5 credits
Working with an individual is only part of the human services professional practitioner's role. People with disabilities often have family members who support, grow, and learn alongside them. This course celebrates the human services professional practitioner as family partner. As such, students explore the family experience across the lifespan of the individual with disabilities, from diagnosis through transitions in services to adulthood and future planning. Throughout the course, students apply skills, strategies, and tools to two cases involving family members with different types of disabilities, family structures, and dynamics. They also become familiar with family-focused planning materials they can use in future practice.