1. Ask your own question and answer it. 10 points for the question and 20 points for the answer.
What is a family belief system?
From my perspective a family belief system is a system that is combined with several different elements that creates a family’s own internal norms. These elements consist of shared values, beliefs and cultural norms that have been passed down to generation to generation. Along with the cultural patterns and values, a family belief system also consists of verbal/nonverbal rules of how to communicate and handle conflict management, decision making, roles and relationships as well. In conjunction with my perspective, Walsh (2012) indicates a family belief system guides the family life and organizes the experience …show more content…
Questions concerning their past relationships (affairs), engagements (marriage), medical history, mental health, race/ethnic background (culture), religion (faith/spiritually), and extended family issues are important to know for the foundation of the therapeutic process. It is also important for the therapist to know if either of them have been abused (physical/verbal), and addicted to any substances (alcohol/drugs). For the responses to these questions, will not only help the therapist gain insight about the couple, but the information will be taken into consideration in efforts for a treatment plan as …show more content…
For it is important to know where they stand in their marriage as well.
3. What roles do culture and history play in the process of a family and what makes you think they are important and why? How do you work with each issue with the couple and how do you make the decision with which issue to work? 25 points
I believe culture and family history play a huge role in the process of a family, as this becomes part of the family’s belief system. As these influences as shared and integrated from generation to generation, sets of patterns are created; which allow predictable behaviors/thought processes to be identified within a nuclear family/extended family (Walsh, 2012). However, these cultural differences may rise within a marriage, which may cause an interruption in the harmony of the relationship.
In order to work with each cultural difference, it is necessary for the therapist to be cultural competent. With that being said, it would be ideal for the therapist to acknowledge that there are differences do exist between different cultures, and to know about some cultural characteristics (history, values, beliefs, behaviors) of another ethnic/cultural