ASSIGNMENT TITLE: Lifespan Development Case—Grief, Family Systems, & Ethics
Course Alignment: Lifespan Development / Counseling
Estimated Effort: 10–12 hours
Scenario
A multigenerational family navigates terminal illness, end-of-life decisions, and
bereavement with conflicting values. You will analyze developmental, cultural, and ethical
dimensions and propose an intervention plan.
Learning Outcomes
• Apply grief and lifespan theories (e.g., Bowlby, Worden, Dual Process).
• Integrate cultural context and family systems.
• Propose evidence-based, developmentally appropriate interventions.
Deliverables
A. Case Analysis (1,000–1,400 words): presenting issues, stakeholders, cultural factors,
risks.
B. Theoretical Application (700–900 words): compare 2–3 theories; strengths/limits in this
case.
C. Ethical & Legal Brief (400–600 words): autonomy, substituted judgment, advance
directives, confidentiality.
D. Intervention Plan (700–900 words): goals, modalities (e.g., CGT, family therapy),
timeline, referral/coordination.
E. Outcome & Monitoring Plan: measures (e.g., PHQ-9, grief scales), safety plan, follow-up
cadence.
Detailed Task Requirements
• Include a genogram or narrative family map.
• Address caregiver burden, sibling conflict, and cultural norms.
• Provide crisis resources and escalation criteria.
Formatting & Submission
• APA; cite ≥8 scholarly sources.
, Rubric (100 pts)
• Case Depth (25) • Theory Integration (25) • Ethics/Legal (15) • Intervention & Monitoring
(25) • Writing/APA (10)
Case Study Analysis: Adulthood
Capella University PSY6015: Lifespan Development
Introduction
This case study analysis will focus on a family of 6. Mother and Father Isabelle and Victor
and their four children Paul, Sophia, Lenore, and Joseph. Isabela and Victor have been
married for 53 years and live in an Italian- American section of the city. When the children
were young Isabelle was a stay-at-home mother, and Victor worked as a forklift operator.
Once the two youngest children were in high school Isabelle went back to work as a
salesclerk. Their four children all grown up and living their own individual lives.
Currently, the family is dealing with the illness of their father Victor he has been diagnosed
with pancreatic cancer. Victor health declined rapidly he needed around the clock care.
Everyone tried their best to assist but their own individual lives hindered them from doing
so. With Victors health declining more and more each day Isabelle informed her children
that Victor did not want any extraordinary measures to be used to keep him alive if a
sudden
emergency occurred however this wasn’t put into writing. Several people disagreed with
Isabelle and believed that all measures should be exhausted in order to save Victors life.
When Victor slipped into a coma and experienced trouble breathing his youngest son
Joseph went against his mother’s wishes and allowed the doctor to insert a ventilator.
Several days later Victor passed away.
Fast forward four months later Isabelle is grieving her husband of 53 years. She lives alone,
quit her job, and is having trouble sleeping. Isabelle believes that she will be like the widows
she knows in her community alone. Isabelle’s children are experiencing their own feelings
and motions towards their fathers passing and their mothers grieving. This case will
analyze the stressors that are operating on this family since the death of Victor.
Case Study Analysis: Adulthood
Isabelle husband Victor was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and his health rapidly
declined. The last 4 months he was in and out of the hospital and required around the clock
care. With Victors health taking a turn for the worse Isabelle informed her children that
their father ad asked not to have any methods employed to prolong his life. Isabelle was
certain of Victor's desires, even if he had never put this in writing. Victor’s family -physician,
, Victor’s older brother, and Joseph his youngest son was all opposed to this suggestion.
They thought that Victor's life should be saved at any costs. When Victor went into a coma
one night and experienced difficulty breathing Joseph the youngest son went against his