Genogram Paper

Your family paper will demonstrate your command of Bowen concepts and the process of doing genogram work. Read through the following instructions and organize the final paper in the same order and with the headings shown here. You may download and use the Family Paper Template from Blackboard to assist you with formatting this assignment.
I. Pick 2 Themes of Focus. Tell me why you chose these two themes. You will be writing about how these themes are present in different parts of your family. Common themes to focus on include education, disease, geographic location, profession, marriage/partnering, family formation choices, childrearing/discipline practices, etc. You are not limited to just these themes. If you have an idea for a theme and are not sure whether or not it is appropriate, please feel free to discuss it with me over e-mail.
II. Theme questions. To answer part II, you will need to interview members of your family about each of the above themes and consider their responses. You must interview at least one member from each side of your family (if this is not possible, please discuss it with me). In your paper, you should submit two question sets, one set for each theme, each set containing eight to ten questions. Do not include verbatim answers. Rather, discuss what you learned about your family by asking questions about your themes. (10 points total) a. Identify the people you interviewed and explain why they were chosen (1) b. Describe what you learned from those individuals about your chosen themes (4) c. Describe what information seemed to be missing in the responses you received and how you understand or explain that (2) d. Describe the emotional reactions you got from the family members you interviewed. Explain where you think those are coming from, using Bowen concepts where applicable (3)
III. Emotional Issue Questions. In order to understand the nature of relationships in your family, you will also need to ask your interviewees about the way that they conceptualize relationships. Explore with each of these people the concepts of closeness, distance, fusion, cutoff, etc., and identify these on your genogram. Include your reactions to the answers you receive here in your paper, and compare and contrast your family members’ conceptualization of relationships with your own. This section is worth 10% of your total paper grade (6 points).
IV. Bowen Concepts and Examples (26 points total): Define each of the following Bowen concepts in your own words: a. Differentiation of Self Scale* b. Nuclear Family Emotional System c. Multigenerational Transmission Process d. Family Projection Process e. Triangles/Triangulation f. Sibling Position Profile g. Emotional Cutoff h. Societal Emotional Process
* = Include a rough estimate (#) of the level of differentiation After each definition, give a specific example of that concept drawn from your own family of origin. Do not repeat the same examples again for different concepts. Describe overall patterns across generations that you see (5 points). You do not need to judge them as positive or negative patterns, although you are welcome to share your opinion if you wish.
V. Application: Explore and reflect upon your knowledge. This section is worth 30% of your paper grade (18 points). a. Describe how the information might affect your role as a family therapist. Give a minimum of three examples to support your belief (9 points). b. Explain what you learned about yourself and how you learned it; e.g., power issues, emotional expression, handling conflict (9 points).
VI. References. Yes, proper APA formatting and citations are required (points will be deducted for failure to follow APA formatting).
Nichols, M. P., & Schwartz, R. C., (2007). Family therapy: Concepts and methods (8th Ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. (ISBN# 0205543200