refelction paper 3

Genograms
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Genograms
Based on genograms I expected that it would handle a diversity of different races. In my reading, the topic being discussed was based on the African Americans. The author would have also detailed information of how a genogram is conducted. Symbols are used to illustrate genograms, and the date of birth is written above the name of the person, this was exception information from the readings provided. Inside the symbols, the current age is indicated, codes of any genetic disease or other personal properties (Waites, 2009). The information missed from the reading; I gathered it from a personal experience in a healthcare facility. From the reading, I learned various ways genograms used in the African Americans.
Some of the expectations that were met in the discussion were that genograms are used to represent a family in pictorial forms. Genograms help to aid the practitioner understand the situation of a particular family (Waites, 2009). Through the understanding, a self and family awareness is created between a practitioner and a family. Waites also included how genograms are used for three or more generations. The central themes the book summarized based on religion, the old generation of grandparents and challenges and role of practitioners.
The article based its research that African Americans have their primary resource from religion and spiritual practices. The reason behind a sequential interest in religion is because a former generation also did religion for resource income (Waites, 2009).

While gathering information through a genogram, an old woman who was a patient stated that she owned a church she had acquired as a n inheritance, and five of her children were pastors in the church, and one of her granddaughters had her church. I figured out that African Americans are so spiritual and even Americans come to fellowship in their churches since they are believed to have a unique calling.
I found the author being particular about grandparents. Grandparents are stated to be the guardians of their children and also caretakers to their grandchildren. It was of importance that grandparents represented wisdom and strength of their African American families. They keep the values of their families (Waites, 2009). The thought of grandparent even becoming surrogate mothers has changed me socially and emotionally. Sometimes they are left to take care of the surrogated children. Due to their lack of support children end up thieves or engage in other unethical practices has left me with questions of ethics and life.
In healthcare facilities, practitioners can miss out on other patterns that would arise a broader context; this is because genograms cover a small scope in contrast with a family tree which can go to even hundred years back. Genograms are also biased in that it depends on the practitioner’s knowledge and progress when creating it (Waites, 2009). When the practitioner has no precise relationship of the family, there will be a miss out of the reason of the exercise since no information will be gathered.it may also occur when the practitioner has no relationship skills to determine family medical history.
In conclusion, genograms are very important to get relationships in family history and also to ease the work of practitioners understand family situations. On the other hand, it can be a disadvantage when practitioners do not have the skills to retrieve information from the family on a relationship of a medical history of the family. My feeling of the use genogram mostly on African Americans is biased. They conclude that African Americans have parenting role as a shared responsibility and that children have the responsibility of performing parenting roles for their siblings.
Reference
Waites, C. (Ed.). (2009). Social work practice with African American families: An intergenerational perspective. Routledge.