PART I: FAMILY ASSESSMENT. 1. THE CONTEXT OF HELPING FAMILIES. Families in Context. Definition of Families. The Context of Helping Families. Beliefs, Preferences, and Facts. Maintaining Ethical Standards. Summary of Key Practice Principles. Learning Activities. 2. GETTING STARTED. Families and Environments. Thinking About Families. Family Engagement. Guiding Principles of Assessment. Summary of Key Practice Principles. Learning Activities. 3. THE FAMILY SYSTEM. The Family. Theoretical Basis for Family Assessment. Family Development Family Structure. Family Functioning. Beliefs. Roles, Rituals and Traditions. Family Transitions. Summary of Key Practice Principles. Learning Activities. 4. FAMILY ASSESSMENT. Family Interviewing Skills. The Family Interview. Tools for Collecting and Organizing Data. Interviewing Tools. Mapping and Graphic Tools. Family Self-Report Tools, Teaching Tools. Selecting Dimensions for Assessment. Issues of Concern. Looking at the Resource Systems. Culturally Sensitive Assessment. Strengthening Family Resources. Summary of Key Practice Principles. Learning Activities. 5. FAMILY INTERVENTIONS. Planning and Promoting Resources. Supporting Strategies of Change. Reviewing Family Strengths and Issues. Creating Opportunities. Connecting Outcomes to Action. Writing the Family Assessment. Summary of Key Practice Principles. Learning Activities. 6. MEASURING AND EVALUATING FAMILY CHANGE. Selecting Measures to Use. Guidelines for Using Measurement Tools. Measuring Common Family Problems. Reviewing the Plan for Change. Evaluating Family Success and Opportunities. Managing Data. Future Directions for Families. Summary of Practice Principles. Learning Activities. PART II: SELF-ASSESSMENT AND CRITICAL THINKING. 7. SELF-ASSESSMENT AND CRITICAL THINKING. Journal Writing. Critical Thinking and Self-Assessment. What Will I Learn? My Family Journal. Family of Origin and Roles. Family Rules, Rituals, and Traditions. Family Transitions. The Family Assessment Report. Learning Activities. PART III: PRACTICING FAMILY ASSESSMENT. 8. CASE STUDY. The Sherman Family: Adoption Assessment. 9. THE MCCOY FAMILY. 10. THE DEL SOL FAMILY. 11. THE YELLOWBIRD FAMILY. 12. THE FOXX FAMILY. References. Index.