Running Head: HERNANDEZ FAMILY ASSESSMENT

Hernandez Family Assessment

Institutional Affiliation

Student’s Name
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HERNANDEZ FAMILY ASSESMENT

Introduction

Social life is coupled with diverse challenges that need informed decisions to be made

in order to handle them. The family set up is important the society, furthermore the unity of

various homes is what creates a complete community (Edwards T. , 2003). Family life is

encompaased with marital (between parents), behavioral problems that are mostly associated

with children. Due to the high levels of depression and breaking up of families, since the 20th

century the United States government decided that it would intervene as a mediator of the

problems that people encounter (Edwards T. ,., 2006). This move is what brought about the

idea of family psychotherapy whereby there is a professional counsellor or social worker that

comes in to advise the family on how it can overcome its social or marital problems. In this

paper, we shall be looking at how the Hernandez family handles its disciplinary issues

towards their two sons. This shall be done alongside a comprehensive analysis of the family’s

background and also suggest ways through which the parents can be assisted.

History of the Hernandez Family

Having watched six episodes watched for this assignment, we establish that the family

in question is American living in the United States. The parents to Junior and Alberto are

Juan and Elena Hernandez who happen to have been born when the full light of development

and transformation had not appeared fully to the world. On episode six the parents to these

young boys give an account of how they were raised in a rough manner that was inclusive of

severe punishments of which they never understood and they term this to be a misery that

they have never comprehended in all this years. The kind of foundation that was set for them

while they were young has made them to believe that a parent has to be strict on the child so

as to raise a responsible individual in the near future.

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Analysis on the Social Workers Approach

Elena and Juan are categorical about their love for the two sons and they argue that

they do all this in order to ensure that they acquire virtues that will help them in the future.

Thus, they are opposed to the proposal of the social worker from the ACS who says they are

being hard on their children (Nichols, 2005). However, the attitude portrayed by the social

worker the first time she meets the family is not taken in good faith by both Juan and Elena

because she shows a negative attitude only because they are Mexicans. This negative

impression is what has made the parents not to be comfortable with the parenting classes

because they know that nobody understands their children more than them. On episode five

one of the female social workers also confesses that the ACS representative had a negative

notion about Mexican families of which is not right and she states that it is the major reason

behind Juan and Elena missing the parenting classes (Nichols, 2005).

Conclusion and Recommendations

The Hernandez are a united family that only needs to be understood before

approaching them because we know the mexican culture of raising children under strict rules.

Therefore, it is good to first put them through a counselling class because the real cause of the

problem is traced back to their culture and it is evident that they have grown with this misery

and they are now transmitting it to their children (Edwards T. , 2003). Parenting classes are

helpful but not when the problem is too deep. This implies that the parents and a larger

percentage of the hispanic population should be informed on more appropriate ways of

dealing with children while they grow through the diverse stages of life. It is also important

to note that most families depend on their parents to survive thus making parenting classes

expensive is not be appropriate, both the counselling and parenting classes should be offered

at an affordable cost for all and also be executed on weekends. Through this approach, family

psychotherapy will be successful.

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Reference list

Edwards, T. ,. (2006). Tools and Techniques for Family Therapy. Mill Valley, CA 94941:

Psychotherapy.net.

Edwards, T. (2003). Working with Families: Guidelines and Techniques, (6th Edition). Mill

Valley: Foundation Place Publishing.

Nichols, M. ,. (2005). Family Therapy: Concepts and Methods (7th Edition). Allyn & Bacon.