What formal and informal roles did the individual members of the family play?

The assignment includes three parts: 1) an individual Ecomap 2) a personal family Genogram,
and 3) reflection. Self-awareness is a critical component of Generalist Social Work practice.
Self-awareness influences all aspects of the Social Work profession. This includes initial
engagement, how professionals listen to clients, communication with others, professional
approach to social work interventions, and the social work professionals’ ability to practice in an
ethical and competent manner. The assignment allows the student to explore the social entities
that impact daily interactions via an Ecomap, and the opportunity to explore personal family
experience among three generations. Note, individual and family experiences play a crucial role
in the development of personal values, attitudes, and biases. Understanding one’s own social
environment and family dynamics can assist in understanding the ways one’s current values,
attitudes, and beliefs may influence the social work professional and practice. You should cite
your course text to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of ecomaps and genograms as
family assessment tools.
Due Date: 11:59PM on Thursday, March 23, 2023 Percent Grade: 30% Instructions:
Part 1: Ecomap: Using the readings in chapter 9 (Kirst-Ashman textbook), Blackboard, and class discussion, develop an individual Ecomap. The Ecomap should indicate 3-5 social entities in the student’s life. Use symbols to indicate the strength, meaning, and value of each social entity, and length of time each social entity has been a part of the student’s life. Complete an Ecomap based on current individual living situation. A sample will be shared and discussed with the class to prepare for the Ecomap.
Part 2: Family Genogram: This portion of the assignment requires the student to examine personal family of origin and be able to describe it with detail. Family of origin refers to those people with whom the student spent childhood. The student may have come from a traditional nuclear family and/or may have experienced diverse forms of family life as a child. Most families have both functional aspects to them and impairments or deviations from the norms, but all of these features contribute to one’s view of relationships and family life. The assignment will only be reviewed by the professor; thus, the student’s privacy will be respected. Only share information that feels safe and comfortable to complete the assignment. For this assignment, you should complete a genogram of own family situation based on information from the past, and current family situation. The genogram should include three generations. This can be student, parents, and grandparents (maternal and paternal). No real names please.
Part 3: Self-Reflection (3-pages): Self-awareness and reflection have been described as cornerstones of professional development in social work practice. The ability to engage in reflection has been shown to increase professional growth and competence and improve clinical decision-making. For this assignment, you will complete the genogram and ecomap and reflect on your family of origin. You will write a 3-page reflection of what you have learned about yourself and your family by doing this assignment. Use the guidelines below to reflect on your family.
1
Family Reflection Guidelines
You may select any or all aspects of the following family themes to write your reflection paper.
1. What was the structure of your family growing up (i.e., organization of the family)?
2. How would you describe the power structure in your family? Who had the most
influence … the most authority? How was the balance of power maintained? How did
this influence decision-making in your family?
3. Describe your family communication patterns with one another? Was the
communication effective?
4. How were feelings expressed in your family? Was it safe to talk about feelings or was
it taboo? What was the affect and range of feelings expressed in your family?
5. What were the core values and beliefs within your family?
6. Describe the relationship boundaries in your family? Were there subgroups or alliances
in your family? How did the alliances affect the functioning of the family? Was your
family an open system, a closed system, or a random system?
7. What formal and informal roles did the individual members of the family play? Did these
roles contribute to or impede your family’s functioning?
8. Identify the strengths that you see in your family as you look back over your childhood.
9. How do you think your family experience influenced you as an individual today?
10. How will this information be important to you in your work with clients? What
challenges do you think you will have?
Feel free to include any other information from your assessment that you would like to share, but it is not required.

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