Dissertationen zum Thema „Family counseling Centers“

Literature supports that family members of individuals who abuse substances are significantly influential, whether it be positive or negative (Liddle et al., 2001). Evidence-based family therapy decreases substance use by adolescents (Slesnick et al., 2006). The purpose of this study was to gain the perspectives of clinical directors regarding decision making of family involvement at inpatient substance abuse treatment centers. Clinical directors were the focus of this study due to their experience, credentials, and their ability to oversee all clients and programs in a substance abuse treatment center. Purposeful sampling was utilized to obtain participants. Saturation was reached at three participants. The study used Thematic Analysis to analyze perspectives of clinical directors and identify themes between and among all participants. The data collection utilized were interviews with clinical directors. The importance of family involvement, factors related to choice of model, and evidence-based models preferred were the main themes discovered utilizing Thematic Analysis. Thematic Analysis exhibited all clinical directors in this study perceived family involvement ‛essential’ and all were not directly in control of decision making regarding family involvement with clients at inpatient substance abuse treatment centers.

Using latent profile analysis, we identified patterns of parenting satisfaction and paternal involvement among 201 South Korean fathers. Three profiles were identified: (1) low involved (n = 74), highly involved (n = 28), and moderately involved (n = 99). A Multivariate Analysis of Variance analysis revealed that fathers in the low involved (n = 74) profile were significantly different from their counterparts in the other profiles regarding longer work hours and higher levels of work-to-family conflict. Also, fathers in the highly involved profile were more likely to report their wives are employed. The findings indicate that paternal involvement types are affected by work-related factors among Korean fathers. Implications for policymakers and research will be discussed. Objectives - To examine the levels of paternal involvement with children and parental satisfaction among Korean fathers.- To explore subgroups of Korean fathers with similar patterns of parental satisfaction and father involvement types.- To identify the differences among the subgroups of Korean fathers regarding demographic characteristics, work hours, wife’s employment, job stress, and work to family conflict.

The purpose of this study was to create a profile of the mortgage default clientele at the Utah State University Family Life Center, Housing and Financial Counseling (FLC HFC) and to examine how clientele were utilizing the counseling services. Demographic and mortgage variables were used to create the profile of clientele and examine the utilization of services. Specific variables key to the study included: loan type, time of delinquency when clients sought counseling, how clients were referred to the FLC HFC, and the point in counseling when an outcome was achieved (keeping the home or losing the home to foreclosure). The sample consisted of all closed mortgage default cases at the FLC HFC (N = 213) and covered the years between July 1999 and September 2004. Descriptive statistics were used to create a profile of clients and survival analysis was used to examine the utilization of services. Clientele were on average 36 years old, married, had 2.3 dependents, and were Caucasian. The majority of clientele had no savings, was behind on other debt, reported a reduction in income or job Joss as the cause of default, and sought counseling early on in the delinquency. Clients reaching an outcome of counseling in one to four appointments were statistically significantly different than those reaching an outcome in five or more appointments. Tn the context of survival analysis, clients were divided into three groups: survival (positive outcome of counseling), foreclosure/bankruptcy (negative outcome of counseling), or lost-to-follow up. The findings indicate that clientele with government loans use the services more than clientele with conventional loans. Among the clientele who kept their home, there were no statistically significant differences by Joan type. The FLC HFC can use this information to better tailor the services offered to mortgage default clientele.

Religion is important to many Americans and the way they approach life, but psychologists are less likely than the general population to be religious. Because of this, it is important to not only know how religious commitment can influence clients' outcome and experience in psychotherapy, but also how the level of match between client and therapist religious commitment might impact those variables. The current study was undertaken in order to investigate how client religious commitment impacts distress at the beginning and end of treatment, how therapist religious commitment impacts the use of religious/spiritual interventions in therapy, and whether the level of match between client and therapist religious commitment predicts client perception of therapy and/or outcome. Seven hundred and thirty individual therapy clients at a university counseling center completed measures of religious commitment, symptom distress, and concerns about therapy throughout their course of treatment. Forty-four therapists also completed a measure of religious commitment in addition to session-by-session checklists detailing what types of interventions they used in each appointment with participating clients. Client religious commitment was found to significantly predict lower initial distress (B = -0.77, p < 0.001, R2 = 0.07, 95% CI [-0.97, -0.57]) and lower distress at the end of therapy(B = -0.32, p = 0.001, R2 = 0.34, 95% CI [-0.51, -0.14]), and fewer concerns about therapy predicted better outcomes (B = 2.04, p < 0.001, R2 = 0.38, 95% CI [1.52, 2.52]). Contrary to the findings of previous research, therapist religious commitment did not predict use of religious/spiritual interventions in therapy (B = 0.05, p = 0.062, R2 = 0.09, 95% CI [-0.002, 0.11]). Finally, level of match between client and therapist religious commitment was not related to client concerns about therapy (B = -0.002, p = 0.161, 95% CI [-2.40, 9.57]) or client outcomes B = -0.014, p = 0.120, 95% CI [-0.03, 0.004]). Possible explanations and influencing factors are put forth and the findings are discussed in the context of a highly religious population.

The purposes of this study were to describe and categorize the types of clients seeking reverse mortgage counseling, and to document the growth in demand for reverse mortgage counseling from one counseling center: The USU Family Life Center - Housing and Financial Counseling Services (FLC HFC). A second purpose was to gain a better understanding of the reasons why more senior Americans are seeking reverse mortgages. A third purpose was to gain a better understanding of the retirement preparedness of current seniors seeking reverse mortgages, which could lead to improved counseling services, early retirement intervention awareness, and encourage increased pre-retirement preparation. Information was collected from 361 inactive reverse mortgage counseling files at the FLC HFC. A subset of 117 more recent and complete files was used to describe, categorize, and gain greater understanding of the clients seeking reverse mortgage counseling, their reasons for considering a reverse mortgage, and their retirement preparation. Descriptive statistics, crosstabs, ANOVAS, and frequency tables were used. Clientele were mostly Caucasian, married, and retired, and their mean age was 74 for males and 72 for females. Average annual income per client household was $29,483, ranging from $7,860 to $92,400. Most clients were mortgagors compared to homeowners with the most common reason for seeking a reverse mortgage to pay off an existing mortgage followed by increasing income. Slightly more than half (51.4%) did not obtain a reverse mortgage; of those who did, 85.7% received all or some of their funds as a lump sum. This study was unique in that it analyzed clients seeking counseling for a reverse mortgage rather than just the borrowers who originated a reverse mortgage. It also looked at their reasons for seeking the reverse mortgage. Younger clients were more likely to desire to pay off an existing forward mortgage; older clients were more likely to need increased income. The practical significance of the study's findings can be used to encourage the preparation of near-retirement adults and to encourage senior mortgagors to carefully plan the use of funds received from a reverse mortgage leading to an increase in the financial well-being of seniors.

Mental health disorders are a leading cause of disability and mortality worldwide. Mental health services do not meet demand due to accessibility issues, financial burden, and increasing needs. Technology can provide affordable, accessible mental health care and some research suggests internet-delivered Cognitive Behavior Therapy (iCBT) may be an effective treatment. In iCBTs, participants typically complete Cognitive Behavior Therapy modules and videos and are supported by a therapist. Advantages of iCBT over face-to-face therapy include lower cost, no travel time, easy access, no waitlists, and trackable progress. To our knowledge there have been no naturalistic studies of iCBT programs. Therefore, this study will evaluate the usage and effectiveness of one iCBT program, SilverCloud, in a university counseling center. Participants (N=5568) were students at a large, private western university. Participants were either self-referred to the program, chose to enroll at intake as a standalone intervention, or were referred by their treating clinician as an adjunct to regular treatment. We compared the outcomes and usage of participants using SilverCloud concurrently with psychotherapy to participants using SilverCloud alone, and participants in psychotherapy alone.

xiii, 101 p.
Ensuring that psychological interventions are well received and effective among ethnically and culturally diverse groups is at the forefront of psychological research. This study is a nonexperimental, posttest evaluation of differences between European American and ethnocultural group parents' perceptions of the Family Check-Up (FCU), a family-centered, ecologically and community-based intervention that provides family assessment, support, and motivation to change for families coming to counseling. Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of the FCU but has yet to evaluate parent perceptions of the FCU. This study examines features of intervention implementation that lead to treatment satisfaction and adherence by evaluating parent perceptions of (a) the FCU intervention, (b) therapist interpersonal qualities, and (c) therapist multicultural competence. Both parent and observational coder ratings of the intervention were assessed along these dimensions. In the first year of a longitudinal study of the FCU, data were collected from parents of children who attended three public middle schools in a metropolitan area of the Pacific Northwest. Within-subjects analyses were conducted to assure measurement validation and treatment fidelity. A between-subjects multivariate analysis of variance was utilized to examine ethnocultural group differences. Results revealed that all measures demonstrated high internal consistency reliability, high interscale correlations, and good construct validity. Results revealed high interrater agreement between parent ratings of treatment receipt and coder ratings of treatment delivery, indicating treatment fidelity. Results revealed no statistically significant differences in parent perceptions of the FCU intervention, regardless of parent ethnocultural group. Additional analyses demonstrated that observational coders rated family consultants who worked with ethnocultural group parents higher in multicultural competence than those who worked with European American parents. In summary, study results suggest (a) that the measures developed and adapted for this investigation were reliable and valid, and (b) that we found no evidence of perceived differences in the FCU intervention across ethnocultural group and European American parents. The FCU continues to be an intervention that can be successfully implemented among ethnically and culturally diverse families.
Committee in charge: Dr. Benedict McWhirter, Chair; Dr. Elizabeth Stormshak, Member; Dr. Joseph Stevens, Member; Dr. Thomas Dishion, Outside Member

Aim: To establish whether a family centered approach to HIV care in which HIV positive adults are counseled on the importance of having their children tested results in the adults bringing their children under the age of five years for testing and or accessing HIV care, and to explore challenges faced by caregivers in bringing children for testing and care.

Vårdcentraler har under de senaste 15 åren anställt kuratorer psykologer och psykoterapeuter som kan erbjuda samtalsbehandling. Vid utvärdering av samtalen visar resultaten friskare patienter som bidrar till lägre vårdkostnader. Biologiska, psykologiska och sociala funktionerna blir centrala i mötet med patienten och hur dessa funktioner påverkar beskrivningen av problemet men också effekten utifrån funktionsnivå i relation till närstående. Vårdcentralen är första linjens vårdgivare från mödra- till äldrevård. Då förändring sker hos patienten påverkas helheten/nätverket. Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur patienter önskade då det gällde att ta med sina närstående och vilken öppenhet/erfarenhet fanns hos samtalsbehandlarna, inom primärvården, att bjuda in nätverket till samtalsbehandlingen? Via enkäter ställdes frågor till patienter och samtalsbehandlare som analyserades i huvudsak på ett kvantitativt sätt.  I resultatet framkom att närmare hälften önskade att ha med sig någon från sitt nätverk till samtalen. Övriga patienter önskade inte familjens deltagande utan beskrev den egna samtalskontakten som viktig. De flesta samtalsbehandlare beskrev att de erbjöd par- och familjesamtal. Syftet, med par- och familjesamtal, skiljde sig mellan respondenterna. Studien pekar på att familjen bjuds in som resurs vid något tillfälle för att få utvidgad information och utökad förståelse kring patientens livssituation. Några respondenter beskrev att samtalen bearbetade interaktionen mellan paret eller familjemedlemmarna. En mindre grupp patienter har haft par- eller familjesamtal. De beskrev att det varit behjälpligt och att de arbetat med samspelet mellan individerna som bidragit till ett positivt behandlingsresultat.
Over the last 15 years counselors, psychologists and psychotherapists are the professions hired for counseling in the Swedish primary care centers. Evaluations of the treatments show healthier patients and lower health care costs. Biological, psychological and social functions are central in counseling, since these features affect the description of the problem and the effect based on the level of functioning in relation to the partner and relatives. The primary care facilities are the first-line of caregivers, from maternal - to elderly care. When circumstances change for the patient, the whole family-network surrounding him/her is affected. The purpose of this study was to investigate what patients thought of bringing their relatives into counseling, and with which openness and what experience counselors invited the network to take part? The respondents answered questions in a survey, and the data was analyzed mainly in a quantitative fashion. The results showed that approximately half of the respondents wanted someone from their family-network to participate in the counseling. The other patients did not want their families’ participation, and thought of their own connection to the counselor as essential. The majority of the counselors claimed to offer couples and family counseling. The aim of the couple and family counseling differed between the respondents. The study suggests that the family is invited as resource at any time to get extended information and enhanced understanding of the patient's life situation. Some respondents described the counseling as processing of the interaction between the couple or the family members. A few patients said they had had couple or family counseling. They described it as being helpful and that working with the communication had been a contributing factor to the favorable outcome.

Under hösten 2016 genomfördes en enkätundersökning på en familjecentral i syfte att utvärdera vad föräldrarna på familjecentralen upplevde som bra och mindre bra i enskilda samtal med en kurator på verksamheten. Resultatet av enkäten var till största del positivt, vilket ledde till att kuratorerna på familjecentralen önskade öka kunskapen kring vad som varit bra, samt undersöka vidare vad föräldrarna upplever som mindre bra i samband med samtalen. På uppdrag av dessa kuratorer har denna studie utformats med syfte att öka kunskapen kring föräldrars erfarenheter i samband med enskilda samtal med en kurator på en familjecentral, med fokus på vad föräldrar upplever som resurser och hinder i samtalen. Empirin har samlats in med hjälp av kvalitativ metod för att fånga föräldrars uppfattningar om de enskilda samtalen och för att få en djupare förståelse för dessa uppfattningar. Empirin består av åtta stycken semistrukturerade intervjuer med föräldrar som har deltagit i enskilda samtal med en kurator på den aktuella familjecentralen. Den insamlade empirin har analyserats med hjälp av fyra teoretiska utgångspunkter vilka är Bernler och Johnssons teori för psykosocialt arbete, allians, empati samt aktivt lyssnande. Det slutgiltiga resultatet visar att det som föräldrar främst upplever som resurser i de enskilda samtalen är relationen till kuratorn, att få konkreta råd, tillgängligheten till kuratorerna och familjecentralen samt trivsamma lokaler. Resultatet som belyser hinder i samband de enskilda samtalen berör föräldrarnas önskan om att få prata med kuratorn på familjecentralen om fler ämnen än sitt barn och sin föräldraroll, att erbjudas uppföljning efter avslutad kontakt och att kuratorernas delade lokaler med öppna förskolan kan upplevas som besvärligt. Studiens slutsatser är att föräldrarna uppskattar familjecentralen och att verksamheten är en bra arena för socialtjänsten att arbeta förebyggande på. En annan slutsats är att föräldrarna uppskattar kombinationen av både få stöd och konkreta råd från kuratorerna samtidigt som de får formulera sina egna behov. Det finns även indikationer på att familjecentralen kan behöva utöka sitt stöd eftersom att föräldrar beskriver att de hade velat prata om annat än det som rör föräldraskapet.
During the fall of 2016, a survey was implemented at a family center with the purpose to evaluate what the parents who visited the family center experienced as positive and negative aspects during individual counseling with a social worker at the family center. The survey showed a positive result, which led to that the social workers at the family center wanted to increase the knowledge about which aspects the parent found positive. They were also keen on to investigate more closely if the parents experienced some negative aspects during the counseling. On behalf of the social workers at the family center, this study has been designed to increase knowledge about parents' experiences of individual counseling with a social worker, focusing on what parents perceive as resources and obstacles in the counseling. The material of the study has been gathered using qualitative methods to capture parents' perceptions of individual counseling and to gain a deeper understanding of these views. The material consists of eight semistructured interviews with parents who have participated in individual counseling with a social worker at the current family center. The collected material has been analyzed using four theoretical starting points which are Bernler and Johnssons' theory of psychosocial work, alliance, empathy and active listening. The final result shows that what parents primarily perceive as resources in the individual counselings is the relationship with the social worker, getting hands on advice, the access to the social workers and the family center, as well as the enjoyable premises. The result that highlights obstacles in the individual counseling concerns the parents' desire to talk to the social worker at the family center about more than just their child and parenthood, to be offered a follow-up after the contact has been completed and that the professionals shared premises with the open preschool can be problematic. The conclusions of the study include the fact that the parents appreciate the family center and that the family center is a good arena for social services to work preventively on. Another conclusion is that parents find that a combination of both support and concrete advice from the counselors as well as the possibility to formulate their own needs is an appreciated balance in the individual counseling. There are also indications that the family center may need to expand its support since parents describe that they wanted to talk about other subjects other than parenting.

The Susan B. Anthony Recovery Center (SBARC) in Pembroke Pines, Florida is a residential center where women live with their children while receiving treatment for a variety of co-occurring substance abuse and mental health issues and while participating in mandatory parenting classes. Unlike most women's residential treatment centers, which address only the woman and her problems, SBARC treats the mother-infant/child dyad. I designed and created a database to examine the data previously available only in the paper client records of over 800 women who received treatment at SBARC from 1995 through 2010 in a previous project. This nonexperimental, retrospective explanatory study (Johnson, 2001; Johnson & Christensen, 2014) analyzed that newly digitized historical data to examine the efficacy of the SBARC treatment with respect to three key variables: dyadic attachment, maternal anxiety, and maternal depression (N = 268). Correlational analysis (MANOVA) of the three variables showed significant results, which suggest that reductions in maternal anxiety and maternal depression may be related to increases in the quality of the dyadic attachment. Statistical analysis (ANOVA) found significant increases in dyadic attachment and decreases in maternal anxiety and maternal depression. The results of this nonexperimental study support the need for future research via controlled studies to determine the relationships among these key treatment variables. Grossmann, Grossmann, and Waters (2005) and others claim that improvement in dyadic attachment improves outcomes for children. Dodge, Sindelar, and Sinha (2005) and others also believe that reductions in maternal depression and maternal anxiety may result in better outcomes. The results of this study suggest that there is value in combining these two perspectives so that measurements of dyadic attachment, maternal anxiety, and maternal depression inform future program offerings and treatment plans. The multi-disciplinary foundation of attachment theory and its rich offering of systemic and relational therapy approaches provides what I believe may be an effective blend of treatment options supported by useful empirical measures that can greatly enhance and expand professional competencies of Marriage and Family Therapists involved in clinical practice with similar at-risk populations.

The focus of this study was to explore and analyze the perceptions of treatment effectiveness among substance abuse clients involved in Bilingual Family Counseling Outpatient Treatment. The intent was to have a better understanding of a treatment centers program's outcome from the clients' point of view and its effectiveness in terms of the usefulness to the client.

The thesis is focused on family and marriage counseling centers, currently established by the state in accordance with law no. 108/2006 Coll. on social services. The aim is to map out their development, with emphasis on the period from 1990 to the present, and try to understand this development in connection with external factors and legislation. Another objective of this work is to map the development of professional work within these centers and its potential evolution. Related to this is the implementation of supervision and its current use within these centers. Keywords: Family and marriage counseling centers, social work, counseling, psychotherapy, supervision

No
WHO advice suggests a family-centred approach for managing the elevated risk of recessively inherited disorders in consanguineous communities, whilst emerging policy recommends community engagement as an integral component of genetic service development. This paper explores the feasibility of the family-centred approach in the UK Pakistani origin community. The study took place within a context of debate in the media, professional and lay circles about cousin marriage causing disability in children. Using qualitative methods, a total of six single-sex focus group discussions (n = 50) were conducted in three UK cities with a high settlement of people of Pakistani origin. Tape-recorded transcripts were analysed using framework analysis. Kinship networks within Pakistani origin communities are being sustained and marriage between close blood relatives continues to take place alongside other marriage options. Study participants were critical of what was perceived as a prevalent notion that cousin marriage causes disability in children. They were willing to discuss cousin marriage and disability, share genetic information and engage with genetic issues. A desire for accurate information and a public informed about genetic issues was articulated whilst ineffective communication of genetic risk information undermined professionals in their support role. This study suggests a community that is embracing change, one in which kinship networks are still active and genetic information exchange is taking place. At the community level, these are conditions supportive of the family-centred approach to genetic testing and counselling.

Yes
Currently there is no consensus regarding services required to help families with consanguineous marriages manage their increased genetic reproductive risk. Genetic services for communities with a preference for consanguineous marriage in the UK remain patchy, often poor. Receiving two disparate explanations of the cause of recessive disorders (cousin marriage and recessive inheritance) leads to confusion among families. Further, the realisation that couples in non-consanguineous relationships have affected children leads to mistrust of professional advice. British Pakistani families at-risk for recessive disorders lack an understanding of recessive disorders and their inheritance. Such an understanding is empowering and can be shared within the extended family to enable informed choice. In a three-site qualitative study of British Pakistanis, we explored family and health professional perspectives on recessively inherited conditions. Our findings suggest, first, that family networks hold strong potential for cascading genetic information, making the adoption of a family centred approach an efficient strategy for this community. However, this is dependent on provision of high quality and timely information from health care providers. Secondly, families’ experience was of ill-coordinated and time-starved services, with few having access to specialist provision from Regional Genetics Services; these perspectives were consistent with health professionals’ views of services. Thirdly, we confirm previous findings that genetic information is difficult to communicate and comprehend, further complicated by the need to communicate the relationship between cousin marriage and recessive disorders. A communication tool we developed and piloted is described and offered as a useful resource for communicating complex genetic information.
Department of Health

Dissertação de mestrado em Estudos da Criança (área de especialização em Sociologia da Infância e Direitos da Criança)
O presente trabalho de investigação pretende estudar a realidade dos atendimentos realizados pelos técnicos do CAFAP do norte de Portugal, no âmbito das intervenções que visam a qualificação familiar mediante a aquisição e o fortalecimento das competências parentais nas diversas dimensões da vida familiar, que integram as modalidades de Preservação Familiar e de Ponto de Encontro Familiar. Com vistas a descobrir caminhos que possam identificar os motivos que levam à intervenção mais prolongada dos atendimentos e à consequente permanência em atendimento técnico, pretende-se proceder a categorização e análise desses. Este trabalho possui os seguintes objetivos: identificar as situações que levaram à renovação do Plano de Intervenção de Apoio a Família (PIAF) após um ano de intervenção e efetuar nesses a aplicação de check-list específico de recolha de dados para estudo em profundidade; perceber se há um perfil persistente e uma inter-relação entre os casos estudados; analisar o interstício de tempo da execução da medida e o caminho percorrido — tipos de intervenções utilizadas e as motivações técnicas que podem estar relacionadas à decisão de renovação do Plano de Intervenção; avaliar a eficácia das intervenções, a satisfação das famílias e as mudanças verificadas pelos técnicos; e avaliar de que modo a participação e o superior interesse das crianças são evocados. Neste seguimento, desenvolveu-se a investigação com uma abordagem qualitativa, utilizando o estudo de caso que permite uma análise específica sobre um determinado contexto. A amostra consistiu na seleção de um conjunto de doze processos que cumprem as características de haver, após revisão dos planos de intervenção, a decisão multidisciplinar de opção pela renovação e continuidade de atendimento familiar. As técnicas de coleta de dados utilizadas foram a entrevista semiestruturada e a análise documental, ambas sujeitas a análise de conteúdo. A entrevista foi aplicada a três técnicos, nomeadamente os gestores dos casos e coordenadora do Serviço. Por outro lado, a pesquisa documental resultou da análise dos processos em profundidade ao serem selecionadas as categorias de análise: caracterização familiar e da criança/jovem; caracterização socioeconómica; sinalização do processo; ações previstas no Planos de Intervenção de Apoio a Família e Revisão; e características das medidas aplicadas. Após o tratamento dos dados, definiu-se uma representação esquemática que traduz a síntese da informação obtida para uma análise e interpretação, de modo a alcançar os objetivos a que se propôs o presente estudo. Como resultado, pôde-se delinear características das famílias que receberam atendimento em continuidade no CAFAP, que apresentam um perfil heterogêneo, sendo em maioria multidesafiadas, insurgindo aspetos que se confrontam com o divórcio e o rompimento familiar, o conflito familiar agudizado, lapsos de tempo superiores a dois anos entre o restabelecimento dos convívios, instrumentalização das crianças e jovens e histórico de exposição a violência doméstica.
The present research work concerns to study the reality of care provided by Center for Family Support and Parental Counselling in northern Portugal, within the scope of interventions aimed at family qualification through the acquisition and strengthening of parenting skills in the various dimensions of family life that integrate the modalities of Family Preservation and Family Meeting Point. With a view to discovering ways that can identify the reasons that lead to more prolonged intervention in the assistance and consequent permanence in technical assistance, it is intended to proceed with the categorization and analysis of these. This work has the following objectives: Identify the situations that after 1 year of intervention it was decided to renew the PIAF - Intervention Plan for Family Support - and in these to apply a specific checklist of data collection for in-depth study; Understand if there is a persistent profile and an interrelationship between the studied cases; Analyse the time interval, gap between the execution of the measure and the path taken - types of interventions used and the technical motivations that may be related to the decision to renew the Intervention Plan; Evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions, the satisfaction of the families and the changes verified by the technicians; Assess how children's, participation and best interests are evoked. Having this in consideration, this research was developed under a qualitative approach, employing the study case, since it allows a specific analysis on a certain context. Regarding the sample, this consisted of selecting a set of 12 processes of families that meet the characteristic of, after reviewing the intervention plans, the multidisciplinary decision to opt for the renewal and continuity of family care institutional. The data collection techniques used were semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Both techniques underwent a content analysis process. The interview was applied to 3 technicians, namely the case managers and the Service coordinator. In contrast, the documental research resulted from an in-depth analysis of the processes, when we selected categories of analysis: Family and child/youngsters characterization; Socio-economic characterization; Process signalling; The actions provided for in the Family Support and Review Intervention Plans; Characteristics of the applied measures. In the data collection and analysis aftermath, it was possible to define a schematic representation, which conveys the obtained data summary, for analysis and interpretation, in order to achieve this research work's aims. Overall, it was possible to frame a profile of the families who received continuous care at Center for Family Support and Parental Counselling. They present a heterogeneous profile, being mostly multi-challenged, raising aspects that confront divorce and rupture family, aggravate family conflict, time lapses of more than 2 years between the reestablishment of convivial family and relationships, instrumentalization of child/youngsters and history of exposure to domestic violence.

How African individuals perceive the family life cycle, is the topic of this research. This qualitative study was facilitated with two individuals. Constructivism was used to explore how individuals create their reality. The Person-Centred Approach was studied to understand the importance of the Self- concept in the individual, and the role played by perceptions created in an ever-changing environment. Systems theory helped understand the interaction of family members as a system (family), especially the creation of stability after a state of disequilibrium – in this case, transitions between stages of the life cycle. Only with one respondent were some differences identified compared to the Western view of the life cycle. It was thus concluded that the family life cycle can be used as a guideline during therapy, regarding difficult transitions people (including African people) have to make, for therapists working from both the Person-Centred Approach and the systems perspective.
Social Work
(M.A. (Social Work (Mental Health))

Relatório de Estágio do Mestrado em Ciências da Educação apresentado à Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação
As famílias multidesafiadas enfrentam, ao longo do seu percurso de vida, múltiplos desafios, bem como condições de considerável desfavorecimento que, consequentemente, dificultam a sua adaptação e desenvolvimento positivo. Os múltiplos riscos a que estão expostas podem converter-se em perigos para as crianças e jovens, resultando na sua sinalização ao sistema de promoção e proteção.O presente relatório, intitulado “Intervenção Socioeducativa com Crianças, Jovens e Famílias: os desafios de um Mestre em Ciências da Educação numa resposta tipo CAFAP”, dá conta das atividades desenvolvidas, no âmbito do estágio curricular do Mestrado em Ciências da Educação da Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação da Universidade de Coimbra, no Centro de Apoio Familiar e Aconselhamento Parental (CAFAP) da Associação Integrar de Coimbra.No CAFAP foram acompanhadas famílias multidesafiadas com crianças e jovens em situação de risco psicossocial. Neste contexto, as atividades de estágio consistiram, essencialmente, na promoção de competências sociais e emocionais e de resolução de problemas de crianças e adolescentes, bem como na promoção de competências parentais, através do desenvolvimento de ações de treino de competências.Ao longo do presente relatório destacamos a importância do papel colaborativo do profissional, assim como a importância da intervenção em Educação Parental como um bom contributo para modificar práticas parentais ineficazes, contribuindo para o exercício de uma parentalidade cada vez mais positiva, a fim de se promover o pleno desenvolvimento das crianças, sobretudo das que se encontram em situações risco psicossocial.
Multi-challenged families face, throughout their lives, multiple challenges and conditions of significant disadvantage, which constrain their adaptation and positive development. The multiples risks to which they are exposed may convert into dangers to children and adolescents and lead to their referral to the child protection system.This report, entitled “Socioeducative intervention with Chlidren, Youth and Families: the challenges of a Master of Education Sciences at a CAFAP”, refers to the activities developed within the scope of the curricular internship, to obtain the Master’s degree in Education Sciences by the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the University of Coimbra, at the Center for Family Support and Parental Counseling (CAFAP) of Associação Integrar in Coimbra.At the CAFAP we followed multi-challenged families with children and adolescentes in situations of psychosocial risk. In this context, the internship activities consisted mainly in the promotion of social and emotional skills and problem solving competences with children and adolescentes. Besides that, with the parents, we intended to promote parental skills, through the development of parental skills training programs.Throughout this report, we highlight the importance of the professional's collaborative role as well as the importance of intervention in Parental Education as a good contribution to change negative parenting educational practices, in order to contribute to a positive parenting and to the full development of children, especially those in situations of psychosocial risk.