Using the outline below, consider your family dynamics and check the box that ap

Using the outline below, consider your family dynamics and check the box that applies to you and your family’s development over the life cycle, discuss your answers to the questions, referring to the text and applying the concepts of the family over the life cycle to your own development, identifying your strengths as well as potential unresolved areas. If you have not yet experienced some of these stages, you can either discuss how your parents/caregivers/family members performed or are performing the tasks, and/or project how you believe you will handle the tasks through your life. In conclusion, review your answers and discuss how your own experiences growing up might impact your clinical social work practice. For those areas that are still unresolved, think about how you intend to address them so that they don’t negatively impact clients in your clinical practice.
I have experienced/am experiencing the family life cycle phase of “Emerging Young Adult”
1 I have been able to differentiate myself from my family of origin.
2 I have been able to develop intimate peer relationships.
3 I have been able to establish myself in respect to my work and my financial independence.
4 I have established myself in my community and in larger society.
5 I have established my personal world view, spirituality/religion, and relationship with nature.
6 My parents/caregivers have been able to shift to a more consultive role in our relationship.
I have experience/am experiencing the family life cycle phase of “Couple Formation: The Joining of Families”
7 I have been able to form a couple system.
8 My family’s own boundaries have expanded to include my new partner and her/his extended family.
9 My partner and I have realigned our relationships with our parents, siblings, extended family members, friends and the larger community in a healthy way.
I have experienced/am experiencing the family life cycle phase of “Families with Young Children”.
10 My partner and I have adjusted our relationship to make space for our children.
11 My partner and I collaborate on childrearing and financial and housekeeping tasks.
12 Our relationship with our extended family has been realigned to include parenting and grandparenting roles.
13 Our relationship with the community and larger social systems has been realigned to include our new family structure and relationships.
I have experienced/am experiencing the family life cycle phase of “Families with Adolescents.”
14 There has been a shift in the parent-child relationship to permit my teenage children to have more independent activities and relationships and allow them to move more flexibly into and out of our family system.
15 We are helping our emerging adolescents negotiate their relationships with the community.
16 We are refocusing on ourselves and our midlife couple issues and career issues.
17 We have begun to shift toward caring for older generations in our family system.
I have experienced/am experiencing the family life cycle phase of “Launching Children and Moving on at Midlife.”
18 My partner (if applicable) and I are renegotiating our relationship as just a couple again without children in the home.
19 My partner (if applicable) and I are developing an adult-to-adult relationship with our children.
20 My partner (if applicable) and I are realigning our family relationships to include our children’s in-laws and our grandchildren.
21 My partner (if applicable) and I are realigning our relationship with the community to include a new constellation of family relationships.
22 My partner (if applicable) and I are exploring new interests and careers now that we have more freedom from primary childcare responsibilities.
23 My partner (if applicable) and I are dealing with health, needs, disabilities, and the death of our grandparents and parents.
I have experienced/am experiencing the family life cycle phase of “Families in Late Middle Age.”
24 My partner (if applicable) and I are maintaining or modifying our own and couple and social functioning and interests in the face of our physical decline.
25 My partner (if applicable) and I are exploring new family and social role options.
26 My partner (if applicable) and I are in a more supporting central role to younger family members.
27 My partner (if applicable) and I are making room in the family system for the wisdom and experience of the family elders.
28 My partner (if applicable) and I are supporting the older generation in our family without over-functioning for them.
I have experienced/am experiencing the family life cycle phase of “Families Nearing the End of Life.”
29 I am dealing with the loss of my spouse/partner, siblings, and other peers.
30 I am making preparations for my own death and my legacy.
31 I am adjusting to the reversed roles of being taken care of by those in the middle generation.
32 I am realigning my relationships with the larger community and social systems to acknowledge the changing life cycle relationships I now find myself in.
I have developed/or am developing the skills and abilities of maturity, including:
33 I listen to others with an open heart.
34 I do not verbally attack others or become defensive when they are talking with me.
35 I relate to others with openness, curiosity, tolerance, empathy and respect, especially with people who are different from me.
36 I am able to accept myself and maintain my own values and beliefs, even if others don’t always agree with me.
37 I engage in nurturing, mentoring and caring for others.
38 I am able to accept nurturing, mentoring, and caring from others.
39 I take into consideration other people and future generations when evaluating socio-political issues such as human rights and social, economic, and environmental issues.