Harnessing the Therapeutic Power of GenogramsThis workshop will open up the enormous possibilities and potential of the genogram as a process for both assessment, and intervention. Widely used by family therapists and all health care professionals, the genogram is a graphic way of organising the mass of information gathered during a family assessment and finding patterns in the family system for more targeted treatment. Yet many practitioners commonly complete only a very basic genogram and file it away, never to be looked at again by them (or their client). This is a major loss, especially with complex cases. Doing correctly a genogram interview is a powerful assessment tool giving you a more detailed understanding of case presentations and how to plan targeted interventions. To understand what it is that brings a person to seek help, it's essential to consider how each person is inextricably interwoven within broader interactional and contextual systems, the most fundamental of which is family. Family is a principle influence in shaping who a person is, how they relate to others, and how they react or respond to life's predictable stages and changes (e.g., marriage, starting a family, teenage years, aging parents), as well as unplanned challenges (e.g., divorce, remarriage, infertility, untimely death, trauma). This is an important consideration regardless of the family structure people come from, but especially so if clients have an experience of removal from their biological family to foster, kinship or residential care.Family diagrams (or genograms) provide a picture of who a person is, where they come from, who matters in their life, and how they belong in the world; as well as providing a framework for understanding present stressors, past struggles and strengths and resources. It goes beyond a traditional family tree allowing practitioners to visualise patterns and psychological factors that affect relationships. This "picture" representation of a client's family context enables practitioners to organise and hold in mind the complexity of a client's context (family history, patterns, events) and their strengths in order to collaboratively identify pathways to healing and promote recovery. Genograms provide a rich and powerful tool for engagement, enhancing the therapeutic alliance, assessment, treatment planning, and can be used as a therapeutic intervention in itself.
Objective:
OPD Points: 10
Outline:
Content:
Presenter / Provider:
Dr. Leonie White
Presenter Qualifications:
Dr Leonie is a Director of the Queensland Institute of Family Therapy.Leonie is a Psychologist and Family Therapist with 20 years experience – including work with children, adults, families, foster families, residential care providers, teachers and other therapists, in Australian and Canadian Education Systems, as well as working in Health and Australian and Canadian Child Protection Systems. Currently Leonie specialises in Mental Health by supporting young people and their families/carers with emotional, behavioural, social and family difficulties. Leonie also specializes in providing Clinical Supervision to other helping professionals. Leonie works in private practice, provides supervision and training, and works part-time at Qld Health. Leonie White is the Family Therapy field of study coordinator at the University of Queensland for the Masters of Mental Health (Family Therapy), and Member of Staff at the Queensland University of Technology in the Masters of Counselling. Leonie has presented at 4 of the Australian Association of Family Therapy National Conferences, and also at the Australian College for Child and Family Protection Practitioners.
Contact:
- Renee House
- 0455 544 577
- office@compassaustralia.com.au
Car Parking:
Disabled Parking:
Meals Included:
Meal Info:
Morning / Afternoon Tea & Lunch
