FAMILY
STRENGTHS INVENTORY (FSI)
ADMINISTRATION BOOKLET
By Bill Clark, D.Min.
Licensed Professional Counselor
Are you solidly committed to its survival and growth? Are you unquestionably dedicated to doing whatever it takes to keep it alive and well?
If you answered yes to these questions then you’re going to need all the help you can get. We live in a culture that is hostile to family values; a society that is bent of redefining and reshaping the basic structure and function of the family.
Before you launch into "The Family Toolbox" (see Wise Counsel) to discover the help and hope you need, we want to encourage you to first assess how your family is doing. Is it healthy and strong? Does it have the qualities that will ensure its stability and the happiness of its members?
As the old saying goes, "Nobody’s perfect," and neither is any family. Perfection in families, as in most other aspects of life, exists as an ideal, not as a reality. Family quality, therefore, should be viewed as a continuum with relatively few very healthy or unhealthy families at the ends and the rest somewhere in between. Quality also varies over the family life cycle. Most families will experience increased stress during the childbearing and adolescent phases that may severely test cohesiveness. While the great majority will emerge stronger, they all will go through periods of adjustment, disorder, and unhappiness.
Each family is different from all others. Some may function at their best when the children are young and not so well when they are teens. The reverse may also be true for other families. Some families may possess great strengths in certain areas and weaknesses in others. But the fact remains, all families are in a dynamic process of change. Some grow strong and others will weaken and die depending on the presence or absence of specific qualities.
In surveying the rich collection of research about healthy families, there are ten clearly identified areas of strength: commitment; affirmation and mutual respect; communication; responsibility, morality and traditions; crisis management; ability to seek help; spending time together; trust; values and service to others.
The Family Strengths Inventory was developed to help you objectively assess how strong your family currently is. As you complete the inventory, keep in mind not all ten qualities appear in every healthy family, nor is the emphasis the same for each. If there are noticeable weaknesses determine to take decisive action. Be intentional in making the changes that will move your family toward a state of healthiness.
This inventory consists of numbered statements to which you will respond true or false. Read each statement and decide whether it is TRUE / MOSTLY TRUE or FALSE / NOT USUALLY TRUE as applied to you and select the appropriate choice. Answer EACH ITEM as honestly as you can.