I need help with my week 4 assignment

I need help with my week 4 assignment
Running head: FAMILY LIFE CYCLE 0 Family Life Cycle Alberta Riptoe Introduction to Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling COUN-6201F-6 Instructor Dr. Katherine Coule September 25, 2016 Family Life Cycle Everyone has their own idea of what family is to them. Some people consider those they grew up with as family. To me family is those individuals who are connected by blood and by marriage. However, family is described as individuals who are physically, emotionally connected and who are connected by financial or emotional ties, as well as identifying themselves as a component to the family unit. Family life cycle is the expression used to express overtime the progressive style within the family (Gladding, 2015). The concept of the family life cycle is derived from the belief that family, similar to all else, undergo a progression from birth through adulthood to sickness and death. A functional method of analyzing the family life cycle is to observe the approaches that families must amend their feelings and associations with the purpose of acclimatizing to each of the six phases, the young single adult, the newlyweds, the family with children, the family at mid-life (teenagers and older parents), the stage of initiating children and moving on, and the family in life later on (O’Brien, 2005). Being skilled in the abilities and objectives of each phase will allow individuals to progress from one phase to the next. If they do not become adept in those abilities, they will continue to move to the next phase, but with that move they are more apt to have difficulties with relationships and potential changes. Successful changes within the family life cycle may also assists in preventing illnesses and stress related or emotional disorders. Regardless of your position within the family, who you are and who you become will be affected by the experiences through the family life cycle. The more that is comprehended with respect to the difficulties of every stage, the more people will have the capacity to proceed onward effectively (O’Brien, 2005). To assist in being successful, it is possible to learn those skills and improve the quality of life for the family as a whole. Wellness of children is pre-dictated on the approval of psychological, physical, affective, and material requirements. Wellness is an ecological concept; the well-being of a child is established by the levels of wells of parents, family, community, and socially. Those parents who get pleasure from psychological and physical health, as well as ample economic assets would be in a position of high-quality to provide a wellness enhancing setting for their family. In turn, parent wellness is derived from the opportunities offered by the neighborhood in which they live (DeMarle, 2001). When the needs of the family are met, this can be considered a state of affairs with regards to family wellness. This necessitates that the family achieve a balance between following individual goals, like a career and school, and adding to the welfare of other members of the family. Family wellness is above the deficiency of family conflict; it is the existence of encouraging, loving and rewarding relationships that serves to encourage the individual growth of members of the family and the combined welfare of the family as one (DeMarle, 2001). The family example that a counselor with expertise in marriage, couple, and family counseling would apply their understanding of the family life cycle would be a family with step-parents and two children; a twenty year old son and a teenage son (one on each side). Within this example the step-father is stressed about the twenty year old getting a job and/or finishing his education, while the step-mother is stressed regarding the lack of respect from the teenager; which is causing stress on everyone in the family. Both parents complain to each other regarding their respective child instead of speaking directly to the children. Since I have been a parent in a similar situation, I would reflect on how I would handle the situation. My first thought is to ask if either parent has tried to talk to each other’s children, as well as have a conversation between the parents regarding how to handle the situations described above. The issues in this family are similar to the issues that a new family faces. Blended families are rushed into being whole family, and have not yet been given time for functional legitimacy. To help the family, as a counselor the steps to take would start with introducing the family to plans for gradual development. In some instances, in the beginning it may be practical for the members of the original family units to continue their functional limitations and congregate as two collaborative halves to resolve any concerns as the family progresses toward being one form (Gladding, 2015). References DeMarle, D. J., & Le Roux, P. (2001). The life cycle and disability: Experiences of discontinuity in child and family development. Journal of Loss & Trauma: International Perspectives on Stress & Coping, 6(1), 29-43 Gladdings, S. T. (2015). Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice. (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson O’Brien, M. (2005). Studying individual and family development: Linking theory and research. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67(4), 880-890