Adult Development

This course examines the multi-dimensional aspects of adult life from young adulthood through the elderly years within the context of family and social systems. An integral part of the course involves an overview of concepts, theories, and research relevant to adult human development with an emphasis on development over the life span in the context of family interaction and its impact on therapy. It focuses on concepts and issues important in physical, cognitive and social factors in adulthood, effective parenting, and personal growth through adulthood. Special topics include: risk and resilience after divorce; single-parent households; remarriage and step-parenting; lesbian and gay families; adoptive families; race, class and poverty; immigrant family-processes; challenges in illness and disability; spiritual dimensions and social constructions of individual and family health.