The Grief Cycle

This week in my Family and Community Relationships class, we talked about the Grief Cycle. I know this is a tough subject for some individuals, so if you want to stop reading go ahead, I will not be offended. For the brave individuals who read on, buckle up and grab some tissues. 

We started the class with defining grief. Out of three very similar definitions, I thought this was the most appropriate definition. Grief is the response to loss...to which a bond or affection was formed to someone or something. Did you read that? According to this definition, grief is how we react when someone passes away or something has been taken away from us. Some examples could be, getting passed up for a promotion, losing an animal, losing a job, home, family member, losing a dream, etc. Grief is individualized and specific to that individual and circumstance. It is not racist or selective so it comes to everyone. We will all experience grief at one point or another in our lives. It is inescapable.

So why would it be important for me, as a future professional, to understand the Grief Cycle? The biggest reason is so I can help support and emphasize with the families I will be working with. Finding out that your child has a disability is a hard thing to understand and comprehend. There are a lot of emotions, questions, worries, stress and self-doubt that tag along with this realization. I need to be aware of these things so I can be there for the families to offer support and resources for them as they start down this new and different road. They will be looking to me for all the answers so I need to be prepared and well informed to help them with this new adventure. 

HWD Project Update: 

This week I have been researching the benefits of becoming a Registered Behavior Technician. Some of these benefits include: 

• Increased knowledge of ABA fundamentals to promote socially acceptable behaviors. 
• Families will be more convinced of your skills and how you can individually help them. 
• Application of behavioral interventions in multiple settings/environments. 
• Job openings and positions are constantly growing. 

Stay tuned for next week's topic on "What is BACB and how does it relate to RBT"?

References

1. https://cfcico.com/prime-benefits-from-rbt-training/
2. https://www.appliedbehavioranalysisprograms.com/certification/rbt/

Registered Behavior Technician Training

Like myself, you might be wondering "what is this RBT training that Anna mentioned last week in her blog?" Have no fear, this week I will tell you all you ever need (or wanted) to know about what the RBT training is and why it is important for me.

What is RBT training?
RBT stands for Registered Behavior Technician. It is a 40 hour training that individual must complete within 6 months/180 days in order to become a Registered Behavior Technician. After completing the 40 hour training, you then have to take and pass the competency assessment and the RBT exam. The application fee is $50 and it costs $45 to take the exam.

Why is it important?
This training helps professional and educators learn evidence-based practices in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to help families develop strategies to implement with their family members who struggle with developmental behavior challenges. Not only is it cool to add RBT to the end of your title, but it also allows you to work with students with severe disabilities and in these other settings, residential group homes, nurses, case managers, administrators, and health care facilities. The job opportunities are endless. Some responsibilities that an RBT might do include, assisting with conducting behavior reduction, working on social skills, creating notes from each session, collecting data and training their clients' caregivers. All of these responsibilities are done under the direction of a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). 

References

1. https://www.onlinerbttraining.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwzZj2BRDVARIsABs3l9IEPqZZOwkEImvRnByWU_PeUDSIhFvH8ZVG_l2GS9_7i2Qfbu5XL9waArBZEALw_wcB
2. https://autismpartnershipfoundation.org/courses/rbt/
3. https://www.bacb.com/rbt/
4. https://www.appliedbehavioranalysisprograms.com/certification/rbt/

The Family Life Cycle

What is the family life cycle?
The family life cycle is the fourth element in the family systems theory. The stages in the family life cycle are couple, birth and early childhood, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, post-parental, and aging. Each life cycle impacts all members of the family, individually and as a family. For example, in my family there are individuals in the adolescence and adulthood stage, with each family member at different points in these stages. These two stages in my family connect each member together because we have to interact and function in two very different stages. We have to learn how to balance our family life and the relationships between family members in these stages individually and as a family. As I have learned in my Family and Community Relationships class, whatever happens to one family member happens to all family members. The family unit feels the actions or choices of one family member. This is especially true if one of the family members has a disability.

What is the grief cycle and how can I help families as they grieve? 
As I have learned about the elements of the family systems theory, I have also learned about the grief cycle that impact how a family functions and interacts. The stages of the grief cycle are shock, denial, guilt and anger, shame, depression, and acceptance. I have seen these stages in real life as a family learns that one of their children has a disability. It is very hard for the whole family, but as a future educator who will be working with students with disabilities, it will be part of my job to help the families of my students through this grief cycle. A few things I have learned so far include being optimistic and having hope for the future of the child with a disability helps parents and family members. Another includes having open communication. Communication with the family is key because this family has entered uncharted territory and it is going to be my job and responsibility to guide them safely through this new and exciting territory. But most importantly, the best thing I can do for a family while they are grieving is to be a patient, kind listening ear.   

Update on HWD (Higher, Wider, Deeper) project:
This week I learned that there are some psychology classes that I could take while still at BYU-Idaho. I have also found out that to become a behavioral interventionist, there is a 40 hour RBT (Registered Behavior Technician) training that I will also have to complete.

The Family Systems Theory

This week in my Family and Community Relationships class, we have learned about the family systems theory. This theory says that families are a systems and that whatever happens to one of the family members happens to all of them. This also brought home to me that each family member is an individual and should be treated as such. As a future educator it is vital for me to know each of my students and their families individually. Each student will have a different family dynamic that I will need to work with and respect. Learning about this theory has helped me to see how different families interact with each other, what types of relationships interweave in the family, and how the family as a whole and as separate parts work together. 

We also talked about what the definition of a family is. Is it people who consider themselves a family and perform typical family functions, not related by blood or marriage? Is it a husband, wife and children? Or is it two or more people who are related by birth, marriage or adopting residing together? Whatever your definition of a family may be, I know that I will need to show respect to my students and their family, regardless of what their family may look like. Other aspects that have an influence on what a family looks like includes size and form, mentioned earlier, cultural background, socioeconomic status, and geographic location. All of these things define what a family is.

Knowing these things will help be to become a better educator because I will respect and not judge. I will recognize strengths and not weaknesses. And I will know that families and their culture are constantly in motion so I should not take one picture of the family and instantly know everything about them.   


Higher, Wider, Deeper Project
For my HWD project, I have decided to learn all I can about how to become a behavioral interventionist. I chose this topic because I have really enjoyed learning about behaviors and strategies I can use to help students with their behaviors. I also chose this topic because I also like working with students individually. This helps me to get to know them individually and I can plan specific strategies that will help them inside and outside of the classroom. With the information I gather, I hope to be able to start down the path of becoming a behavioral interventionist before I graduate from BYU-Idaho.