Education for Family-Centered Practice

Abstract

Current trends threaten a shift in focus from family-centered to individually oriented practice. The author makes a case for resisting these forces and for the continued development of graduate curricula supportive of family-oriented practice. The sequence of advanced direct-practice courses described in this article is based on the integration of feminist and family-of-origin theories. Students learn to use social theories as a context for clinical theories and study their own families both to learn concepts and to explore how their own experiences and beliefs affect their practice. Comprehensive education in family-centered practice will require significant changes in the curriculum of most schools of social work.