Running head: FAMILY ASSESSMENT

Family Assessment

Name

Institution

Course

Date
FAMILY ASSESSMENT 2

Family Assessment

Human beings are beings that are highly social as they tend to be group-based on certain

factors and considerations. For instance, a family is a group of individuals united by ties of

adoption, blood, interaction, the constitution of a household, or marriage with each other in their

social positions, usually those of siblings, parents, children, and spouses (Oelze, 2019). The

family provides individuals with a feeling of belonging, aspects that Abraham Maslow, in his

theory of the hierarchy of needs identifies as critical in human life. Families, at some point, are

inclusive of close friends whom individuals of a given family consider part of their family but

these are only related through interactions rather than ties of blood which was a traditional

definition of family. In this family assessment, the focus is on describing the stage in the family

cycle of my family, drawing a 3-generation genogram of the family, creating a culturagram of

the family, and creating a family ecomap. The paper will also address important concepts of the

family’s origin including boundaries, an avenue of communication, subsystems, triangular

relationships, family roles and rules, lifecycle adjustments, environmental stresses, diversity,

acculturation, and family resources and strengths.

Family Lifecycle

Family lifecycle has five major stages – independence, coupling, parenting, launching,

retirement or later life. While I have three children, I live with my parent-in-law in the same

compound but in different houses which makes this stage of the family to be “family in later

life.” My parents-in-law are both alive but retired and currently just at home. The family is of

seven people, my father in law, Johnson aged 83 years, mother in law, Mary 78, my firstborn

daughter Cathy aged 24 and who lives in a family apartment 50 meters from home, second born

son Jackson aged 20, and my last born daughter Cathy aged 17.
 FAMILY ASSESSMENT 3

My wife, Jane, 31 has two siblings, a sister Caroline 38, and a brother Jack 36. I am the

only son of a deceased father, Peter, aged 69 due to prostate cancer and a mother, Rose who is 62

now. Except for the first born daughter, the rest of the family on my wife’s side is hosted in the

family house or compound. The home is located in Florida Miami-Dade County in Aventura. All

three living parents are retirees. I am a nurse while Jane is a bank consultant, Caroline is a nurse,

Jack is a physician, Catherine is a lab technician, and Jackson works part-time in a restaurant but

is currently pursuing a bachelors in hospitality. Cathy attends Alonzo and Tracy Mourning

Senior High.

3-Generation Genogram

Maternal Perternal

62 1950Peter,
1936 Johnson 1941 Mary 1957 Rose
++
83 ++
78 ++
M 1970
++ M 1982
+

1983 Jack 34 38
1985 ++ Jane 1981 ++ Caroline
36 1983 me
++ ++ 36
++ ++
++ ++
+ +
M 1996

20 17
1999 ++ Cathy 2002 ++ Tracy
++ ++
++ ++
++ ++
+ +
FAMILY ASSESSMENT 4

The figure above indicates the family’s 3-generation genogram from the paternal and

maternal sides of the family identifying the key members of the family. The sister in law

Caroline and the brother in law Jack are unmarried and have no children. Johnson and Mary are

happily married for the past 50 years while Jane is widowed.

Family Culturagram

Culture is an important aspect of a community and determines the behaviors and

activities of a family. The family is completely Haitian with a Haitian ethnic background.

Haitians are generally open-minded, and greetings are an important aspect of the ethnic group

(Global Affairs Canada, n.d). Every morning, the family has to meet for breakfast where

greetings are exchanged. The Haitian background has significantly influenced this aspect of the

community. While they like interacting, public displays of affection are not accepted in this

ethnic group, and they rarely show affection to people of the opposite sex in public. The Haitian

communities are male-dominated, and the man is always the head of the family (Global Affairs

Canada, n.d). The ethnic background has significantly influenced the family system. The family

is headed by the father-in-law, Johnson while the mother-in-law Mary is responsible for

disciplining the grandchildren. The diagram below presents the family’s culturagram that

outlines important aspects that define its culture.

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Education: Holidays and special

Time in community.
Values education highly events:
Parents: 50 years.
and every member is New Year holiday and
Other family
encouraged to attain at Christmas.
members since birth
least a bachelors.

Religion:
All members are Language:
religious and are in the Creaole at home
Catholic denomination. My Family English at community

Value of Family:
Reason for Legal status:
Grandparents discipline.
Immigration: Permanent legal
Roles allocated based on
Poverty in status.
gender. Paternal
grandfather has ultimate Home country
family authority,

The culturagram provides a clear outline of defining family practices, beliefs, and behaviors that

are based on its ethnic background. Such allows for a vivid understanding of the family including

its weaknesses and strengths.

Family Ecogram

Ecogram indicates the social and personal relationship of an individual or a family with

the environment. Understanding the social and personal relationships of an individual and a
 FAMILY ASSESSMENT 6

Children:
family is essential in understanding the Colleague
family’s behaviors, practices, and thoughts. The diagram
Catherine,
friends
Jackson, and
below presents my family’s ecomap outlining the most significant relationships and social
Cathy
interactions. All the relationship and social interactions are positive to the family with the purple

colorand
Sister indicating the strongest relationships and social interactions. On the other hand, the
brother in-laws:
weakest relationship is indicated by a blue color.
Caroline, and
Jack
Paternal and
maternal
parents:
Johnson, Mary,
and Jane

My Family

Social
organization
(church groups
and club)

St. John
Neumann
Catholic Church
FAMILY ASSESSMENT 7

Family Origin

Avenues of Communication and Boundaries

Haitians are very interactive individuals and always start their conversations with

greetings, an aspect they value very much. As noted by Sisler (2015) communication avenues

include the use of gestures, spirit, and words. Haitians are keen on their use of words. Mostly, the

family members are always encouraged to communicate openly but using respectful and

courteous words. The use of gestures is also common as it makes communication humorous and

friendly. Mostly when the paternal father and grandfather is speaking, it is always considered

respectful for our children and us to avoid direct eye contact due to authority bestowed on him.

They will always use words to express concerns but is a respectful manner.

Boundaries and Subsystems

It is essential to place boundaries in any family to ensure that aspects of respect and

cohesion are maintained. According to Haefner (2014), boundaries in families are always part of

what gives sense to all interactions and relationship in a family. Family boundaries in the family

and as defined by the Haitian ethnicity is essential especially for those in the marriage. Marriage

is considered sacred and respected, and married individuals are not allowed to interact with

people of the opposite sex sexually.

Additionally, as it is the case in the family, boundaries are maintained between the family

members with the parents and children experiencing a relationship that is hierarchical. To protect

the family subsystems need to be marked and guarded as family existence depends on the quality

of the system (Haefner, 2014). In the family, there are several subsystems – marital, sibling

suprasystems, parent, and child systems. In the family, the marital subsystem defines the
FAMILY ASSESSMENT 8

relationship between spouses while suprasystem revolves around the relationship with extended

family members.

Triangular Relationships

Family arrangement always generates triangular processes (Haefner, 2014). In the family,

there is a triangulation of children that helps reduce the distance between the parents by

providing a mutual focus of concern. The family is clustered but experiences some level of

triangulation with the parents holding the two edges of the triangle while the children hold the

lower edge of the triangle. The triangle is essential in bringing the family together through a

common aspect of children. While the family experiences no significant challenges, the triangle

helps reinforce the relationship between us all.

Family Roles and Rules

The family has well-defined roles that are assumed by the family members, Johnson is

the overall authority in the family and always assigns roles to all family members on free days.

However, everybody has routine roles in the workplace or school with no evidence of role

problems. The parents are all fully involved in the parenthood, but the grandparents are mostly

responsible for disciplining the grandchildren. On the issue of rules, there is an explicit rule that

guarantees the male members authority over the female members of the family, a rule borrowed

from the Haitian cultural practices (Global Affairs Canada, n.d). Equally, the leadership and

authority structure is dependent on parental decisions rather than democracy. Children in the

family are expected to be loyal and respectful to their parent and the elderly.

Lifecycle Adjustment

Lifecycle adjustment is an important consideration in the family. As pointed out by

Brown (1999), families always move through various stages of the lifecycle and must always be
FAMILY ASSESSMENT 9

ready to adjust to the changes effectively. As the children move to the adolescent stage and

beyond, the approach to addressing issues becomes mature as the children are far much mature to

understand them. Equally, family conflicts are always resolved within the family with the parents

being the mediators.

Environmental Stresses, Diversity, and Acculturation

Environmental stress is a common occurrence in families and coping is essential in

overcoming the detrimental effects of stress (Kuo, 2014). Environmental stresses would include

those related to work, relationship, and social. Equally, language challenges also present a

challenge, especially when dealing with people who speak fluent English. The language barrier

is a stressor that is related to diversity and assimilation into the American culture. The family

speaks Haitian Creole at home while they need to speak in English within the community,

aspects that increase the member’s stress level.

Family Resources and Strengths

Most the family members have a strength in that they have been brought up in the

American educational system which has guaranteed them better assimilation into the American

culture helping them overcome challenges from their origin. Family cohesion is another

important strength that has helped the family stay together and be successful.

Relevance to Social Work Practice

Diversity is a key factor in the current society and social workers are currently working

with people with diversified cultures and backgrounds. As noted by Woo et al. (2018), for social

workers to work effectively in a multicultural community, they need to understand the

importance of ethnicity and how it influences behaviors, responses, and perceptions to health
FAMILY ASSESSMENT 10

interventions. Immigrants have different cultural practices and family experiences may

significantly influence the way care is provided. Family experience has enabled me work better

as a social worker as I have learned and understood the significance of diversity. Working with

people from different cultural backgrounds requires the acknowledgement and appreciation of

their beliefs and behaviors. Prior engaging in care delivery, a cultural assessment is essential as

my family requires the male to make the final decision in all areas. Such an understanding aids in

the provision of culturally competent care.

While family experience provides a guide to social work, issues such as cultural conflict

and disagreements may result to poor quality services. One way to address such cultural conflicts

is through the adoption of effective communication that focuses on exploring the client’s cultural

consideration as they relate to service delivery. Engaging clients in communication on their

desires when care is being provided is essential in resolving possible issues that may arise in the

course of a social worker’s daily activities. Such will enable an understanding of the individual’s

cultural scope and considerations, aspects that Woo et al. (2018) has identified as essential in

ensuring that there are no cultural conflicts in care delivery.

Conclusion

Family assessment is essential in understanding the underlying factors that define the

culture of a family and how best the family has been able to cope up with the new culture in

American society. The paper has demonstrated that Haitians have families that are consolidated

and with a high value of family cohesion and respect. Social workers work with multicultural

communities and individuals. It has been indicated that for their successful delivery of their

social services, they need to not only understand but also appreciate cultural and family beliefs in

regard to the delivery of these services. Family beliefs and practices impact the members’
FAMILY ASSESSMENT 11

perceptions and practices aspects that would significantly impact service delivery for social

workers. Incorporating these considerations in service delivery enhances the service outcomes

for an individual, a family, or a community.

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References

Brown, J. (1999). Bowen family systems theory and practice: Illustration and critique.

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 20(2), 94-103.

Global Affairs Canada (n.d). Haiti. Retrieved from https://www.international.gc.ca/cil-

cai/country_insights-apercus_pays/ci-ic_ht.aspx?lang=eng

Haefner, J. (2014). An application of Bowen family systems theory. Issues in mental health

nursing, 35(11), 835-841.

Kuo, B. C. (2014). Coping, acculturation, and psychological adaptation among migrants: a

theoretical and empirical review and synthesis of the literature. Health Psychology and

Behavioral Medicine: An Open Access Journal, 2(1), 16-33.

Oelze, P. (2019). What is the importance of family in modern society? BetterHelp. Retrieved

from https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/family/what-is-the-importance-of-family-in-

modern-society/

Sisler, S. (2015). The avenues of communication: words, gestures, & spirit. Retrieved from

https://assessments24x7.com/blog/the_avenues_of_communication/

Woo, B., Figuereo, V., Rosales, R., Wang, K., & Sabur, K. (2018). Where is race and ethnicity in

social work? A content analysis. Social Work Research, 42(3), 180-186.