Family Science

HDFS Alumni

Sheri Daniels

HDFS (FamR) alumna Sheri Daniels has taken the position of executive director of Papa Ola Lokahi, an organization dedicated to improving the health status and well-being of Native Hawaiians and their families through advocacy and the development of culturally appropriate strategic actions. After receiving her BS in 1996, Sheri worked in the fields of substance abuse, mental health, child welfare, trauma and violence, behavioral health, and criminal justice. These jobs, in both government and non-profit sectors, were across Hawai’i but mostly on Maui, where she was born and raised. She also earned an MS degree in Counseling Psychology from Chaminade University and then a PhD in Education from Argosy University. She says, “The BS degree in FamR was critical in shaping my abilities to organize and develop time management skills that have been invaluable over the years. Without the experiences I gained in my undergraduate program, I would not have been so willing or excited to continue to strive forward.” Sheri was recognized in 2014 with the Maui County Women of Excellence award; she was also chosen as one of the Pacific Business News – 40 under 40 (2010) and as a Ka Ipu Kukui Fellow (2008). Papa Ola Lokahi is lucky to have her!

Lena Phomsouvanh

Lena Phomsouvanh and Sen Mazie Hirono through hard work and determination, HDFS (FamR) student Lena Phomsouvanh earned a full-time internship in Washington, D.C., with Sen. Mazie Hirono during spring 2015. She was immersed in the political realm and learned firsthand about the legislative process and the political sector. Lena writes that she was truly humbled to be one of the four students representing UHM. She felt fulfilled knowing that she was making a difference through the work she did. She has always had a strong interest in family public policy and how legislation can impact minority families, and now she is strongly committed to public service and hopes to continue on to serve her community. During her time in D.C., Lena was able to analyze how U.S. legislation affected Hawai‘i in the areas of education, health, and social welfare. Lena explains that the government crosses all sectors, and interning in D.C. is a great opportunity for all majors to learn about its role. She concludes, “I encourage all CTAHR students to apply because you will gain more than you would even imagine. Students do not necessarily need a political science background to intern! As CTAHR students, we are able to bring a unique perspective to the Hill through our diverse majors. If you have a willingness to learn and bring your own knowledge and experience, you can achieve anything.”

Esther Yasuda

HDFS (FamR) alumna Esther Yasuda didn’t return to college until she was 29, but once she started, she was hooked: she just graduated this summer with a master’s degree in Education from Concordia University in Portland, Oregon. Family Resources wasn’t her first choice, either, she admits; she had originally planned to go into nursing, but a counselor suggested she look into HDFS (FamR), and she couldn’t be happier with her decision. She writes, “I had many people help me realize what I wanted to do with my career. All of my instructors instilled in me the values, skills, and knowledge that equipped me, along with sound advice and wisdom.” After graduating, in addition to working on her master’s, she took a position with a non-profit organization working with youth and senior citizens in Kalihi; now she works with the YMCA of Honolulu as an outreach treatment counselor for middle-school students. She says, “My job is quite a challenge, but it is quite fulfilling and rewarding, too. I am glad that I am able to help the people of Hawai‘i through my job. I don’t know what the future holds as far as a career path, but as long as I can help people that’s fine by me.”

DEPARTMENT OF

Family and Consumer Sciences

Human Development and Family Studies

Family Science is, Relationship-Focused; Evidence-Based; Strengths-Oriented; Preventive; Applied

“Family Science is the scientific study of families and close interpersonal relationships, with a history spanning more than 100 years -The National Council on Family Relations (NCFR).”

What exactly is Family Science?

Family Science is applied. Family Science use their knowledge in the real world to help strengthen all families, in many diverse contexts. Learn more at family.science Family Science is the study of families and is a social science. Family science focuses on understanding relationships and interactions among family members, in all types of families. Knowing how to have healthy family relationships can help families to function better.

Helps us to understand how conflicts affect relationships between parents and children, and how to handle those conflicts effective.
Family science looks specifically within families at the crucial elemental relationships among family members. Whereas other social sciences might study how an Individual deals with a conflict, or how society influences conflict resolution.
Focuses on interactions among family members and how those relationships affect the family as a whole.
Focus family systems theory, which uses systems thinking to describe the complex relationships and interactions within family units.

“Our families often have a bigger influence on our lives than anyone else, that’s why Family Science is so important” -NCFR

Uniqueness of Family Science

The main thing that sets Family Science apart is that it focuses on relationships and interactions among family members, and the positive and negative effects those relationship and interactions can have within families. Family Science also focuses on a couple of other concepts that make it unique:

Prevention. Family Science often focuses on preventing problems before they occur, versus intervention where a problem already exists. Even if you are working with families and a problems already exists, it’s still important to understand how to put measure in place to prevent the existing problem from happening again after it’s resolved.
Strengths. Family Science tries to look at the strengths of families already have and how to build on those strengths, whereas other field might focus more on identifying and fixing problems.

Family Science is Strengths-Oriented. Family Scientists see that all families have strengths, not just problems to be fixed. Family Scientists focus on how families can build on their strengths to be sustainable and self-sufficient. Learn more at family.science

Family Science is Preventive. Many Family Scientists focus on preventing problems by applying expertise about healthy family functioning. Learn more at family.science

Why Get a Family Science Degree?

Explore the specific of family: family formations, functions, dynamics, issues, challenges, and more.
Gain strong family-specific knowledge and skills for your career: strengthening family relationships, building on families’ strengths, using prevention education, translating and applying research findings and evidence-based information, and more
Understand how family research, theory and practice work are related and inform each other.
Receive training to identify programs and practice that are research-based or evidence-based, and learn to evaluate the effectiveness of programs and practices.
Get experimental training and learning through internships or service learning.
Get knowledge and skills that can apply to anyone’s life within their family and close interpersonal relationships.

Job Prospects

People with Family Science backgrounds can work in many types of jobs:

Professional practitioner jobs working directly with families: for example, parent educator, marriage and family therapist, case manager with a social service organization, private practice, and consulting.
Research: to better understand families.
Teaching about families: either in the community or at a college or university.
Policy jobs: that shape policies affecting families, government agencies-administrative or human services, military-related organizations, courts, and corrections system.
Health: Health clinics or agencies, hospitals.
Schools: K-12, early childhood, colleges, and universities.

To learn more, please visit https://www.ncfr.org/.

We are family life educators; We are cooperative extension agents; We are Researchers; We are directors of aging services; We are medical family therapists; We are Family Science

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phone: 808-956-8105

fax: 808-956-2239

fcs@ctahr.hawaii.edu

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