Family Life Education Philosophy
It took me two years of intensive researching to determine what I wanted to do with my
life after high school. Very rarely does a person decide their future on a whim. From the moment
I heard about Family Life Education until now— four years of undergraduate studies later— I
have been formulating my philosophy on the profession. Many factors play a part in my
philosophy including my beliefs on the family unit, Family Life Education in general, and my
vision for Family Life Education.
Definition
Family Life Education is a profession that supports individual family members and entire
family units by providing access to resources and preventative education through the use of
family systems theory and an understanding of healthy family dynamics.
I believe each part of my definition captures the meaning of Family Life Education. First,
it is important to realize that Certified Family Life Educators (CFLE) may not help a whole
family all at once. They may work with a single mother and never lay eyes on the children or
grandparents. Nevertheless, the CFLE is still helping the whole family because what one
member learns and applies will affect the entire family. Second, a CFLE educates families on the
availability of various resources whether in the community, church, or even the hospital that may
help a family in some way. Third, while assistance may occur after the escalation of an issue,
Family Life Education works best as preventative care. If I can educate families before a
situation becomes unmanageable, there is a greater likelihood that the issue will never reach such
a high level of intensity. Finally, CFLEs use their knowledge of family dynamics and systems
theory to develop the programs they offer. By applying one’s knowledge about the theoretical
interactions of family members with each other and with society, one can make their educational
program far more applicable and useful. These four points make the definition well-rounded and
present Family Life Education well.
Importance of the Family
If a person were to break down society into ever-narrowing segments, one might come up
with the following list: government, businesses, schools, churches, families. Family is the first
and primary building block that all of society hinges on. Where do children learn proper social
and emotional behavior? They learn at home by watching their parents for the first months and
years of their lives. Carrying such knowledge along with them, children and teenagers grow to
have an effect on their peers at school and, later, in their career paths. Furthermore, God placed
humanity in families for specific reasons: to help one another in caring for the earth, to give
glory to God, and to teach Biblical values to the next generation. Therefore, families are vital for
maintaining the social, emotional, and spiritual health of a society.
When stressors introduce themselves into a family’s life, teaching and maintaining
appropriate social and emotional behaviors becomes astronomically more difficult. Children look
to their parents for support, but their mother and father are too busy providing for the physical
needs of the family. Family Life Educators can step in to help parents in their endeavors to
provide support for various family members.
While Family Life Education is typically a preventative measure, child life in a hospital
setting usually takes place after stress has already escalated. However, it is still possible to avoid
further issues by having certified child life specialists (CCLS) encourage parents, validate
feelings, and prepare children for possibly traumatic procedures. By providing such support as
this, families are strengthened with the resiliency to make it through a difficult time.
My Family Life Education Vision:
I consider my career goal to be helping create hospital environments that are inviting and
non-threatening to children. As described in Piaget’s cognitive theory, children form ideas about
new information through assimilation and accommodation. If a child has a traumatic experience
in the hospital, their schema of healthcare will be negative: when I go to the hospital, I feel pain.
I would consider myself successful if I can help that child accommodate their healthcare schema
to be more positive: when I see a CCLS at the hospital, I can play. By providing therapeutic
outlets for children and teens, I can be a part of disproving the idea that hospital visits are always
traumatic. In fact, I believe it is possible to help a child from ever creating a negative schema to
begin with.
While I agree that Family Life Education is most effective when it occurs before families
face problems, I also believe that CFLEs should not narrow their services to preventative
education only. Child Life Specialists are an excellent example of this. Many members of the
interdisciplinary team do not call a CCLS for assistance until the situation has already escalated,
and the child is experiencing high levels of distress. If CFLEs are only trained in preventative
care, how will they know what to do in this type of situation? My vision for Family Life
Education is that future CFLEs will have the knowledge and ability to serve both healthy
families and struggling families.
All in all, Family Life Education has deep meaning to me. Through the years of studying
my vocation, I have developed my own personal beliefs about and vision for families and Family
Life Education. Even after I graduate, I desire to continue learning and influencing this
profession.
