Friedman’s Family Assessment Form Essay Sample

Developmental Stage and History of Family

In-depth analysis shows evidence that family’s present developmental stage cannot be fir in the conventional family cycle. Isaac and Mary have been married for more than 7 years. Therefore, the family fails to meet the conventional category for starting a family or families with the children (Karnopp, 2012). Nonetheless, the family is already in transition, and with the adoption of the new 5 years old boy, the couple will eventually be categorized in a classical family cycle with a school child. Isaac comes from the nuclear family. Nonetheless, Isaac parents have been divorced after more than 28 years of marriage. Furthermore, Mary also comes from a nuclear family.

Environmental Data

In order to understand the environmental context, it is essential to evaluate the social setting surrounding of the family. The Moore family lives in an upper urban neighborhood that is culturally and ethnically diverse. The residential has close proximity to educational centers, fire departments, shopping mall and hospitals among other important social amenities. The environment in the neighborhood is clean and safe, and only a few cases of robberies have been reported in the last 2 years. The family house basement acts as Isaac office and laboratories where he conducts his chemical experiments. Mary, who is a university lecturer and a pediatric consultant, works 6 miles away from home and usually rides her bike to and from work. The four level houses are more than 30 years old but has undergone multiple repair and modification to enhance its strength. Though the family house is located in the hollow, the building is well maintained irrespective of its age.

Family Structures

In any family, communication forms the key strength of the relationships. The Moore family has open relationship and communication pattern between the couple. The expressive and verbal conversation nurtures the strong bond between Mary and Isaac. The presence of such open communication ensures that the family shares opinions, feelings, and emotional needs (Karnopp, 2012). However, the family notes that conflict and arguments are usually inevitable and take personal defense format. Mary indicates that when arguments occur, they usually postpone the conversation to a different day; a skill that permit them to approach the issue in a more calm and objective manner. Though the family anticipates adopting a son, the members are not worried about arguing in the presence of their child, since they believe their open communication will be important in raising the child (Karnopp, 2012).

In the family, the decision is usually made through consensus, especially for the important issues that affect the lives of all members. The decision-making process tends to be accommodative. In addition, the decision-making and the power dynamic are more circumstantial. Therefore, an individual with more experience on an issue tends to influence the overall decision. For instance, Mary is a pediatric nurse and exerts her influence on health-related decisions. On the other hand, on technical issues, Isaac has the final say due to his wealth of knowledge and experience in engineering.

In the Moore family, the role structure appears to be typically comparative to gender. Mary often handles all the domestic chores that include cleaning, cooking, laundry and shopping among others. On the other hand, Isaac works on the mowing machines, clears out the garbage out the home and services the car. Isaac’s role is much inclined to his engineering career, while Mary is responsible for caring and homemaking. However, Mary perceives that she does more of the chores in the house than Isaac. The main point of concern is the arrival of their new son due to possible work overload and issues with time management. Though Mary understands that she will be the primary caregiver for the child, she is uncertain of the role to be played by Isaac is raising the son. Moreover, Isaac is concerned with the amount of time the new child will require and whether he will manage to juggle family and work responsibilities.

Polishing Your Writing to Make it Shine

Family Functions

Affective function

Isaac and Mary have demonstrated a close, compassionated and caring relationship that show the reciprocal emotional connection. They are close in all aspect of their life, thus creating a cohesive family. Since the family has stayed for long without a child due to its inability to have one, they are both excited about the expansion of the family after the adoption of the new son. They have cited each other as a key source of motivation and support, which communicates the nature of their relationship and closeness (Skott-Myhre, Weima & Gibbs, 2012). Mary and Isaac have also expressed concern about their son’s ability to accept them as a parent due to the social bonds that have already been established in the orphanage. The 5 year old boy has been in the orphanage since he was 3 month old and had become accustomed to the caregivers at the orphanage.

Socialization function

In regard to socialization function, the family has been discussing the social life of their son after adoption. Both Isaac and Mary understand the significance of appropriate parenting style. As a result, they have discussed the discipline that will be used to raise the new son. The family anticipates the child will experience adjustment problem due to change of the environment. Therefore, they are planning to be involved in all aspect of child-rearing practices that are deemed applicable and essential. The approach will ensure the child emulates the appropriate behavior with respect to the context of his upbringing (Skott-Myhre, Weima & Gibbs, 2012).
Health care function. The Moores have their family physician, but they are yet to identify a pediatric for their new son. Isaac visits the physician regularly due to hypertension and high cholesterol problem that requires close management. On the other hand, Mary hardly visits a doctor. In addition, they have the medical report for their son, who appears to be in good health despite being 5 percent below the normal weight and height. However, the new son is currently on immunization program for hepatitis. The family undergoes dental cleaning and assessment twice a year, once after every 6 months.

Family coping

In the Moore family, the short-term stressor is the approaching adoption of the 5-year-old son from an orphanage in Finland. The family is concerned about his adaptation to the new environment, his ability to learn English language and conform to the new lifestyle and social set up. Historically, the family has shown to have successful coping strategies. For instance, Isaac has managed to cope with the Alzheimer medical condition facing his mother. In addition, the family demonstrated effective problem solving patterns to the best of their ability. The couple is well-adjusted unit that is open to education and information (Friedman, 2010). The ability to raise their new son without distraction will act as a benchmark for tracking the effectiveness of the coping strategy.

Data Analysis

Based on the information obtained from the assessment, it evident that the couple has been married for many years, but it will fit the conventional definition of the family after the adoption of the new son. The Moore family lives in an environment with all fundamental social amenities required for raising a child. The neighborhood also presents a sense of oneness, since community meetings to deliberate on issues that affect the residents are regular occasions (Friedman, 2010). The family is located few blocks away from freeways, and 5 miles from the downtown, which implies ease of transportation to the town for more social amenities.

The Moore family, both Mary and Isaac, enjoy their home and usually spend much of their time indoors. As mentioned earlier, the house has been undergoing remodeling in order to add more security measures to ensure its safety for the adoption of the 5-year-old son. For instance, the house now has the medicine cabinet in the washroom, which shows that medicine and cleaning solutions are readily available to the child. However, the garage patio lacks the rails and the top floor house lacks fire plan.

In the family, communication has appeared instrumental in enhancing the process of conflict resolution and decision-making. Both Isaac and Mary present a strong bond that is founded on openness, understanding and honesty (Friedman, 2010). Sincerity and love are the core family values that ensure the couple remains together. In addition, open communication, health, diversity and compassion toward each other ensure the family bond endures. Such values are explicitly demonstrated in decision making and problem solving process. The family atmosphere presents a favorable environment for raising a child, since the parents will be able to reduce possible dispute. In addition, the family has strong stress coping mechanism that enables them handle a number of issues with optimal efficiency (Friedman, 2010).

Plan of Care for the Family

In regard to the assessment, a comprehensive plan of care will be essential in assisting the family adaptation to the new role of parents. First, it will be essential for the family to undergo counseling session in order to understand the anticipated roles after the arrival of their adopted son (Karnopp, 2012). The strategy will permit the counselor to offer required psychosocial therapy related to the Moore’s raising a child. Furthermore, it will enable Isaac to learn effective coping strategies, especially related to his ailing mother. Second of all, it was evident that the home environment requires remodeling to enhance its safety features required for raising the child. A comprehensive environmental safety plan needs to be prepared to ensure the Moore family house is safe for the new son. It will be essential to possess a medicine cabinet that is safe and inaccessible to the child (Karnopp, 2012). The family will be required to establish a safe cabinet for storing cleaning detergents, which is reported to be below the kitchen sink currently. In the garage, safety rails need to be added to the patio to avoid risks of an accident. Furthermore, the fire plan will be essential in the rooms located on the top floor of the building. Finally, the Moores will also need to keep working with a doctor to handle the family medical problems, especially since Isaac is suffering from hypertension. The family doctor will also be involved in ensuring that the child receives all required immunization and progressive medical care (Karnopp, 2012).