Wellness of children is pre-dictated on the approval of psychological, physical, affective, and material requirements. Wellness is an ecological concept; the well-being of a child is established by the levels of wells of parents, family, community, and socially. Those parents who get pleasure from psychological and physical health, as well as ample economic assets would be in a position of high-quality to provide a wellness enhancing setting for their family. In turn, parent wellness is derived from the opportunities offered by the neighborhood in which they live (DeMarle, 2001). When the needs of the family are met, this can be considered a state of affairs with regards to family wellness. This necessitates that the family achieve a balance between following individual goals, like a career and school, and adding to the welfare of other members of the family. Family wellness is above the deficiency of family conflict; it is the existence of encouraging, loving and rewarding relationships that serves to encourage the individual growth of members of the family and the combined welfare of the family as one (DeMarle, 2001).
The family example that a counselor with expertise in marriage, couple, and family counseling would apply their understanding of the family life cycle would be a family with step-parents and two children; a twenty year old son and a teenage son (one on each side). Within this example the step-father is stressed about the twenty year old getting a job and/or finishing his education, while the step-mother is stressed regarding the lack of respect from the teenager; which is causing stress on everyone in the family. Both parents complain to each other regarding their respective child instead of speaking directly to the children. Since I have been a parent in a similar situation, I would reflect on how I would handle the situation. My first thought is to ask if either parent has tried to talk to each other’s children, as well as have a conversation between the parents regarding how to handle the situations described above. The issues in this family are similar to the issues that a new family faces. Blended families are rushed into being whole family, and have not yet been given time for functional legitimacy. To help the family, as a counselor the steps to take would start with introducing the family to plans for gradual development. In some instances, in the beginning it may be practical for the members of the original family units to continue their functional limitations and congregate as two collaborative halves to resolve any concerns as the family progresses toward being one form (Gladding, 2015).
References
DeMarle, D. J., & Le Roux, P. (2001). The life cycle and disability: Experiences of discontinuity in child and family development. Journal of Loss & Trauma: International Perspectives on Stress & Coping, 6(1), 29-43
Gladdings, S. T. (2015). Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice. (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson
O’Brien, M. (2005). Studying individual and family development: Linking theory and research. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67(4), 880-890
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