The Families and Democracy Project

Abstract

The Families and Democracy Project moves family therapists and other professionals into the community via a critique of traditional provider/consumer models of family services, a set of principles about the civic engagement of families in partnership with professionals, and a set of public practices for working on community problems. We describe the Families and Democracy model and three specific projects. We distinguish the model from traditional hierarchical and collaborative models of working with families. And we discuss lessons we have learned, and our plans to take this work to its next developmental stage.

Marriage and Family Therapy with Low-Income Clients: Professional, Ethical, and Clinical Issues

“…Putnam (2000) notes that an individual's well-being is strongly related to the quality of social support in his or her life. Doherty and Carroll (2002) state, ''Families must be engaged as producers and contributors to their communities, and not just as clients or consumers of services'' (p. 583). Instead of passively receiving services from the community, clients work to improve the environment in which they live.…”

Intimate Partner Violence Between Unmarried Parents Before and During Participation in a Couple and Relationship Education Program

“…The FFP was a federally and state funded demonstration project formed in response to the call for extending marriage education to fragile families. The FFP was uniquely designed using principles from the Families and Democracy model (Doherty & Carroll, 2002) in partnership between university researchers and community leaders. It took shape as an intense, in-home education and support program.…”

The Role of Family Interaction in New Immigrant Latinos' Civic Engagement

“…This case prompts a larger question of the role of family in community mobilization and civic action. Some recent community building initiatives have placed the impetus of community change and civic engagement on the family unit (Doherty & Carroll, 2002; Erickson & Louv, 2002; Rojano, 2004). Research has shown that parents who are more active in raising their children are more likely to exhibit higher levels of civic engagement (e.g., Wilcox, 2002).…”