Social work cultural genogram4/15/2024 ![]() ![]() ![]() The primary goal of the cultural genogram is to promote cultural awareness and sensi- tivity by helping trainees to understand their cultural identities. As a training tool, “the objec- tive is to help students visualize and undersrund their family system and their own place within it, rather than to change it” (Bahr, 1990, p. Using the genogram for training differs from using it as a clinical tool. Bahr (1990) explains that as a training tool, the objective of the genogram is to help both illustrate and clarify family systems concepts and to help trainees get in touch with their personal emotional family-of-origin issues. Although not reflected in the family therapy literature, the genogram also has been used widely as a training tool. Family practitioners have used it as a data-gathering device (Doherty & Baird, 1983 Jolly, Froom, & Rosen, 1980 Milhorn, 1981 Rogers & Durkin, 1984 Sproul & Gallagher, 1982), and family therapists have used it as an assessment tool (Hartman, 1977 Kramer, 1985 McGoldrick & Gerson, 1985). It has been used to facilitate joining between client and thera- pist (Carter & Orfandis, 1976 Guerin & Pendagast, 1976 Pendagast & Sherman, 1977) and to gain insight into the client’s psyche (Watchel, 1982). Human service professionals from a range of disciplines have cited various clinical applications of the genogram. This article describes how the genogram can be used as a training tool to promote cultural awareness and sensitivity. Although most individuals possess varying degrees of awareness and sensitivity,train- ing programs devoted to preparing culturally competent therapists must facilitate a greater interface between these functions. Essentially, awareness involves a conscious sensitivity, and sensitivity involves a delicate awareness. July 1995 JOURNAL OF MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY 227 functions appear unique and separate, each is shaded with nuances of the other. Laszloffy, MA, is a Doctoral Student in the Marriage and Family Therapy Program, Syra- cuse University, 008 Slocum Hall, Syracuse, NY 13244. Hardy, PhD, is Director of Clinical Training and Research of the Marriage and Family Therapy Program, Syracuse University, 008 Slocum Hall, Syracuse, NY 13244. Sensitivity, on the other hand, is primarily an affective function an indi- vidual responds emotionally to stimuli with delicacy and respectfulness. Awareness is primarily a cognitive function an individual becomes conscious of a thought or action and processes it intellectually. Training programs devoted to preparing culturally competent therapists must recog- nize and attend to the distinction between awareness and sensitivity. ![]() As a result, train- ees are rarely challenged to examine how their respective cultural identities influence un- derstanding and acceptance of those who are both culturally similar and dissimilar. The content-focused approach to multicultural education overemphasizes the characteristics of various cultural groups while ignoring the importance of the trainees’ perceptions of and feelings toward their respective cultural backgrounds. Although it is beneficial for trainees to receive exposure to content highlighting the unique aspects of various cultural groups, it is rare that such knowledge readily translates into sensitivity. Unfortunately, current efforts to prepare culturally competent therapists are skewed heavily toward promoting cultural “awareness” while neglecting the importance of cultural “sensi- tivity.” This occurs primarily through the use of multicultural training models that rely heavily on providing trainees with multicultural content, with far less emphasis upon pro- moting meaningful multicultural experiences. To meet the demands of a changing world, it will be imperative for family therapy training programs to devote greater attention to preparing culturally competent therapists. This article outlines how the cultural genogram can be used as an effectivetraining tool to promote both cultural awareness and sensitiv- ity. While awareness involves gaining knowledge of various cultural groups, sensitivity involves having experiences that challenge individuals to explore their personal cultural issues. Training programs committed to the development of culturally competent family therapists must discover ways to raise cultural awareness and increase cultural sensitivity. THE CULTURAL GENOGRAM: KEY TO TRAINING CULTURALLY COMPETENT FAMILY THERAPISTS Journal of Marital and Family Therapy 1995, Vol. The Cultural Genogram: Key to Training Culturally Competent Family Therapists ![]()
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