YFM5110EN - Issues in Family Stress and Crisis, Coping & Recovery

Course description

An examination of family stress and coping across the life cycle. Course will address psychological, sociological and biosocial theories and perspectives related to stress and coping. Topics are: parenting, poverty, work and family, violence, disability health/wellness, care-giving, normal/non-normal stress, and bereavement. Risk factors, protective and resiliency factors that facilities recovery will be addressed.

How this course benefits students

Any professional counselor, social worker, minister or lay leader that counsels individuals will come across people who are experiencing crisis and stress at various levels in life. The course will benefit students in that it will give them the tools needed to assist people expressing such stresses.

Why this course is important

This course is essential for professional in the helping profession. It will give students the tools to deal with their own crisis and stress level and that of the people they will be working with upon graduation.

Credit hours
3 hours
Subject area
Youth & Family
Educational level
Master
Learning type
Instructional
Prerequisites
None
Upcoming terms
Pending
* Schedule subject to change. Please contact the Registrar's office with schedule questions.
Professor
Dr. Winnie Nkhoma, Professor of Youth & Family Services

How this course relates to missional core values

Biblically based

This course will be tackled from the biblical perspective as written in Psalm 62:8 that we should trust in him at all times. “You people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. If we are able to trust God with all our problems, he is able and just to see us through any life difficulties.

Missionally driven

Our goal is to go into the world and proclaim the good news to people so that those who believe and have hope will realize that God is able to do all things. This particular course will educate student to go out into the world and heal people who are in stress due to major life events. It will also enable student to educate people of how to overcome stress in crisis and live a stress free life. Students will understand that the most important support when in crisis is from God, our ultimate Healer and Counselor and be able to communicate this message to people in the world. David wrote, in psalms 6:1:2-3 “From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you has been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.” It is our responsibility to exercise faith in God, to stay in the World, to cry out to God in prayer, and to maintain fellowship with other believers. We go to God in our distress and make use of the resources He provides. This course will do exactly what scripture ask us to do.

Contextually informed

Due to life situations, there are people with serious needs who need the help of those within our profession. The course in Family Stress and Crisis, Coping & Recovery would help professionals apply broader biblical knowledge and skills in this profession.

Interculturally focused

A study of family stress, crisis a recovery is essential because it will challenge both the student and the professor to understand how various individuals and families handle crisis as it related to their cultural perspectives. This will be very helpful when working with people from different cultural backgrounds.

Practically minded

This course will give students the tools they will need to handle life stressors and when in the professional environment counsel people who happens to go through crisis. It will be taught with a combination of lectures materials, discussion, case studies, group activities, and video tapes examples of stress and coping.

Experientially transformed

This course will give students the opportunity to practice what they are learning in the classroom to their everyday life. Students will be challenged to take what they have learned and practice them in reality. By so doing, they will be able to impact other lives.