The Concept of Family Dynamics - Assignment Example

ASSESSMENT AND INTERVENTION PLAN Family History The family comprises of the following people who act as the clients in this case. Jamillah is a mother who was born in 1974 and is, therefore, 34 years old at this point. She is originally from South Sudan and is presently a refugee in the country. Indeed as a woman she is faced with many challenges which normally confront most women refugees. She does not engage herself in any important economic activity and basically stays at home. In addition, she is an alcoholic and has been battling this problem for several years now. Her drinking problem got worse as her children got holder which gave her much time. Her husband is not of her faith and she is therefore alone and isolated most of the time. She even suspects that her husband might be cheating on her. She feels completely isolated from her children and therefore indulges more into alcohol. Mariam is a grandmother aged 55 and living with her daughter. She was married in 1990 and she was neither educated in Sudan nor in Canada. As the grandmother to her daughter’s kids, she does not actually approve of the marriage of her daughter and she stays with the kids more often. In a way, she feels rather compelled to take care of the children and does not therefore like it. In the same way, the children do not actually respect her and this adds to her dislike of reluctance. However, considering that she stays with the family, she is rather compelled to take care of these children. Bob, is the father of the children and was born in 1970 and married in 1990. He is therefore 42 years old and was born and raised in Alberta. Unlike his wife Jamillah, Bob is a Canadian Caucasian male and is employed by Jacobs as a Pipefitter. He works outside the town and is always absent from the house. In a way, Bob is not in touch with his family and his wife complains of the situations. He is basically unconcerned about the children despite the fact that he works and earns good money. Sarah is a daughter in the family ad she is 17 years old having been born in 1995. She is a high school student and very disrespectful and rebellious both in school and at home. She is basically withdrawn from her family and loves partying. When in the house, she basically stays in her room and does not really associate effectively with the rest of the family. She is a grade 12 student at Victoria high school. Riack is the son in the family and was born in 2001. He is therefore 11 years old and in grade 6. He has several difficulties in school in relation to academic work. Socially he has very few friends and he is basically a bookworm who spends much of his time at home and in school reading. He is basically Canadian with some strains of Sudanese heritage in him. He is basically a good child at home and therefore brings the family together. In school, his grades have lately been slipping and the teachers are getting concerned. Family dynamics Indeed, this family has several challenges and dynamics which present the challenges in the case. As realized most of the family members have their own issues and the aspects of communication seems almost broken in the family. Some of the family members like the mother and the father are not demarcating their rightful boundaries with respect the responsibilities and this contributes to the challenges realized. In the same way, the various roles of each family member are not well defined ad this leads to a kind of disorganization. One of the major problems is the fact that Bob does not communicate or interact with his family effectively. He is always away and this leaves the family almost broken. In the same way Jamillah his wife drinks too much and does not therefore have much time to take care of the family. The children especially Sarah is very disrespectful of their grandmother. Grandmother is left with the responsibility of the children who do not even respect her. A challenge arises since Sarah does not listen to her mother whom she considers to be basically an alcoholic. Therefore there is the lack of respect in this situation. In the same way, Sarah does not obey the rules in the house and does everything as she pleases. The alcoholic mother feels that she is not respected and therefore indulges more into alcohol. Bob and Jamillah his wife are having a lot of trouble in communicating with each other. Horizontal communication in this regard is basically difficult and the family does not seem united as a result of the lack of communication. Jamillah further feels that Bob does not really spend any time with her as he is always away from the house. However, Bob loves his family and wishes that his wife would stop drinking. He wants their relationship t get back to normal so that he can enjoy the family status realized previously. In any case, his absence from the house might be due to the nature of his work and the fact that his wife drinks a lot which does not really impress him. Situational factors There are a number of vertical and horizontal stressors which are greatly affecting the family. The situational factors include the issue of religion which is seen to be a challenge in the family. The mother is in a different religion and is therefore much isolated in this regard. The grandmother does not approve of the marriage between Jamillah and her husband Bob. In the same way, other challenges are seen considering that Jamillah originally hails from South Sudan while the husband is a Caucasian Canadian. In this regard, the different racial aspects can greatly have an impact on the unity and growth of the family. Religion and color therefore forms a major line of division this has to be effectively addressed in order for the family to stay united and address the challenges. There are also challenges in the family with respect to finances. There are therefore a number of factors which forms the problem in this case. There are marital, parental, formal and informal issues which seem to affect the family in this case. In this regard, it is important to tackle the challenges realized in the family in totality in order to create a sense of normalcy and enhance unity and cooperation within the members of the family. Summary There are a number of strategies that can be adopted in order to bring positive change into the family. The issues in this family have to be tacked individually and in the appropriate manner. Guidance and counseling forms an important aspect in these considerations and should be enhanced as a way forward (Compton, Galaway & Cournoyer, 2001). Bob and his wife should be effectively counseled in the most appropriate way in order to bring them together and address the drinking problem of Jamillah. Once they can effectively cooperate and understand one another, it will certainly be a way forward and they can lead the family in enhancing cooperation and addressing other issues. On parental respect, the children should be well guided to respect their parents and grandmother and should be active members of the family. The family must create time to stay together and ensure that every member is in touch with one another. There should be support and respect. Jamillah should therefore play the role of a good mother in order to bring the family together and forge a proper relationship. References Compton, B., & Galaway, B., Cournoyer, B. (2001). Social work processes. (7th Ed.).Custom edition for Grant MacEwan University. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing. Mahmoud 1942-1991 ALMMariam M ALM ALM Juma M Agnes Subit M M Flora M M M Gesma Yonan James John Mary ALM M & F AG Jameila Bob Legends Christian Muslim M or Faith not strong M &F No strong faith NSF Agnostic AG Alcoholism ALMSarah NSF Rick NSF Read More