MFT 610 - Family Life Cycle and Aging

Prerequisites, MFT 556, marriage and family therapy major. This course provides an overview of human development across the life span from a family systems perspective. Theories related to the entire life span from conception through childhood, adolescence, adulthood and aging are reviewed with an emphasis on the impact of poverty, social class, and social insecurity on development. Focus is given to the impact of normative and non-normative life transitions in a family context. Emphasis is placed on a pluralistic understanding of families as described by cultural, family, and individual diversity. In-depth interviewing of one developmental stage is required. Perspectives on aging and end of life issues are discussed. (Offered fall semester.) 3 credits