Assignment: Narrative Assessments

In Week 1, you explored the use of genograms, which provide a visual representation of many elements of a person’s history or relationships at the micro, mezzo, and macros levels. Professionals can use this tool to identify patterns and relationships in client histories. For this Assignment, you expand the use of genograms by using them to develop narrative assessments.

In the simplest sense, a narrative is a story. Narrative assessments then, provide a story, or detailed account, of behaviors, relationships, and other factors in a client’s history. This account allows both the human or social service professional and the client to analyze the factors and patterns present and to create actionable plans to meet goals. They encourage self-reflection and the process of discovery.

Most pertinent to the topic of this course, genograms and narrative assessments can be used in conjunction with one another to analyze cultural factors present in family dynamics or relationships. For this Assignment, you develop a narrative assessment of the nonfamily member genogram from Week 1 and reflect upon the cultural influences present in it.

To Prepare:

• Review the genogram that you completed in Week 1. Consider any cultural influences present in family dynamics and relationships of the individuals in the genogram.
• Reflect on the NOHS Ethical Standards for Human Service Professionals and consider areas of your professional responsibilities to self, clients, and the profession that may be impacted by the cultural influences present in the genogram.
• Review the media in this week’s Learning Resources entitled Narrative Assessment. Consider the elements included in a narrative assessment of a genogram.

The Assignment (2–3 pages):

• Using the NOHS Ethical Standards for Human Service Professionals, develop a narrative assessment of the nonfamily member genogram you completed in Week 1.
• Explain the cultural influences in family dynamics and relationships present and how they might impact your professional responsibilities.
• The family I chose was a family that immigrated from spain and spoke very little english. The husband and wife migrated with 4 children.