LESSON 4:

Theories, Practice Framework And

Perspective Relevant to Interventions in
Working With Individuals and Families

ANDOG, KRISHIAN ERL L.

MAHILUM, MARIELLA O.
PALOMO, EDUARD ERIC S.
BENALES, DANCEL GRACE B.
BRIOL, CRES S.
STRENGTH-BASED
APPROACH
What does strength-based approach mean?

• The strength-based approach is “a work practice theory” which focuses on

an individual’ self determination and strength. (Strengths-Based Model in
Social Work; McCashen, Wayne (2005)).
• This type of approach builds the clients on their strengths, specifically
seeing them as resourceful and resilient when they are in adverse
conditions. (Strengths-Based Model in Social Work; McCashen, Wayne
(2005).
 Principles of the Strength-Based Approach
There are nine guiding principles that serve as the foundation of the strength-based approach
(Hammond, 2010).

1. Everyone possesses a uniqueness that helps them evolve and move along their journey. These
characteristics may include potential strengths and capabilities.
2. What receives attention or focus becomes what the client strives for and, eventually, a reality.
3. Be careful with your words and language. Our language creates our reality.
4. Accept change. Life and our world are ever evolving; don’t resist.
5. Support others as authentically as you can. You will see that your relationships are deeper and
more meaningful.
6. The client is the storyteller of their own story.
7. Build upon what you know and experience to dream of the future.
8. Capacity building has multiple facets and organizations. Be flexible.
9. Be collaborative. Be adaptive and value differences.
 What Are the Benefits of This Approach?
Hammond (2010) offers the following list of benefits of the strength-based
approach.

•Focusing on strengths rather than problems offers the client control and a new
mindset.
•The client’s resilience and overall function in their family and community are
improved.
•The strength-based approach offers a shared language and philosophy.
•Resilience is the goal, which offers the client a theoretical map to follow for
prevention and evaluation.
•Intervention tactics are client driven and relationship minded.
•Distressed people are engaged with respect and compassion.
•The approach respects that it takes time to build clients’ capacities.
•The approach sees people as creating and rebuilding, rather than broken or failing.
•With improved resilience come additional benefits, including feeling special,
valued, and optimistic, and understanding that life is a journey.
•Clients learn how to set goals and expectations, cope in a healthy way that
fosters growth, and confront rather than avoid challenges.
•The approach doesn’t ignore vulnerabilities or weaknesses.
•The approach builds self-esteem and competence.
•Clients learn effective interpersonal skills in order to look for assistance and
support when needed.
•Clients better understand what can and cannot be controlled.
•Clients are better able to support others, giving time to those that they care
about.
•The approach encourages clients to connect to social support like family or
community to nurture their growth.
ECOSYSTEMS
 Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory
•American psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner was critical of previous theories of
child development. He argued that studies of children in unfamiliar laboratory
environments with one other person, usually a stranger, were ecologically invalid
(See Mary Ainsworth’s 1970 experiment of the ‘Strange Situation’)
•Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory views child development as a complex
system of relationships affected by multiple levels of the surrounding environment,
from immediate settings of family and school to broad cultural values, laws, and
customs. To study a child's development then, we must look not only at the child and
her immediate environment, but also at the interaction of the larger environment as
well.
•Bronfenbrenner divided the person's environment into five different systems: the
microsystem, the mesosystem, the exosystem, the macrosystem, and the
chronosystemm
The Five Ecological Systems

•Bronfenbrenner (1977) suggested that

the environment of the child is a nested
arrangement of structures, each contained
within the next. He organized them in
order of how much of an impact they
have on a child.
•He named these structures the
microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem,
macrosystem and the chronosystem.
•Because the five systems are interrelated,
the influence of one system on a child’s
development depends on its relationship
with the others.
1. The Microsystem

•The microsystem is the first level of Bronfenbrenner's theory, and are the
things that have direct contact with the child in their immediate environment,
such as parents, siblings, teachers and school peers.
•Relationships in a microsystem are bi-directional, meaning the child can be
influenced by other people in their environment and is also capable of
changing the beliefs and actions of other people too.
•Furthermore, the reactions of the child to individuals in their microsystem
can influence how they treat them in return.
•The interactions within microsystems are often very personal and are crucial
for fostering and supporting the child’s development.
If a child has a strong nurturing relationship with their parents, this is said to
have a positive effect on the child. Whereas, distant and unaffectionate parents
will have a negative effect on the child.
2. The Mesosystem

•The mesosystem encompasses the interactions between the child’s

microsystems, such as the interactions between the child’s parents and
teachers, or between school peers and siblings.
•The mesosystem is where a person's individual microsystems do not
function independently, but are interconnected and assert influence upon one
another.
•For instance, if a child’s parents communicate with the child’s teachers, this
interaction may influence the child’s development. Essentially, a mesosystem
is a system of microsystems.
•According to the ecological systems theory, if the child’s parents and
teachers get along and have a good relationship, this should have positive
effects on the child’s development, compared to negative effects on
development if the teachers and parents do not get along.
3. The Exosystem

•The exosystem is a component of the ecological systems theory developed by Urie

Bronfenbrenner in the 1970s. It incorporates other formal and informal social
structures, which do not themselves contain the child, but indirectly influence them
as they affect one of the microsystems.
•Examples of exosystems include the neighborhood, parent’s workplaces, parent’s
friends and the mass media. These are environments in which the child is not
involved, and are external to their experience, but nonetheless affects them
anyway.
•An instance of exosystems affecting the child’s development could be if one of the
parents had a dispute with their boss at work.
•The parent may come home and have a short temper with the child as a result of
something which happened in the workplace, resulting in a negative effect on
development.
4. The Macrosystem

•The macrosystem is a component of Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory

that focuses on how cultural elements affect a child's development, such as
socioeconomic status, wealth, poverty, and ethnicity.
•Thus, culture that individuals are immersed within may influence their beliefs and
perceptions about events that transpire in life.
•The macrosystem differs from the previous ecosystems as is does not refer to the
specific environments of one developing child, but the already established society
and culture which the child is developing in.
•This can also include the socioeconomic status, ethnicity, geographic location and
ideologies of the culture.
•For example, a child living in a third world country would experience a different
development than a child living in a wealthier country.
5. The Chronosystem

•The fifth and final level of Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory is

known as the chronosystem.
•This system consists of all of the environmental changes that occur over the
lifetime which influence development, including major life transitions, and
historical events.
•These can include normal life transitions such as starting school but can also
include non-normative life transitions such as parents getting a divorce or having
to move to a new house.
Bronfenbrenner’s theory in the 21st century

The world has changed a lot since this theory was introduced in
terms of technological developments. However, it could still be
said that the exosystem of a child could be expanded to include
social media, video gaming and other modern-day interactions
within the ecological system.
This could suggest that the ecological systems are still valid but
will expand over time to include new modern developments.
FAMILY
SYSTEM
What Is Family Systems Theory?

•Bowen’s family systems theory (FST) is a concept of looking at the family as an

emotional unit derived from Bowen’s study of the family. Psychiatrist Murray
Bowen developed the Bowen family systems theory which is a relationship system
the family exhibits as the interlocking concepts of familial development and
behavior are carefully analyzed.

•Depending on the specific human relationship systems and how the emotional
systems operates the Bowen family systems theory suggests these behavioral
patterns can lead to either balance or dysfunction of the system or both.
Why Is Family Systems Theory Important?

According to Dr. Bowen’s theory and study of the family, even for disconnected families,
Bowen family systems theory suggests that one’s family unit, family of origin, or family
center overall still has a profound impact on their emotions and actions.

Dr. Bowen showed through his study of the family in Bowen’s theory that perhaps
humans evolved to be interdependent on family or family center to promote cooperation
among families for essentials like shelter. g.

Bowen family systems theory suggests there will always be one person in the family unit
who “absorbs” the bulk of the emotions of one’s family, whether it be in a traditional or
non-traditional family. Regardless of how one’s family emotional system operations or
their human relationship systems, Bowen’s theory stresses the importance of families to
work together in therapy or counseling as it can help one’s family work together better
and keep anxieties low.
The Eight Concepts Of Family Systems Theory

The Bowen family systems theory derived from his study of the family is composed of
eight interlocking concepts:

•Triangles

A triangle in the Bowen family systems theory is a three-person relationship and is

considered a “building block” for larger family systems and overall systems thinking.
Bowen family systems theory suggests triangles provide the smallest stable form of a
family emotional system, if tension builds between the insiders, the two closer people in
the triangle, one of them will choose to grow closer to the outsider. Though the triangle
dynamic is seen as the smallest stable relationship structure, it can be a catalyst for many
familial problems.
•Differentiation Of Self
Even within a family unit, every
person is unique. Bowen’s study of
the family revealed people differ
with the degree to which one
develops their sense of self and it is
dependent on familial relationships
during childhood and adolescence
as seen in the study of the family.
The study of the family in Bowen’s
theory revealed that in all families,
there will always be a mix of
people with poor and strong
differentiation of self.
•Nuclear Family Emotional Process
The nuclear family emotional process is composed of four relationship
patterns that govern familial problems. Bowen’s study of the family outlined
four basic relationship patterns:
Marital Conflict: As family tension increases, spouses will externalize the
anxiety they are feeling onto their marital partner and their relationship.
Dysfunction In One Spouse: One spouse will pressure another spouse to think
or act a certain way, exerting control over their partner and if any family
tension arises, the subordinate partner may experience high levels of anxiety.
Impairment Of One Or More Children: A parent may focus all of their
anxieties on one or more of their children which can limit their differentiation
of self. This makes the child vulnerable to internalize family tensions.
Emotional Distance: Emotional distance results in avoiding family tension.
All of the nuclear family emotional processes can overlap, which can have
profound effects on each previously stable relationship within the nuclear
family emotional system.
•Family Projection Process
This concept describes how parents may transmit
their emotional problems onto their children. The
family projection process, according to Dr. Bowen
and the Bowen family systems theory, follows
three steps:
1. The parent focuses extra attention on one child
in the family system out of fear that there is
something wrong with the child
2. The parent finds something in the child’s
actions or behavior that they perceive as
confirming their fear
3. The parent then treats the child as if there is
something truly wrong without analyzing the
child’s positive and negative traits.
•Multigenerational Transmission Process
Typically, as part of the multigenerational transmission
process. But, in the relationship patterns of the nuclear
family, there is typically one sibling who develops a slightly
stronger sense of self than their parents.
The nature of this multigenerational transmission process
means that small differences in the level of differentiation
between parents and children will grow larger over time.
Level of differentiation affects many components of one’s
life. Thus, different generations of the same family may have
extremely different lifestyles from one another due to their
differences in levels of differentiation. In general, people
with higher levels of differentiation of self have more stable
nuclear family relationships.
•Emotional Cutoff
Emotional cutoff often leads
to unresolved attachment
issues and can cause tension
among familial relationships.
•Sibling Position
Research by psychologist Walter Toman states that people
who are in the same sibling position tend to have common
characteristics.
Sibling position and the associated personality traits can
impact family relationships, especially when it comes to
marital relationships. Married couples tend to fare better when
the two people are in complementary sibling positions. When
two people of the same sibling position marry, there is often
not enough differentiation between parents and conflict arises.
Of course, differentiation plays a role in this, as do families or
family dynamics that influence one’s behavior and personality.
•Societal Emotional Process
The concepts of the Bowen family systems theory do
not only apply to families, but to non-family groups
such as workers in an office as well. Even outside of
the family, emotional processes influence behavior and
lead to progressive and regressive periods in society.
This idea serves as the main crux of the societal
emotional process. Emotional processes, along with
cultural forces, impact how well society can adapt to
change or overcome challenges. A progressive period is
when things are changing for the better, while a
regressive period will see spikes in negative things.
The progressive and regressive stages of greater family
system development can have substantial positive and
negative impacts on society as a whole.
Societal factors can impact family systems, too. In
regressive periods, it is harder for parents to exert an
appropriate amount of control over their children. The
anxiety parents feel in these times can become very
intense and negatively affect the family unit.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL
THEORY; ANTI-
OPPRESSIVE/ ANTI-
DISCRIMINATORY
PRACTICE
What is Anti-Oppressive Practice?

•Anti-Oppressive Practice is both a theory and an approach that has a very broad scope.
When defined as an approach to social issues, it focuses on how larger systems create
and protect the unearned privilege and power that some groups have while at the same
time creating, maintaining, and upholding difficult and unequitable conditions for other
groups of people (Baines, 2017). These inequitable conditions created by larger systems
lead to power imbalances between them. Anti-Oppressive Practice centers the
experiences of equity-deserving groups in order to build structures and systems that
work for everyone.
•Anti-Oppressive Practice recognizes the oppression that exists in our society/space and
aims to mitigate the effects of oppression and eventually equalize the power imbalances
that exist between people. It also recognizes that all forms of oppression are
interconnected in some way, shape or form (Aquil et al., 2021).
What is Anti-Discriminatory Practice?

•Anti-discriminatory practice according to Thompson (2016) refers to

how individuals operate in a way that fights against practices and
behaviours which are discriminatory in nature. It also involves practices
which promote social justice.
•Anti-discriminatory Practice is an approach which calls for people to
be treated with respect and holds that people should not be treated badly
or unfairly because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, impairment,
class, religious belief or age. It also champions the implementation of
policies that fight against discrimination (Okitikpi & Aymer, 2012).
Oppression works at three interacting levels within our society – structural, cultural and personal
(Scammell, 2016).

Type of Oppression What it Includes Examples

Structural The entities and organizations that are
responsible for distributing resources
and delegating power in society
Cultural How language and categorization can
contribute to oppression by influencing
cultural values and creating structures
that label groups of people as either
dominant or other
Personal Individual interactions, everyday work
practices and the values we hold and
may share with others
Legislative bodies, government policy,
cultural institutions (education systems,
health care systems, justice systems,
houses of worship, libraries)
White vs. Racial minority
Heteronormative vs.
Non-heteronormative
Neurotypical vs. Neurodivergent
Discrimination against a person based
on prejudicial thoughts
A micro aggression enacted against a
Black person

Sources: Baines, 2017; Scammel, 2016.

GENDER-BASED
PERSPECTIVE
Gender Perspective

•The human rights-based approach to social protection requires states to ensure that social protection
programmes are designed, implemented and monitored taking into account the differences in the experiences
of men and women. The impacts of social protection programmes are not gender neutral. As such, States must
ensure that programmes address women’s specific needs throughout the different phases of their lives, from
childhood to old age. The programmes should factor in women’s care role as well as the differences in access
to services and productive work between men and women.

•Examples of gender-sensitive programme designs include providing childcare facilities in public works
programmes or employment guarantee schemes, keeping work hours flexible to accommodate time for
domestic responsibilities, and establishing sex quotas in governance structures of social protection
programmes to increase women’s participation. A comprehensive, publicly funded social pension scheme for
women is another example which would take into consideration the higher life expectancy of women, the
variability in labour force participation between genders, the burden of unpaid care work, and the ability of
women in different age groups to contribute to the pension scheme. Additionally such a scheme can
compensate for women’s lack of access to contributory pension schemes as well as their low income and
savings levels during their working lives.
CULTURAL/ ETHNIC-
SENSITIVE
PERSPECTIVE
WHAT IS CULTURE?

Culture has been defined in many different ways. Two of

the most common definitions:

•"Culture is the shared set of assumptions, values, and beliefs of a group of people by
which they organize their common life."
•"Culture is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members
of one group from another."
•Culture is the sum of attitudes, customs, and beliefs that distinguishes one group of
people from another. Culture is transmitted, through language, material objects, ritual,
institutions, and art, from one generation to the next.
ETHNIC SENSITIVE PERSPECTIVE

Ethnic sensitive models of practice emphasize the importance of culture and cultural
differences. The cultural model is described and critically evaluated; it is most appropriate
when working with recent refugees and immigrants but less appropriate when working
with people of color whose families go back generations in the United States.
Ethnic sensitive models should pay more attention to the importance of status and
status differences when working with minorities of color.
• Ethnic Groups
o a population entity which considers itself to have a common historical ancestry and
identity-a sense of peoplehood, of constituting a 'people'-and is so regarded by others.
It may be co-extensive with a particular nation, or it may be a sub population
within a nation. It may be based on a common religion, a common language, a
common national background, or a common racial ancestry or frequency, or some
combination of several of these factors
• Ethnicity
o Ethnicity refers to group membership in which the defining feature is the
characteristic of shared unique cultural traditions and a heritage that spans across
generations. Membership in an ethnic group provides the cultural identity and lens
through which the developing child comes to understand and act upon prescribed
values, norms and social behavior.
• Culture
o Culture is a commonly used concept used to refer to the fact that human groups differ
in the way they structure their behavior, in their world view, in their concept of the
essential nature of the human condition and how they view the rhythms and patterns of
life.
• Race
o "differences in skin color, type of hair and facial features that are biologically trivial have
been used as markers for ascribing great differences in power and privilege."
o "a social construct that relies on common understandings and self-definition rather than
scientific criteria"
• Oppression
o "keeping down by cruel, or unjust use of power or authority."

• Diversity
o used in reference to the various populations that live in this country, understanding
that many people from many lands and cultures in an exciting, heterogeneous context

• Ethnic Sensitive Social Work Practice

o The term "ethnic sensitive social work practice" once introduced came to be used by
social workers when referring in a broad, general sense to practice that is mindful of
the effects of ethnic and minority group membership in social functioning and seeks
to incorporate this understanding into practice.
REFERENCES:

https://www.simplypsychology.org/Bronfenbrenner.html
https://www.onlinemswprograms.com/social-work/what-is-social-ecology/#:~:text=Applying%20the%20Social%20Ecologi
cal%20Perspective%20in%20Social%20Work&text=A%20holistic%20approach%20to%20finding,what%20demographics
%20they%20affect%20most
.
https://www.regain.us/advice/family/family-systems-theory-definition-what-is-it/
https://genopro.com/genogram/family-systems-theory
https://campusmentalhealth.ca/toolkits/anti-oppressive-practice/what-is-anti-oppressive-practice/#:~:text=Anti%2DOppress
ive%20Practice%20recognizes%20the,et%20al.%2C%202021
).
https://socialprotection-humanrights.org/framework/principles/gender-perspective/#:~:
text=Examples%20of%20gender%2Dsensitive%20programme,of%20social%20protection%20programmes%20to
https://
www.studocu.com/ph/document/pamantasan-ng-lungsod-ng-maynila/bs-social-work/ethnic-sensitive-perspective/46721516
https://positivepsychology.com/strengths-based-interventions/
THANK YOU
FOR
LISTENING!