledge of family theories, family diversity, and family challenges to recommend guidelines for social work assessment and intervention.

3. Families Headed by Unmarried Partners

http://www.fragilefamilies.princeton.edu/

This is the website for the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, which has been following children born to unmarried parents in the United States for close to two decades.

• Read the background of the study, and take note of the four major questions it was designed to answer.
• Take note of the 10 major findings researchers have reported so far.
• Browse the reports and articles based on the research data to find information about how the families in the study varied, and take more detailed notes on one type of family (for example, families with an incarcerated father).
• Submit your written notes to the instructor, and/or discuss them with other students in a small group.

LO 7.4 Identify a number of types of diversity in family life that might be encountered by social workers.