family and social health

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how does family health connect to social health?

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This topic is complex because there are so many possibilities for family dynamics and what well being can look like.  Our book covers some of the changes that we have seen in recent years, on pg. 113 it goes over the rising presence of women in the workforce.  More than half of women with pre-school children work outside their home, sometimes as single moms, over 86% of single parents are women. 

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family vocabulary 

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nuclear family- a couple and their children

Adoption- the legal process through which a couple will take another persons child into their family

Single parent family- only one parent lives with children

Extended family- group of close relatives living together or near each other, grandparents, teachers, uncles, aunts, or cousins

Blended family- when parents remarry and children from both parents live together

Foster family- when people take care of a child when their biological family is not able to take care of them 

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RESPONSIBILITIES WITHIN THE FAMILY

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All members of the family are meant to share responsibilities, chores and responsibilities can be adjusted according to age. 

​Youth can help with cleaning and cooking regardless of gender. 

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family violence

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• Violence can occur in all kinds of families-- rich or poor, urban or rural, at any education level.

• The heart of the problem is one persons' desire to have power and control over others.

 

• Violence may be physical, sexual or emotional

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• Any member of a household can be the victim of abuse- a spouse, child, or elderly person

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• Tell people what you are going through, you are not alone

 

• Physical abuse: when an adult punishes a child and leaves a mark that can be seen the next day

 

• A child that is going through abuse might think that changing their actions might stop the abuse but only the abuser is responsible for the abuse, any justification given is just victim blaming

 

• Sexual abuse: a criminal offense in which an adult uses a child for sexual purposes, even a single incident can cause long term damage where the survivor blames themselves even though it is never their fault 

 

• Emotional abuse: non -physical mistreatment of a person, it leaves no visible scars but it can lead the victim to feel inadequate and worthless

 

• Neglect- failing to provide basic needs

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• Runaway- a child who leaves home without permission, often times to leave an unhealthy situation at home

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WHAT A HEALTHY FAMILY DYNAMIC LOOKS LIKE

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pg 126

Caring and Commitment

• Committed to staying together through good and bad times 
• When one family member makes a mistake, the other members of the family offer their support even if they are angry or disappointed

Respect and Appreciation 

• Family members help each other feel important
• Celebrate success

Empathy

• The ability to understand how the other person feels
• Family members listen to each other's points of view

​​Communication

• Family members tell each other what they honestly feel
• they listen with respect to what the other person has to say 

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​Cooperation

• Responsibilities are divided fairly among family members 
• Each follows through with what they say they will do 

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unhealthy communication that can be, but is not necessarily abuse, it all depends on the situation

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Trust Yourself

It's a slippery slope:

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telling the person how you feel about what they say to you should lead to them not being mean anymore,
​if you are assertive and they don't care then you have an unhealthy situation

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Calmly speaking up is worth it

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USEFUL SKILLS FOR FAMILIES

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​Resolving Conflicts: by focusing on collaboration and compromise

Expressing Emotions: being a safe space for elf expression is critical 

Making decisions: as an egalitarian family unit where all members have an equal share in the decision making process

Managing Time: creating goals with timelines that are broken down into smaller steps so the members of the family can keep track of the progress 

When the family needs help: family therapy, support groups, community involvement, individual counseling aside from family therapy 

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CONFLICT RESOLUTION

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1. Describe the problem: 
   1. what do you feel the problem is?
   2. how does the problem make you feel?
   3. what do you think about the situation?
   4. what do you want out of the situation?

1. See the other persons point of view:
   1. reflect of how you think the other person sees the problem

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1. Involve the other person:
   1. Ask them for their point of view
   2. Find ways to find a resolution that is good for both of you

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as for new friends and strangers... here are some ideas on reading people

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Remember that people can mimic the body language that they want you to see, they can look as "non-threatening" as possible to gain your trust, we don't know people until we communicate with them more and first impression is only on the surface.

Consider empathy vs sympathy in ourselves and in others

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and then body language

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