Family Systems Flashcards
7 cards from real CAASP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Family Systems flashcards as text
In Bowen Family Systems Theory, a 'nuclear family emotional process' describes how a family manages anxiety. Which of the following is NOT one of the four primary relationship patterns used?
Answer: Sibling triangulation
Bowen identified marital conflict, dysfunction in one spouse, child focus, and emotional distance — not sibling triangulation — as the four patterns of nuclear family emotional process.
A youth's behavior improves at school but deteriorates at home. A family systems practitioner would most likely interpret this as:
Answer: A symptom serving a function within the family system
Systems theory views symptoms as serving a function in maintaining homeostasis; the behavior difference across settings signals a systemic dynamic at home.
Cultural humility in CAASP family-systems work differs from cultural competence primarily because it:
Answer: Emphasizes ongoing self-reflection and power-sharing over static knowledge
Cultural humility is an ongoing process of self-reflection, acknowledging one's biases, and equalizing power dynamics, rather than claiming mastery of another culture.
A CAASP wraparound team includes the family, natural supports, and service providers. The primary purpose of natural supports in this model is to:
Answer: Offer sustainable, community-based connections that outlast formal services
Natural supports — friends, neighbors, faith communities — are included because they provide durable relationships that persist after formal service plans end.
Which concept explains why changing one part of a family system (e.g., improving one child's behavior) can produce unexpected changes in other family members?
Answer: Circular causality
Circular causality describes the bidirectional, mutually influencing nature of family relationships, where change in one part loops back to affect all other parts.
In solution-focused brief therapy applied to families, the 'miracle question' is used primarily to:
Answer: Help the family articulate a vision of life without the presenting problem
The miracle question invites family members to envision their desired future, creating a goal to work toward without dwelling on problem etiology.
When a CAASP practitioner identifies that a child is serving as the emotional caretaker for a depressed parent, this is clinically termed:
Answer: Parentification
Parentification occurs when a child assumes adult caretaking responsibilities — emotional or instrumental — that are inappropriate for their developmental stage.