HUMS 340 Working With Families
March 2007 (06/54)
Online Course Syllabus
Effective Date: March 19-May 12, 2007
Course Description
HUMS 340 Working With Families
Introduc
Examination of family function and assessment using the major models, theories, and
perspectives of family and family therapy. Students will learn how to apply those
theories and perspectives to assess families in conjunction with other assessment tools
such as ecomaps and genograms.
Prerequisites: HUMS 105 (Intro to Human Services) or instructor’s permission
I. Overview and Course Goals
The main objective of this course is to give the student an introduction to working with
families. We will be talking about different types of family work, including family
sculpting, constructing ecomaps and genograms. We will take a look at family theories
and family therapy theories. We will also discuss ethical concerns of working with
families.
During Week 1, we will begin this course by getting to know a little bit about each other.
We will also become familiar with learning in a virtual environment and generate an
understanding of the expectations of the course. We will begin covering content matter
through generating an understanding of the basic concepts in family work. We will look
at determining levels of family need, look at the stages in a family, and learn about
genograms. For some of you, this week will serve as a review. The reading assignment
for this week is the introductory chapter and chapter 1. You have a drop box assignment
due in week 3, regarding genograms-you may wish to start this week, as you may need
information from family members.
During Week 2, we will discuss ecological systems-social construction theory as related
to working with families. Students will be asked to apply theory to their own family
situation. What are the key assumptions of the systems view? What is the focus: strengths
or problems/weaknesses? Reading for this week will be chapter 2.
During Week 3, we will discuss commonalities and human diversities. In what ways are
we the same, and in which ways are we different? We will discuss valuing and
appreciating multiculturalism in practice. We will also discuss ethically informed and
spiritually sensitive practice. Students should download the NOHS Code of Ethics if they
have not done so in previous human services courses. This can be found at
www.nationalhumanservices.org. Reading for this week will be chapters 3 and 4 of the
text, plus the NOHS Code of Ethics. We will discuss issues such as “informed consent”
and ethical decision making. There is a drop box assignment due this week.
During Week 4, we will explore the first level of family needs: basic survival. We will
discuss abuse and neglect, family preservation, and using a strengths approach to
practice. We will also discuss family case management services and the human service
professional’s role. Reading for this week is chapters 5 and 6. Students will take their
midterm examination this week. The midterm examination will be available Wednesday
through Saturday.
During Week 5, we will explore the second level of family need: structure, limits, and
safety. Structural family therapy will be discussed. We will also discuss social family
learning this week. What are the steps to this model? What populations respond best to
use of this model? We will identify guidelines for when to use this model. Reading for
this week is chapters 7 and 8.
During Week 6, we will talk about the third level of family need: Boundaries and
control. Solution-focused brief therapy will be covered this week. This is a very wellknown method of treatment, and may be the most practical model. We will discuss
cultural differences and language/perceptual differences in families. The second chapter
for the week covers Bowen’s family emotional systems theory. We will discuss the
concept of three generation assessment of families. www.bowentheory.com and
www.thebowencenter.org may be useful websites for you. Reading for this week is
chapters 9 and 10.
During Week 7, we will talk about the fourth level of family need: family and personal
growth. We will cover narratives and the usefulness of narrative family interventions. We
will discuss the difference between co-creation and therapist-directed family
interventions. www.narrativeapproaches.com is a suggested website for more
information about this concept. Object Relations Family Interventions is the second
major concept we will address this week. We will talk about ORFI interventions and the
basic tenets of the theory. Reading for this week is chapters 11and 12.
During Week 8, we discuss the family in the community: ecosystem implications. How
does the family practitioner and agency help families function in the community? We
will discuss two models: Goal directed Community Human Services System model and
the Comprehensive Community Initiatives Model. Reading for this week is chapter 13.
The final examination will occur this week. The exam will be available Wednesday
through Saturday.
II. Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, students should:
Course Objectives:
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Measurable Learning
Outcomes:
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To explore, analyze, and compare family theory and
theories of intervention
To demonstrate the proper use o ftools for assessment of
family functioning and dynamics (such as ecomaps and
genograms)
Create and interpret a three-generation genogram
Create and interpret an ecomap
Understand the professional issues and ethics related to
working with families
Explain the major theories and perspectives of family and
properly apply family theories of intervention
Understand one’s own family, as a prerequisite to being able
to work with and understand client families, using the tools
and theories developed in the class
III. Course Policies
To view a demonstration course for details about taking an online course, please go to the
following address: http://www.ccis.edu/online/demo.asp. There will be no discrimination
on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, ideology,
political affiliation, veteran status, age, physical disability, or marital status. Students
with documented disabilities who may need academic services for this course are
required to register with the ADA coordinator of Columbia College at 573-875-7626.
Read the entire syllabus before continuing the course. For students new to online
education, the following link is a great resource:
http://www.ccis.edu/online/studentmanual/.
Student Conduct
The instructor reserves the right to manage a positive learning environment and thus will
not tolerate inappropriate conduct in the course. This class covers material that may be
controversial, therefore it is important that, in order for us all to grow and learn and
increase our understanding of inequalities, we be careful and treat each other with respect
and civility.
All Columbia College students, whether enrolled in a land-based or online course, are
responsible for behaving in a manner consistent with Columbia College's Code of
Student Conduct and Ethics Code for Computer Users. Students violating these codes
will be referred to the Campus Life Office for possible disciplinary action. The Code for
Student Conduct and the Ethics Code for Computer Users can be found in the Columbia
College Student Handbook, a copy of which can be obtained by calling the Campus Life
office at 573-875-7425.
Online Participation
This course is offered online, over the Internet, using the Internet and the World Wide
Web, using technology provided by Desire2Learn and Columbia College. Participation
online is expected to be continuous throughout the course. Failure to turn in assignments
by the date due, or timely participation in online discussions may result in the student
being withdrawn from the course. Emergencies should be communicated and
documented to the instructor as soon as possible. Students are expected to read the
assigned texts each week and log-in to the course discussion area, and post messages as
required in the Course Schedule section of this syllabus. Active participation in the
course will guide students in preparing assignments and exams. The instructor will
facilitate online discussions in the Discussion room by responding to posted messages.
See "Ground Rules for Online Participation" for additional information.
A class week is defined as the period of time between Monday and Sunday. The first
week begins the first day of the session (Monday, March 19, 2007) and ends midnight
the following Sunday except for Week 8 when the week and the course will end Saturday
at midnight (Saturday, May 12, 2007). Discussion assignments scheduled for completion
during a class week should be submitted or posted by the weekly due dates stated on the
grading schedule below. NOTE: Because this is an online course designed to get
feedback on assignments to you directly via Internet, you must make prior
arrangements before submitting a paper via fax or the postal service. If you ever have
problems transmitting your assignments to me, telephone me immediately at (573-8757530) and we'll get the problem solved.
Ground Rules for Online Participation
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Students should use email for private messages to the instructor and other
students. Students should use the Dropbox feature of Desire2Learn for turning in
graded papers. The Discussion area of the course is for public messages so we can
see what each other have to say about any given topic, and respond if desired.
Students are expected to participate in online discussions, as well as with other
appropriate online activities including sending/receiving email.
All students will observe conventions of "online etiquette," when communicating
online which includes courtesy to all users.
Students may get assistance with computer related problems through the
instructor.
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Assignments labeled Dropbox assignments are papers that students are expected
to turn in through Desire2Learn’s Dropbox option since this procedure will
eliminate lost emails and attachments.
Assigned papers may be submitted via the postal service or fax in rare
circumstances and only if arrangements are made with the instructor beforehand.
Academic Honesty
All Columbia College policies are in effect as described in the Academic
Dishonesty/Misconduct section of the current college Catalog. All your work must be
your own unless collaboration has been authorized by the instructor. If collaboration is
authorized, you must acknowledge the collaboration in writing. Your grade will be based
in large part on the originality of your ideas and your written presentation of these ideas.
Presenting as one’s own the words, ideas, or expression of another in any form is
cheating through plagiarism. If you are unsure what constitutes plagiarism, review the
rules of original writing at the following web site: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/. This
link provides valuable information, including examples of plagiarism. To review some
plagiarism tools available to students, take a look at http://www.schoolsucks.com and
www.termpapersites.com. The content of these plagiarism sites would, if you were
lucky, get you a “D” in this course if you were not caught. It is substandard work indeed,
but you will almost always be caught if you try to cheat, due to the plagiarism prevention
tools available to instructors. Here are two sites that may be of interest:
http://www.indiana.edu/~istd and http://www.plagiarism.com. Plagiarism will not be
tolerated and the claim of ignorance is no excuse. Those found plagiarizing may be
dropped from the course and assigned a grade of “F.”
Collaboration with other students is not permitted without explicit permission from the
instructor. This is a form of plagiarism. Roommates and spouses taking the same course
should be particularly careful.
Levels of Communication
We will be using a minimum of two levels of communication in this course, one formal,
and the other informal. All Dropbox assignments are formal. They should be written as
if you are communicating with a client/consumer of services. The formal rules of proper
English and grammar apply for these submissions, and a reference page is required.
Points will be deducted for misspellings, incomplete sentences, poor sentence structure,
etc.
Discussion postings are informal. You do not have to use capitalizations to begin
sentences; there are no penalties for misspellings, incomplete sentences, or other
violations of grammatical rules. Please keep in mind, however, that you should strive for
accuracy even though you will not be penalized for spelling and grammatical errors in the
Discussion section of the class because this increases the likelihood that your posting is
accurately understood. The criteria that must be met in Discussion postings is that your
messages must be original, intelligible, and show familiarity with the assigned readings.
You must communicate effectively, showing your understanding of the readings. In
addition, you must meet the weekly requirements for full credit on Discussion room
assignments.
Grading Policy
You will know in advance the standards for each assignment. The instructor’s goal is to
give you prompt, clear, and useful feedback to help you become a better writer and
thinker.
You will be able to track your average exactly throughout the course. The grading scale is
based on percentile as follows: A = 90-100; B = 80-89; C = 70-79; D = 60-69; F = 0-59.
Each student is responsible for:
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Completing weekly reading assignments.
Completing the drop box assignment (genogram/ecomap)
Completing weekly discussion questions in the online Discussion threads (most
weeks require two postings; often with one as a response to my weekly question,
however, some weeks ask for three postings. Always refer to the weekly syllabus
guidelines [see below] for proper discussion postings)
Successfully complete two exams by their scheduled dates
Participate in class discussion by reading all of your classmates’ posts as well as
the instructor’s responses. This implies that your interactions in the discussion
threads need to be more than simply posting your own answer.
Late Assignment Policy
No late assignments will be accepted without extenuating circumstances beyond the
control of the student and with instructor notification prior to the due date (Columbia
College Catalog). Late postings will be graded accordingly.
IV. Grades
Text readings should be completed prior to submitting assignments or weekly discussion
postings. All graded assignments will rely upon information derived from our text
readings.
Online Discussion postings should be complete by their respective deadlines (most are
Wednesday and Sunday at midnight, however some weeks ask for only one posting and
the first week asks for three) of each assigned week. Discussion postings will be graded
according to the Discussion grade criteria table.
Exams: There will be a midterm and a final exam, each worth 100 points. The first
exam will cover material from weeks 1-4. The second exam will cover material from
weeks 5-8.
WEEK
ASSIGNMENT
POINTS
DUE DATE
Week 1
Online Discussion #1
5 Points
Wednesday
Online Discussion #2
5 Points
Saturday
Week 2
Online Discussion #3
5 points
Saturday
Week 3
Online Discussion #4
5 points
Tuesday
Online discussion #5
5 points
Saturday
Drop box assignment (genogram)
5 points
Saturday
Online Discussion #6
5 Points
Tuesday
Online Discussion #7
5 Points
Saturday
Midterm Exam
100 Points
Wednesday-Saturday
Online Discussion #8
5 Points
Tuesday
Online Discussion #9
5 Points
Saturday
Online Discussion #10
5 Points
Tuesday
Online Discussion #11
5 Points
Saturday
Online Discussion #12
5 Points
Tuesday
Final Exam
100 Points
Wednesday-Saturday
Total Potential Points
275 points
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Online Discussion #13
Week 8
Online Discussion #14
GRADE CRITERIA FOR ONLINE DISCUSSION POSTINGS
Online posting is on time and answers given for all questions. Answers are
5=A
complete and concise. Shows familiarity with the assigned readings.
4=B
Assignment is one day late, but completely answers the questions or,
assignment is on time, but answers are not complete.
3=C
Assignment is late, and answers are not complete.
2=D
Assignment is late, or on time, but minimal.
Grades/points for all assignments, quizzes, exams and class conferencing will be posted
in a weekly grade report in the Grade book section of the course in order that students
may keep up with their progress. Please email me privately (rather than in the discussion
arena) if you have questions about your grade in the course or for an assignment. In order
to protect your privacy, I will not discuss your individual grade in the discussion
postings.
V. Required Texts
Textbooks for the course may be ordered on-line from:
http://direct.mbsbooks.com/columbia.htm
Books may be ordered by phone at 800-325-3252 or by fax at 800-499-0143.
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Kilpatrick, A. & Holland, T.(2006). Working with Families: An integrative model
by level of need (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson Publishing.
Week 1: Introduction of terms and concepts.
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Readings: Read the introduction and Chapter 1 of the text. Reading the assigned
text is essential to doing well in this class.
Online Discussion Assignments:
#1. Introduce yourself in the "Introductions" thread of our class Discussion, our
"virtual classroom". Please give us more than your name. Include your profession,
hobbies, interests, and any other information that can help us get to know
you. Please post your response in the appropriate thread by midnight Wednesday.
#2. Find a journal article on the effectiveness of family therapy. Attach the article
to your discussion (do not simply provide a link to the article). Discuss your
findings and your reaction to the findings. The article must be from a scholarly,
peer reviewed journal. Due by midnight Saturday.
Week 2: ecological systems-social construction theory and working with
families.
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Readings: Read Chapter 2 of the text
Online Discussion Assignments:
#3. In this week’s post, please discuss what biases you have that would limit your use
of social constructionist theory in working with families. Post by midnight Saturday.
Week 3: Diversity and Ethics
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Readings: Read Chapter 3 and 4 of the text, and download and read the NOHS
Code of Ethics. This can be found at www.nationalhumanservices.org.
Online Discussion Assignments:
#4 In the Discussion thread for this week, discuss how the addition of the
concept, “alliance” alter the previous understanding of the helping relationship?
Post this answer by Tuesday at midnight.
#5 In the discussion thread, discuss: how should you work effectively with clients
who present spiritual ideas that are different form, or even conflicting with, your
own? Post due by Saturday at midnight.
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Drop box assignment: Students will construct a detailed 3-generation genogram
of their family. You may find it helpful to talk with relatives to give you
information for this assignment. When you complete your genogram, write about
what this experience was like for you. Did you find out anything about your
family? How can genograms be helpful in family work? Microsoft Word has the
capability o fmaking circles and squares, or students can visit the site:
www.smartdraw.com/specials/genealogy.asp . This site offers free downloads for
making genograms. If you prefer, you can use other software or an online
template from another website. If you prefer to hand draw your genogram, you
can draw it neatly on paper, type your answers to the rest of the questions and fax
it to me. My fax number is: 573-875-7209. If you fax this assignment, please
notify me by email so I can let you know whether I received it. This assignment is
due by midnight Saturday.
As a reminder, midterms will occur next week. Students will take their exam
between Wed. and Sat. of Week 4. The midterm exam will cover all the material
through week 4.
Week 4: The first level of family need: basic survival
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Readings: Chapters 5 and 6.
Online Discussion Assignments:
#6 For your first discussion this week, answer the following: Should family
preservation be a goal of child welfare policy? Explain your position. Post due by
Tuesday at midnight.
#7 Using your knowledge of information presented in the readings, discuss how
one maintains a trusting relationship in a case management role in difficult
settings (such as public housing) when you believe you have done all you can to
obtain trust? Please post your response by Saturday at midnight.
Midterm Exam! Students must take their midterm exam between Wednesday
and Saturday of this week. This exam will consist of objective questions
(multiple choice and true/false).Students will have one hour to complete the
exam.
Week 5: The second level of family need: structure, limits, and safety
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Readings: Read Chapters 7 and 8.
Online Discussion Assignments:
#8 Please discuss how one incorporates the diversity of values and spirituality
among practitioners and families into the structural model? Please post your
response by Tuesday at midnight.
#9. The authors noted that the social learning family treatment model is not
necessarily the only or best intervention to use. Describe guidelines that could
assist you in deciding whether the social learning treatment model is applicable to
a given case. Please post your response by Saturday at midnight.
Week 6: The third level of family need: boundaries and control
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Readings: Read chapters 9 and 10.
Online Discussion Assignments:
#10 Because we no longer have a clinical diagnosis for “normal”, how do we
know when a family no longer needs therapy? Please post your response by
Tuesday at midnight.
# 11 Consider a case of family dissolution in which the primary issue in the threemember family is the adolescent child’s adjustment to the divorce of her parents.
Describe one possible intervention strategy if the child will be in joint custody but
is disengaged from one parent. Post your answer by Saturday at midnight.
Week 7: The fourth level of family need: family and personal growth
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Readings: chapters 11 and 12
#12 What role to letters, celebrations, and reflecting teams have in narrative
therapy? Please post your response by Tuesday at midnight.
#13 Do gender and ethnicity issues impact the use of ORFI? Please post your
response by Saturday at midnight.
Week 8: Prevention and current controversies in the human services field
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Readings: Read Chapter 13
Online Discussion Assignments:
#14 In this post, discuss what the agency must be prepared to do in order to
support practitioner efforts to ensure support from communities for families.
Tuesday at midnight.
Course Evaluation: Go to the following site and evaluate the course:
http://www.ccis.edu/online/evaluations/evaluations.asp. Please note that these
evaluations are provided so that instructors can improve the course, find out what
students perceive to be its strengths and weaknesses, and in general assess the
success of the course. Please do take the time to fill this out. Thank you.
Final Exam: The final exam will be available for you to take Wednesday through
Saturday of this week. You will have one hour to complete the exam.
VII. Instructor Information
Lia Willis, MSW, LCSW
Human Services Instructor
316 St. Clair Hall, Columbia College
Columbia, MO 65216
Phone number: 573-875-7530 Email: lwillis@ccis.edu
I live in Columbia, Missouri, and have taught at the Columbia College home campus
since 2001. I am a native Columbian and have lived here all but 5 yrs, when I lived in
Northern Maine. My social work experience includes being a psychotherapist/consultant
in a rural mental health clinic in Maine (5 yrs), working as an oncology social worker (6
yrs), and working as a medical social worker on a skilled nursing unit in a hospital and on
the general medicine floor (2 yrs). I am currently a PhD candidate, having completed my
coursework and comprehensive exams. My dissertation is on public housing and the
differences in well-being between people living in congregate public housing vs. people
living in Section 8 housing (the housing voucher program). I plan to complete my
dissertation by May. Please let me know how if I can be of assistance in during this
course. I look forward to this course and hope you enjoy it.