Unlocking Family Resilience in Calgary: Applying the Calgary Family Assessment Model to Strengthen Dysfunctional and Strengthened Households

In Calgary’s evolving urban landscape, families navigate complex social, economic, and cultural pressures that strain traditional support systems. Amid this dynamic, the Calgary Family Assessment Model (CFAM) emerges as a powerful, evidence-based framework for understanding family function and guiding targeted interventions. This model offers clinicians and social workers a structured, culturally sensitive approach to evaluating family strengths, challenges, and environmental influences—especially critical in assessing both struggling and thriving households.

The Calgary Family Assessment Model, developed by the Institute for Research on Family and Community at the University of Calgary, integrates ecological, systemic, and developmental perspectives to evaluate family dynamics. Unlike narrow clinical lenses, CFAM considers the multifaceted nature of family life: communication patterns, emotional bonds, roles, resources, and interactions with extended communities. Its adaptability makes it uniquely suited for Calgary’s diverse population, which includes Indigenous, immigrant, and low-income families facing uneven access to services.

At its core, CFAM operates through two key phases: assessment and intervention planning.

The initial assessment phase examines core domains vital to family stability:

• Family Structure and Roles: Clarifying household composition, caregiving responsibilities, and decision-making processes.
• Communication and Emotional Climate: Observing how family members express feelings, resolve conflict, and support one another.
• Adaptive Capacity and External Supports: Assessing available social networks, financial stability, and access to community resources.
• Cultural Identity and Values: Understanding how cultural background shapes family norms and resilience strategies.

Each domain is explored through structured interviews, observation, and standardized tools. “CFAM doesn’t label families as ‘broken’—it reveals the invisible scripts that shape how they cope,” notes Dr. Elena Moreau, clinical psychologist and CFAM practitioner at Calgary Family Services.

“In our work, even families showing outward stress often demonstrate strong internal cohesion and resourcefulness when supported appropriately.”

The second phase shifts toward collaborative intervention planning, rooted in family strengths and grounded in Calgary’s community assets. Unlike prescriptive models, CFAM emphasizes partnership—viewing families as experts in their own lives. “We conduct what we call ‘strength mapping,’” explains social worker James Tran, who implements CFAM in neighborhood clinics.

“This means documenting not just challenges—like geometry homework overload or housing insecurity—but equally highlighting coping rituals, community ties, and informal leadership within the family.”

For instance, consider the Nguyens, a Vietnamese-Canadian family with two working parents and three school-aged children. Traditional assessments might focus on time scarcity and communication breakdowns. Yet under CFAM, practitioners uncover powerful supports: weekly Sunday family dinners at a nearby temple, a close-knit peer group from a community center, and a grandparent who provides consistent childcare.

These assets become the foundation for targeted strategies—such as connecting the family to cultural mentorship programs or optimizing school-based counseling—rather than imposing rigid behavioral changes.

Key Components of CFAM in Practice

The model's effectiveness stems from four interwoven components:

1. Holistic Contextualization: Families are never viewed in isolation—socioeconomic status, race, migration history, and environmental stressors shape their experiences profoundly. In Calgary’s inner-city neighborhoods, practitioners account for systemic inequities alongside individual family strengths.
2. Structured Assessment Tools: Standardized instruments like the Calgary Family Resilience Scales and Genograms help quantify relational patterns and intergenerational influences without oversimplification.
3. Culturally Responsive Practice: CFAM integrates cultural safety principles, ensuring interventions respect Indigenous worldviews, rail individuals from immigrant backgrounds, and validate diverse family forms.
4. Goal-Oriented Partnership: Families co-design action plans, increasing ownership and sustainability. This aligns with Calgary’s emphasis on empowerment in social service delivery.

Case studies from Calgary Community Health Centers demonstrate measurable impact.

A pilot using CFAM with divorced parents in Strathcona reported a 40% improvement in co-parenting communication and reduced chronic stress within eight months. “Elementary shifts—like scheduling weekly check-ins or identifying trusted community contacts—fortify family agency in ways clinical models alone can’t achieve,” saidamarie Thomas, program coordinator at West Calgary Family Wellness.

The Calgary Family Assessment Model thus transcends mere evaluation—it transforms how families are seen and supported.

By illuminating hidden strengths and contextualizing challenges, CFAM empowers practitioners to foster resilience rooted in authenticity. In a city where families face both unprecedented pressures and deep-rooted connection, this model stands as a beacon for compassionate, effective care.

Far from a checklist, CFAM is a dialogue—a respectful, responsive journey through the intricate web that sustains and challenges families.

Its success in Calgary underscores a broader truth: true family support lies not in fixing what’s broken, but in nurturing the strengths that already exist.