Class Family Psychology

Adopting a systemic perspective, where sexuality is looked at through a psychosocial and relational lens, this UC aims to make students aware of the issues associated with family development, considering the concepts of life cycle, family life cycle, stages, transitions in heteronormative and non-heteronormativity contexts. Special focus will be given to family psychology issues that empirical research has revealed as significant in sexual experiences and interactions in the context of intimate marital relationships.

S1. Epistemological, theoretical, and practical foundations of Family Psychology 1.1. General systems theory
1.2. Cybernetics
1.3. Theory of Human Communication pragmatics 1.4. Paradigm of systemic complexity
S2 Models of family functioning: Focus on Family stress models
CP3. Heteronormative family contexts
1.1. Family life cycle, stages and expected transitions. Tasks and challenges of conjugality and parenting
1.2. Families faced with unexpected transitions: chronic health conditions, premature death; separation/divorce and remarriage; infertility, adoption.
S4. Non-heteronormative family contexts
4.1. LGBTQ+ Families. The place of homoparenthood in the contemporary family context. Parental competence of lesbians and gays and their children's development.
4.2. Consensual non-monogamy: Polyamory.
S5. Family and systemic assessment methodologies
S6: Models and techniques of family and systemic interventions: brief notes. 

The syllabus will be taught using a variety of methodologies, namely: oral presentation of contents (TM1); brainstorming (TM2); interactive dialogue and guided discussion (TM3); viewing excerpts from films/videos (TM4); Classroom application exercises (individual or in groups) (TM5); role-play exercises (TM6); tutoring of ongoing group work (TM7); research exercises, reading, analysis and discussion of scientific papers (TM8).

• Alarcão, M. (2000). (Des)Equílibrios Familiares. Quarteto.
• Cardoso, D., Pascoal, P. M., & Maiochi, F. H. (2021). Defining Polyamory: A Thematic Analysis of Lay People’s Definitions. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 50(4), 1239–1252.doi:10.1007/s10508-021-02002-y 
• Fiese, B. H., Celano, M., Deater-Deckard, K., Jouriles, E. N., & Whisman, M. A. (Eds.). (2019). APA handbook of contemporary family psychology: Foundations, methods, and contemporary issues across the lifespan (Vol. 1). American Psychological Association.https://doi.org/10.1037/0000099
• Goldberg, A. E. & Allen, K. R. (2013). LGBT-Parent Families: innovations in research and implications for practice. Springer.
• Golombock, S. (2015). Modern Families: Parents and children in new family forms. Cambridge University Press. 
• Gouveia-Pereira & Miranda, M. (2021). Manual de Terapia Familiar: Teoria, Avaliação e Intervenção Sistémica. Pactor.